Imagine this: your life is busy, but under control. Something happens, though, and everything spirals until you’ve come undone. One event, one that you could have otherwise handled easily, makes everything fall apart. What causes that?
For the most part, human beings are pretty adaptable. As long as the change is not too sudden, we can absorb remarkable changes in our environment.
Take the news, for instance. As recently as a few decades ago, we got our news from newspapers once a day, and a half hour of national news and an additional half hour for local news on TV. That was it!
Now, there are multiple 24-hour news stations, and tuning in to one provides an incredible amount of information all at once. An on-screen anchor is delivering an opinion, or conducting an interview. Chyrons appear regularly to recap what is being discussed. A ticker of other headlines runs across the bottom of the screen. There might also be weather alerts, sports scores, stock market updates, or additional information flashing somewhere on the screen.
It’s a lot to take in, but we do it fairly easily. Our focus can’t be everywhere all at once, but we figure out what is most important to us, and jump around as necessary.
However adaptable we are, there are limits. We can be overwhelmed, with our ability to switch from topic to topic swamped with information. And once we reach that saturation limit, it feels like everything comes undone and we can’t do anything. All but the most simple tasks escape us.
Are there triggers of this type for you? Sometimes it is just a matter of one random thing being one too many. But there might also be a recognizable action that causes you to struggle. Can you think of what yours might be?
Related questions: What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Is our attention fractured? Are we too busy? How do you find peace when you need it?
I struggle with chronic anxiety, so I can spiral into paralysis more easily than I’d like. Several situations tend to trigger it, but a few stand out above the rest.
First, I can become stuck when a relationship with someone I value is under strain. Repairing that relationship quickly becomes my highest priority. Yet the stress that creates the problem often makes it harder for me to take the very steps needed to resolve it.
Similarly, if I realize I’ve made a misstatement or handled something poorly, I can become consumed with finding a way to set things right. Once I recognize the mistake, correcting it can occupy far more mental space than it probably should.
Another trigger is feeling purposeless in a social setting. If I don’t have a role to play or a responsibility to carry, large crowds can send me into a serious downward spiral. It’s one reason I often avoid protests, rallies, and other events I’d otherwise like to attend.
Finally, I frequently experience the Sunday Scaries. To manage them, I try to keep Sunday afternoons and evenings as free from pressure as possible—a strategy my therapist strongly recommends. When that doesn’t happen, I can freeze up. One of the most effective ways I’ve found to head it off is to reserve part of Sunday evening for myself: putting on headphones, listening to music, and letting my mind settle before the week begins.