10 Things to Try When Everything Feels Like a Lot
by Margie DuBois, CPC
February 11, 2025
As January came to a close, one central theme circulated across my network: “it’s all too much.” Between the winter blues, a terrifying political climate, and a hard flu season, many people are feeling on edge and run down.
When you’re in a chronic state of overwhelm, it can absolutely feel like you’re treading water without a light at the end of the tunnel. The unfortunate reality is that stress and uncertainty will be an inevitable part of our existence for the foreseeable future.
The good news? While you can’t control bad people (or whether or not you come down with a cold), you have an opportunity to decide how you want to navigate each day. You can choose your mindset, how you spend your time, what brings you joy, and how you support others.
Here are 10 things you can try when everything feels like a lot in your life. Each of these solutions are backed by research and are guaranteed to make you feel a bit lighter.
1 - Move your body
It’s not new news that exercise has countless benefits, including promoting energy and improving your mood. Yet so often people skip workouts because they think they don’t have the time, or what they’re doing isn’t sufficient.
Consider shifting your mindset to making daily movement a part of your identity. Be a person who moves their body for 10 minutes every day and build it into your morning routine. Jump on a rebounder, go for a walk, do a yoga flow sequence, or have a dance party in your kitchen.
Set an alarm at the half way point of your work day that reminds you to stand up and move. You’ll be amazed by what happens when you move that stuck energy out of your body.
2 - Get rid of clutter
Toni Morrison once said: “If you want to fly, you have to give up everything that weighs you down” (Source).
It’s hard to feel joyful if your life is filled with clutter. Whether it’s your email inbox, apps on your phone, clothes that don’t fit, lackluster relationships, or excess events on your calendar, these things add up and weigh you down.
When you remove clutter from your environment and life, you feel less heavy and free up room in your brain for more joyful thoughts and activities.
Carve out some time to take inventory of the clutter in your life today. What is adding to your stress? Brainstorm a list in your journal until all the clutter is on the page. Then, circle a few items to prioritize removing from your life. If you have clutter in your home or need to clean out your inbox, schedule a few decluttering blocks. Put them on your calendar like you’d put any type of event, and make it a priority.
3 - Get more sleep
This one seems like common sense, but most people fail to do it consistently. And when you’re extra stressed and glued to your phone, it becomes less likely to happen.
This year, consider making sleep your top priority before anything else. You can’t be a good parent, leader, partner, neighbor, or friend if you’re not a well rested human.
Establish an evening routine that brings you joy, and remember to have a designated “power down” time each night where you turn off blue lights or tuck them away.
4 - Learn how to breathe and rest
When you’re hustling through the day, it’s hard to slow down and make time for rest. Sometimes we are so focused on our to do list and just getting through the day that we forget to connect with our bodies and make time for rest.
Breathing is one of the most underrated - yet powerful - tools for nervous system regulation and lowering our stress. Consider making breathing and these rest rituals a part of your everyday life.
5 - Boost your phone boundaries and media literacy skills
If you’re like most people, your phone use may have gone up significantly in recent months. While the doom scroll is a normal human tendency, it doesn’t benefit our mental health. Even worse, it can often eats up time that we can spend on activities that bring us joy.
Consider creating awareness of your phone habits and everything you’re consuming. Remove social media apps from your phone (either for a set period of time or indefinitely), and unfollow accounts that bug you. Pause subscriptions. Set your phone aside during the workday, and do not have it near your bed. Your sleep and health deserve better.
In addition to practicing healthy phone boundaries, get curious about your limited media literacy skills. When we receive information from the news, sometimes we fall into the trap of assuming everything we’re absorbing is true. Our confirmation bias prevents us from staying curious and engaging in critical thinking. Sometimes things are better than we assume, and other times they are worse. Find a friend who trust and commit to kind and curious conversations when unpacking tough issues on the news.
6 - Cultivate everyday vitality
In her book, Everyday Vitality, author Samantha Boardman writes: “Negative emotions are a part of a full life. Uncertainty cannot be avoided. Stress, frustration, and disappointment are inevitable unless you construct a life so safe and sealed off from reality that you live in a bubble” (Source).
Since living in a bubble is not an option, it’s essential that we develop the skills to make the best of our everyday life by cultivating vitality. Boardman describes this as the positive feeling of aliveness and energy that lies at the core of well-being and asserts that it’s something all humans can benefit from.“Vitality doesn’t come from disengaging from the world while you ‘find yourself.’ Vitality comes from living well within the world.”
Consider reading this book to learn new skills for flexing your vitality muscles, including cultivating “little r” resilience, taking action, and looking around.
7 - Practice the “Eight Minute Rule” with your friends
Last year I learned about the eight-minute solution for supporting friends after watching this segment by Simon Sinek. The theory states that eight minutes is all it takes to connect with someone and build positive associations.
Try making an agreement with your closest colleagues, family members, and friends to commit to the eight-minute solution. When you’re having a hard day at work or feeling sad on the weekend, text someone to say: “I need eight minutes.” If you sense a friend is going through a difficult time and can use support, let them know: “I have eight minutes for you.”
8 - Do not let bad people slow you down
When it comes to the scary state of the world, bad people and energy vampires want to slow you down. They want to get a reaction out of you and send you into an anxiety spiral.
Sometimes - without knowing it - we give other people too much power over our state of being. Whether it’s the media, politicians, a rude coworker, or a difficult family member, we let their energy get into our orbit. While it doesn’t make their bad behavior okay (or easy to manage), it’s up to us to decide how much we let other people derail us.
Do not - and I repeat - do not let them have that power over you. Instead, let them show who they are. Take a deep breath, take action, and set healthy boundaries when needed.
9 - Be good in the world
Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” (Source).
Sometimes the weight of the world can feel unsurmountable. But the reality is, the small actions we take each day add up and the collective impact can change the world.
Decide what action you can take today and get it done. Donate to a favorite charity. Sign up to volunteer. Deliver a meal to a neighbor. Call a friend to check-in on them. Become a great listener at work. Pay a compliment to a stranger. It will make a difference.
10 - Laugh often
Most people like to laugh. But did you know that laughter has proven health benefits?
When the going gets tough, you can make a conscious choice to make laughter a part of your everyday life. Watch your favorite funny TV shoes and movies. Spend time with hilarious friends. Follow and share social media content that gives you a giggle. Infuse humor into your work. Choose to be a goofball.
. . .
Viktor Frankl once wrote: “For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best” (Source).
Now is the time to get serious about your daily habits, who you surround yourself with, what information you consume, and what you allow into your physical and energetic space.
This doesn’t mean that you ignore what’s going on in the world or set your grief aside. But it does mean that you make a conscious choice to navigate each day with mindfulness and intention. You get to do your thing and become the change that you wish to see in this world.
About This Feature
Coaching Nuggets is a standing editorial feature in The Thirlby Co. Monthly Digest written by our company founder, Margie (Thirlby) DuBois, and occasional guest authors. Each nugget provides you with a quick read and resources to spark ideas and help you live your best life. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive this feature and more inspiring content in the future.
