Ep. 88 – 4 Simple Ways to Deal with Overwhelm As An Entrepreneur

4 Quick Ways to Beat Business Overwhelm (That Actually Work)

Ever feel like your business is spinning out of control? Like your to-do list keeps growing and your brain won’t stop racing? I get it. I’ve been there too.

The problem isn’t that you can’t handle your business. The problem is that you’re trying to do too much, remember everything perfectly, and place unrealistic expectations on yourself. It’s like trying to juggle while someone keeps throwing more balls at you.

Doing Business Gently Podcast - episode 88

Here’s the Good News:

You don’t need a 50-point checklist to deal with overwhelm. You just need a few simple tools that work fast. In this episode, I’m sharing four practical ways to handle overwhelm when it hits.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • A simple breathing technique that helps your brain slow down.
  • How to “clear the decks” with a simple braindump method.
  • Why taking small actions beats perfect planning.
  • The importance of celebrating your wins (even the tiny ones).

Let’s talk about overwhelm for a minute.

You know those days – when everything feels heavy, your anxiety is through the roof, and you can’t seem to focus on anything. Your brain is spinning with all the tasks, projects, and ideas you’re trying to juggle.

First, know this: feeling overwhelmed doesn’t mean you’re bad at business. Often, it’s simply a sign that you’re trying to keep track of too much at once. Your brain is saying, “Hey, I need some help here!”

That’s where these simple tools come in. My favorite is the brain dump – just grab a pen and paper (yes, actual paper – it works better than digital!) and write down everything that’s swirling in your head. Don’t worry about organizing it yet. Just get it out of your mind and onto the paper.

Then there’s the breathing technique. I know, I know – everyone talks about breathing. But here’s the thing: it really works. Just slow, intentional breathing can help your racing thoughts slow down. It’s like hitting the pause button on overwhelm.

The key is to keep these tools simple. When you’re already feeling overwhelmed, the last thing you need is a complicated system to learn. These techniques take just minutes to use, and you can do them anywhere – at your desk, in your car, or anytime you need extra help.

Remember

Overwhelm isn’t a sign that you’re failing. It’s just a signal that you need to pause and reset. Try these simple tools next time you’re feeling stuck. Your business (and your brain) will thank you.

Listen to the episode to learn more about these 4 simple tools to dealing with overhwlem in your business.

Want More Business Overwhelm Support?

Take the next step and join my Weekly Reset Routine Mini Workshop. It’s designed to help you start each week feeling calm and in control in just 30-minutes or less.

Weekly Business Reset Mini Workshop
Weekly Business Reset Routine

Let’s Connect:

TRANSCRIPT:

[00:00:00] **Marta Goertzen**: I’ve been hearing the words “overwhelmed” and “I don’t know what to do next” in a lot of conversations lately. Hey, I’ve even said it myself a few times over the past few weeks. The comments have used different words to explain basically the same issue: “I’m overwhelmed with all that needs to be done,” “I’m so busy, I don’t know where to start,” “I’m so tired, I don’t have the energy,” or “I just can’t wrap my head around it.” You can insert your own “it” here. We all have those days when it’s just feeling all too much. So what do we do? That’s what we’re going to explore today: four simple ways to deal with overwhelm as an entrepreneur.

[00:00:40] Hey there, I’m your host Marta Goertzen, and welcome to Doing Business Gently. This is a podcast for women who are ready to think and do business from a place of purpose and intention. If that sounds like you and you’ve wondered what it means to have a gentle and aligned business, you are in the right place.

[00:00:59] This is a safe place where we talk about life-business integration. We approach this idea by creating a life-first business—one that’s aligned to fit you, your values, priorities, personality, and the current season of life you’re in. We also talk about how to find business clarity so that you’re not constantly second-guessing every decision you make. We discuss how faith and business can work together, and very importantly, we talk about doing this all from a place of rest.

[00:01:29] Join me today as we look at a few simple ways to deal with and hopefully tame overwhelm in your business.

[00:01:37] This episode is brought to you by the Weekly Reset Routine Mini Workshop. This mini workshop is created for Christian women entrepreneurs who are ready to de-stress their weekly business schedule in about 30 minutes or less.

