Drowning in To-Dos? Let’s Talk Overwhelm (and Your Overflowing Cup)

Ever feel like your brain is 47 tabs open, and none of them are loading properly? Welcome to the land of overwhelm—population: way too many of us.

It’s that feeling when the smallest thing (like the washing machine beeping or someone asking what’s for dinner) makes you want to scream into a pillow. Or lie face down on the floor. Or both.

Let’s be honest, modern life is a lot. And overwhelm isn’t just about “being busy”—it’s about having more input than your brain, body, and emotions can reasonably handle. So how do we manage it?

Let’s break it down with a metaphor that makes everything better: a cup.

The Stress Cup Metaphor (aka Why You Want to Cry Over Spilt Milk)

Imagine you have a cup. Not a fancy one. Just a basic old mug or something. Everything you deal with in a day—work, family, bills, background noise from your neighbour’s leaf blower and gardening addiction—goes into that cup.

Eventually, that cup fills up. And if we keep pouring more in (emails, car trouble, "We need to talk" texts), it overflows. That overflow? That’s when we snap at loved ones, forget where we put our phone (it’s in your hand), or cry at a random commercial.

And at this point in reading this, you might be thinking: I get that but what do we do about it? What CAN we do?

Well, the goal isn’t to never have stress (I have no idea how to achieve that). The goal is to stop the overflow.

Step 1: Map What’s Filling—and Emptying—Your Cup

Grab a notebook (or the back of an envelope—we’re not fancy). Split the page in two:

• Filling My Cup (aka The Stress Side): What’s weighing on you right now? Work deadlines, poor sleep, constant notifications, pressure to “have it all together”? Write it down.

• Emptying My Cup (aka The Recovery Side): What helps you breathe easier? Walks, naps, laughing at dog videos, a proper meal, catching up with a friend?

Just noticing the balance (or imbalance) can be powerful. You can’t fix what you haven’t named.

Step 2: Schedule “Me Time” (And Actually Honour It)

No, this isn’t about booking a silent retreat on a mountaintop. “Me time” can be small and practical: 10 minutes of movement, five deep breaths, a solo coffee, or saying “no” to things you don’t actually have time or energy for. It's building up the things that will help empty our cup.

Protect that time like it’s the last Tim Tam in the pack.

Step 3: The Big Four: Exercise, Sleep, Food, Connection

These four are like the legs of a table. Wobbly in one? Everything feels harder. These things are SO important, I could right a whole blog on it... hmmm... I should probably do that...

• Exercise doesn’t have to be a gym grind. Dance around your kitchen. Stretch. Move however feels doable.

• Sleep is your brain’s nightly detox. Aim for consistency over perfection.

• Food fuels your emotional resilience. Skipping meals or living off crackers? Not ideal.

• Connection matters. We’re social creatures, even the introverted ones. Text someone. Say hi to your neighbour. Pet a dog.

  
  

Final Thoughts (Before Your Cup Overflows Again)

Overwhelm is a normal response to a world that often expects too much. You’re not failing. You’re just full.

So let’s stop shaming ourselves for not keeping it all together and start tuning in to what we need.

Small shifts empty the cup. Small joys fill us up. Wait...I'm mixing metaphors here... ah, I'm sure you know what I mean.

Need help sorting through the chaos? We’re here for that too—at BetterSpace Wellbeing Clinic, we help you make space in the madness.