Small everyday ideas that help me slow down, reset and feel a little lighter when life starts to feel overwhelming.

If you've read my companion article, Why You Feel Mentally Overloaded (Even When You're Keeping Everything Together), you'll know that I'm a big believer that mental overload isn't usually caused by one huge problem. More often than not, it's the result of hundreds of little things all competing for space in our minds at the same time.

Unfortunately, there isn't a magic solution that suddenly makes those responsibilities disappear. The washing still needs doing, appointments still need booking and the shopping list somehow never seems to get any shorter. Life carries on.

Over the years, though, I've realised there are a handful of things that genuinely help me when my mind starts feeling full. None of them are revolutionary and I certainly don't do them perfectly every day, but they've become little anchors that help me slow down, reset and create a bit of breathing room before I carry on.

Turn the music up

This is probably the one that surprises people the most, simply because it's so ordinary.

If I'm driving home after the school run, heading to the supermarket or even cleaning the kitchen, I'll often put on one of my favourite songs and properly sing along. Not quietly either! I mean the sort of singing where you forget whether you're actually any good because you're enjoying yourself too much to care.

What I've realised is that it's incredibly difficult to overthink while you're completely absorbed in a song. For a few minutes my brain stops replaying conversations, stops mentally planning tomorrow and stops worrying about everything else waiting for my attention. Instead, it's focused on the music.

It's such a small thing, but I almost always feel a little lighter afterwards. If singing isn't your thing, perhaps it's dancing around the kitchen, listening to a favourite podcast or simply sitting with music that helps you relax. The activity itself isn't important; it's giving your mind permission to think about something different for a while.

Get absorbed in something

When I'm feeling overwhelmed, my first instinct is often to reach for my phone. It's become such an automatic habit that I sometimes don't even realise I'm doing it.

The problem is that scrolling rarely gives my brain the break it's actually looking for. Instead, I'm feeding it even more information, more opinions, more things to compare myself to and more reasons to feel like I should be doing something else.

I've found I feel much better when I become completely absorbed in something instead.

For me, that's often playing a game. Whether it's on my Nintendo Switch or PC, it gives my brain one thing to focus on instead of trying to juggle everything at once. My attention shifts away from the endless mental to-do list and onto the challenge right in front of me.

It doesn't really matter what the activity is. It could be gaming, reading, doing a jigsaw or anything else that completely captures your attention. The value isn't in being productive; it's in giving your mind permission to focus on one enjoyable thing instead of trying to hold twenty different thoughts in your head at once.

Create a small sensory ritual

One thing I've learnt over the years is that slowing down doesn't have to involve booking a spa day or following an elaborate evening routine. In fact, I think those ideas can sometimes feel overwhelming in themselves because they seem to require time that many of us simply don't have.

Instead, I've started paying more attention to the little moments that already exist in my day.

✦︎ Taking an extra five minutes in the shower instead of rushing.

✦︎ Melting a favourite wax melt while I'm pottering around the house.

✦︎ Spritzing a room spray before sitting down with a book in the evening.

✦︎ Taking a moment to massage body butter into my skin before climbing into bed instead of immediately reaching for my phone.

None of those things remove the reason I'm feeling overwhelmed. The washing is still there, the emails still need replying to and tomorrow's responsibilities haven't magically disappeared. What they do offer is a gentle pause before moving from one part of the day to the next; a reminder that I'm allowed a few moments of care before carrying on.

If you'd like to create more of those little everyday rituals, you're very welcome to browse my collection of handmade bath, body and home fragrance products.  Every fragrance is created with the hope of helping ordinary moments feel just that little bit more special.

Decide which balls are made of glass

My business mentor, Amanda Hughes, introduced me to something called the Glass Ball and Rubber Ball Theory a while ago, and it's one of those ideas that has stayed with me ever since.

Amanda is the founder of The Small Business Community, creator of the Get Seen Get Sales Method® and host of The Growth Addicts Podcast. If you'd like to learn more about Amanda and her work, you can find out more here.

Imagine every responsibility you're juggling is a ball. Some are made of glass and others are made of rubber.

The glass balls are your genuine non-negotiables. They might be collecting your children from school, attending an important appointment or remembering to take essential medication. If you drop those, there are real consequences.

The rubber balls are still important, but they'll bounce. Maybe the washing can wait until tomorrow. Maybe the house doesn't need to be spotless this week. Maybe that email really can wait until the morning.

Whenever everything starts feeling equally urgent, I find it helpful to stop and ask myself which jobs are genuinely made of glass and which ones my brain has simply convinced me are more important than they really are. It doesn't reduce the number of things on my to-do list, but it does help me let go of some of the unnecessary pressure I put on myself.

Step outside for a few minutes

I love being outdoors, but I rarely go outside just to be outside.

More often than not, I'm stepping into the garden to do a bit of gardening, hang the washing out or keep an eye on the children while they play. There's usually a reason I'm out there.

Every now and then, though, I remind myself that it's okay to step outside without an agenda.

✦︎ To listen to the birds.

✦︎ To watch the bees moving between the flowers.

✦︎ Or simply to stand still for five minutes without trying to achieve anything.

Those moments rarely solve whatever was making me feel overwhelmed, but they help me reconnect with the present instead of staying trapped inside my own thoughts.

You don't have to earn your rest

This is probably the lesson I'm still learning. For a long time, I believed I had to finish everything before I was allowed to stop. Once the washing was done, the emails had been answered, dinner had been cooked, the house was tidy and everything had been crossed off the list, then I could sit down.

Of course, that moment never arrived. There was always another load of washing, another appointment to book, another message to reply to or another job waiting for tomorrow.

Eventually I realised that rest isn't something we earn by reaching the end of an impossible list. It's something we need along the way if we want to keep going. Sometimes taking a break before you feel completely exhausted is one of the most productive decisions you can make.

Final thoughts

If there's one thing I'd love you to take away from this article, it's that feeling mentally overloaded doesn't always call for a dramatic solution.

More often, it's the small moments that make the biggest difference. A few minutes where your mind isn't trying to solve every problem at once. A chance to slow the pace, even briefly, before carrying on.

None of these things will remove your responsibilities, and they aren't meant to. They simply create little pockets of breathing room amongst everything else life asks of us.

Those small moments might not change everything, but they can change how you feel in that moment. And sometimes, that's enough to help you feel just a little lighter.

You might also enjoy...

Why You Feel Mentally Overloaded (Even When You're Keeping Everything Together)
Discover why mental overload builds up, even when you're managing to keep everything together.

The Three Pillars of Wellbeing
Explore the gentle philosophy behind the way I approach wellbeing at The Inner Hearth.