[00:01:53] If you are ready to start your Monday morning feeling prepared and ready to face a new week, then this De-stress Your Business workshop is for you. In it, you’re going to learn:

  • How a weekly routine can help keep you on track
  • How to plan for and not forget important life and business commitments
  • Quick and easy ways to slow down, take a deep breath, and prepare your heart and mind for the week ahead

[00:02:18] This simple routine can become a healthy habit that grows with you and your business, no matter which stage you’re in. No more scrambling because you forgot an appointment. No more wondering what you can and can’t say yes to. Know up front what can be changed when emergencies come—and they often do.

[00:02:38] This is a great way to learn how to do business gently. The mini workshop includes a video and workbook that walks you through the entire routine, along with suggestions on how to tailor and customize it for you and your business.

[00:02:54] Start a new healthy habit and routine for your gentle business with a weekly business reset routine. You can learn more at https://SelahStudios.co/weeklyreset.

[00:03:06] I love spending time on Pinterest. It’s interesting, creative, and I find inspiration. It’s a great place to find tools and resources that can help you in your business.

[00:03:19] I’ve been on it for years. I remember back in the day when you had to get an invitation from somebody else to start using it. Pinterest has come a long way from those days.

[00:03:29] However, it’s also a platform that can drive me a little nuts, especially when I come across pins that say things like “40 tactics to get your business visible,” “30 digital products you can sell in your coaching business,” “12 things to do when you’re feeling overwhelmed,” or “39 lists to make when you feel overwhelmed.”

[00:03:54] I’m sure many of these pins and blog posts are helpful, or at least meant to be helpful. But when you’re feeling overwhelmed, you just need something simple, easy, and doable right here, right now. You don’t need a list of 40 or 50 new things to deal with overwhelm. So I’m not going to throw out a huge list of things that might be helpful. Instead, we’re going to focus on four simple things you can use today, right now, usually in just a few minutes’ time.

[00:04:24] But first, before we get to those four simple things, let’s look at some signs of overwhelm—what to learn to look for. Often, we enter a season or state of overwhelm, and it just creeps up on us. One day we wake up, and everything feels heavy and hard.

[00:04:42] Here are some common signs:

  • Everything feels heavy and hard
  • Your anxiety starts spiking for no real reason
  • Your brain won’t stop thinking—it’s overthinking and ruminating over your business, your to-do list, or a project
  • You’re procrastinating and delaying the start of projects because they feel too big, even the small stuff
  • You find yourself staring at the screen, finding it hard to focus and take that next step
  • You’re afraid to slow down and stop because if you do, those spinning plates you have sort of under control are going to start to drop

[00:05:44] It’s good to pay attention and take note of how you’re feeling during these times. How’s your body feeling? How’s your mind feeling? How’s your planning? How is your vision for your business feeling? When you’re paying attention, you can often head off overwhelm before it becomes a big issue.

[00:06:04] Let’s explore the four simple things you can do when overwhelm does overtake you:

Step 1: Take Care of You

[00:06:35] The first part might feel like a cheat—I’m going to tell you to take a moment to just breathe. From personal experience, the more I learn about how breath impacts our body and anxiety, and as I practice breathing exercises, I can see what an impact they can have in just a few seconds.

[00:06:56] Over the past couple of months, I’ve been taught simple, gentle breathing exercises to practice each day. When anxiety spikes or overwhelm hits, I can stop for just a few seconds of slow, steady breathing. This allows me to recalibrate and calm down before returning to whatever I was working on.

[00:07:25] It’s really simple: Sit in a comfortable spot, put your feet on the floor, with your hands relaxed by your side. Often, I like to close my eyes and just breathe in through my nose and release that breath through my mouth.

[00:07:46] It takes just a few seconds, and within a few breaths, I can feel my brain slowing down. I can identify where the tightness is in my body and relax facial muscles, shoulders, neck, and arms. Just a few breaths help you realize, “Wait a minute. I’m okay. I’m safe. This is okay.”

[00:08:00] The other part of taking care of yourself is to take a break. Step away from the computer. Overwhelm is often a sense that things are swirling and moving so fast out of our control that we just can’t keep up.

[00:08:15] Slowing down the pace of your thinking can help you see what is important versus what isn’t, what is urgent versus what just feels urgent. It’s easier to recognize when anxiety or urgency is stemming from a state of overwhelm.

[00:08:34] Overwhelm can make us think everything is important and urgent. Taking a break to think about something else, to change your focus for just a minute, can provide the rejuvenation we need to come back clearer-headed and ready to face the task, project, or to-do list.

