Have you ever had one of those moments where everything hits at once?

Emails piling up.
Messages coming in.
Kids needing you.
A mile-long to-do list staring back at you.

And suddenly your body goes into panic mode.

It feels like you’re drowning in to do's!

I had one of those moments recently, and I want to share how I moved through it.

The Moment Overwhelm Took Over

I usually keep my head above water at work, but that day felt different.

Instant messages from multiple people.
An inbox that was getting out of control.
So many open tasks I didn’t even know where to start.

And then it happened.

That physical feeling in my body — tight chest, racing thoughts, anxiety, panic.

If you’ve ever felt like you have more to do than time to do it, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

How I Used to Handle Overwhelm (and Why It Didn’t Work)

I didn’t always handle overwhelm well.

I used to let it run free — letting it consume my energy and fuel me to work harder.
It worked for productivity, but it wasn’t healthy.

Now, I use a simple 3-step brain-based framework that helps my body settle and my mind feel calm and empowered — often within minutes.

Step 1: Love Your Brain

Before trying to fix anything, I identify what’s happening and validate it.

I literally said to myself:

“This feeling in my body is my brain reacting to stress.
Of course I feel alarmed. I have a lot going on.”

And almost instantly, the panic softened.

Because this feeling is real.
It’s valid.
And most importantly — it’s temporary.

That’s how amazing your brain is.

Step 2: Optimize Your Brain

Your brain is a physical organ, and its physical health affects how you respond emotionally.

So I asked myself:

• Did I sleep well?

• Is my body under extra stress?

Then I remembered — I had a rough night and I was about to start my period.

PMS is real, and it impacts our brains.

That awareness alone helped me calm down even more.

Then I took compassionate action — a deep breath with a longer exhale than inhale — signaling safety to my brain.

My nervous system began to settle.

Step 3: Empower Your Thoughts

Finally, I replaced this thought:

“I can’t do all of this.”

With my favorite phrase:

“I can do hard things.”

Because yes — life is hard.
Work is hard.
Motherhood is hard.
Marriage is hard.

And yet — you do hard things every single day.

What This Looks Like in Real Life

In real time, this took less than a minute.

I saw my to-do list and unread emails.
Panic showed up.

I said:
“This is overwhelm. Of course I feel this way.”

I remembered:
“I didn’t sleep well and I’m PMSing.”

I took one deep breath.

And I told myself:
“I can do hard things.”

That’s it.

I moved on — calm, grounded, and empowered.

This Is How I Live (and What I Teach)

This framework helps me navigate:
• Mom life
• A full-time accounting career
• Leading a mental health ministry
• Building a brain health coaching business

And it works for the moms I coach, too.

Want Support Practicing This?

If you’d like to practice this with guidance, I host a free quarterly workshop where you can bring a real challenge and get coached through this framework live. (This is free. I just want to share this knowledge with everyone.)

👉 Sign up here - Quarterly Workshops

And if overwhelm feels constant — not something that comes and goes — I encourage you to explore how your habits and biology may be training your brain.

You can do hard things.
And loving your brain makes it easier. 💜