It’s common to feel overwhelmed and yet have no idea what’s causing that feeling. You know things aren’t right, but can’t quite get at why.

How do you discover what’s overwhelming you?

One excellent method is to start an overwhelm journal.

Begin by understanding your own reaction to stress. Common reactions include things like feelings of anxiety, inability to sleep, lack of appetite, irritability, upset stomach, anger, or exhaustion.

What symptoms do you mainly get when stressed?

Whenever you feel your stress symptoms, get out your overwhelm notebook and let the pen fly. Or, if you prefer typing, open your laptop and start punching keys. 

Write about how you’re feeling and what you’re thinking. This can help you identify the source of your overwhelm in a couple of different ways.

First of all, it helps to talk. We often don’t know clearly how we feel until we tell someone else.

You’re “talking” to yourself in your journal. Through this writing, the source of your stress will likely reveal itself.

A journal also documents a time in our lives. After some time passes, you can go back and read entries, and this will make it clear what’s causing your stress.

Finally, scrawling away or hammering your keyboard can help you work out some of the stress you’re feeling. You can vent through the words you’re putting on the page. 

Make it as fun and easy as possible to write in your journal. Keep it close at hand so you can use it whenever you need to or set aside time each day to reflect and write about how you’re feeling.

Scientific studies have proven that keeping a journal is excellent therapy. It can help you identify and cope with your sense of overwhelm.