[00:08:53] This doesn’t have to take long. Go outside for a few minutes, walk the dog around the block, grab some water, brew a cup of coffee or tea, do breathing exercises, clean up breakfast dishes, or fold laundry—just some simple activity that takes you out of the business overwhelm and puts you in a different frame of mind.

[00:09:18] You’ll be surprised how quickly that sense of overwhelm diminishes when you can step out of that state, even just for a few seconds. Then you can assess: Am I okay to go back? Do I need a longer break? Do I need more breathing exercises?

Step 2: Do a Brain Dump

[00:09:58] One of my favorite exercises when feeling overwhelmed or when facing a big project is to do a brain dump. This is one of my main go-to strategies on days I feel frozen or overwhelmed.

[00:10:05] Get it all out of your head—I call it “clearing the decks.” Write down any pending items, in-process projects, upcoming appointments, ideas you want to pursue—anything that’s cluttering up your brain.

[00:10:35] Sometimes your brain is saying, “Wait a minute, I cannot hold all of this in one place. I’m trying to remember everything for you, but this is too much.” When you can get it onto paper and see what’s cluttering your head, you often realize this is the source of overwhelm.

[00:11:21] When doing this brain dump, I highly recommend using pen and paper rather than typing. It’s a different way of accessing emotion and your brain. It’s okay if it’s messy or has spelling mistakes—perfectionism isn’t required. Just write quickly to get everything out of your head.

[00:11:41] Once you have that list, you’ll often realize some things are actually done, some are future concerns you don’t need to worry about yet, some can go on your calendar, and some can be handled right now with a quick call.

[00:12:06] You can also use this method for specific projects that feel overwhelming. Write down everything about the project: processes, steps, questions, things to investigate, website updates needed, email marketing tasks—getting it all onto paper instead of trying to organize it in your head can greatly reduce overwhelm.

Step 3: Start Small

[00:12:48] Now that you have your project brainstormed or everything out of your head and on paper, go through that list and pick one to three super simple things you can get done right now. Keep them simple—things you can do in just a few minutes. This helps build momentum through simple action and often provides the jumpstart you need to refocus and get back to work.

Step 4: Celebrate and Evaluate

[00:13:36] First, celebrate that you took simple steps that brought you back to a level of calm. Don’t ignore the fact that you recognized the overwhelm, identified it, took steps to calm down, and distinguished between what’s truly important versus what just feels urgent.

[00:13:59] Document these wins so you can look back and remember what steps helped you overcome overwhelm. Then, take a minute or two to evaluate what brought you to this level of overwhelm:

  • Were you trying to remember too much?
  • Is something in your personal life affecting your business?
  • Are you letting in too many voices through social media, email, courses, or coaches?
  • Is it time to return to basics and review your values, priorities, and goals?
  • Are you working in alignment with these core principles?

[00:15:22] Look at your calendar and to-do list. Evaluate how your values and priorities are reflected in them. Start to identify areas where you might be out of alignment—working out of step with your values and priorities invites overwhelm into your life and business.

[00:15:52] It’s important to build a toolbox of simple, easy tools you can use anytime when feeling overwhelmed or anxious. Having such a toolbox is a great asset for designing a gentle business.

[00:16:12] Gentle means having boundaries, slowing down, and doing business with intention and purpose. That’s hard to do when you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed.

[00:16:31] Which of these four simple tools could you start using today? How do you deal with overwhelm? Is there a simple tip you would add to this list? I would love to hear from you. You can reach out to me in the DMs on Instagram or leave a comment on the blog post for this episode. The link is in the show notes below.

[00:16:58] A weekly business reset routine is a great way to develop intentional, purposeful habits that can help you deal with overwhelm and anxiety in your business. It’s a routine that can help reduce your stress on a weekly basis in 30 minutes or less. If you’d like to start learning this approach, visit https://SelahStudios.co/weeklyreset

[00:17:23] Thanks for joining me today. In the next episode, we’ll continue exploring how to design a gentle business that fits you, and we’ll discuss the interesting idea of “business hushing.” If that sounds intriguing, join me next time as we keep learning how to create a simple and sustainable business where we all can do business gently.

Related posts:

  1. Ep. 40 – 3 Questions That Won’t Help the Multi-passionate Entrepreneur Find Business Clarity
  2. Ep. 41 – Is Your Business Clarity Journey Stressing You Out?
  3. Ep. 43 – How to Overcome Toxic Hustle with a Selah Mindset
  4. Ep. 44 – Want a Simple and Sustainable Business? Define Your “Enough Points”

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