By Nancy Miller, Ph.D. Everybody has times of feeling overwhelmed. It's a feeling we all hate. We usually don't see it coming, and by the time it takes over we're too far gone to do much but pull some covers over our head, have a good cry or yell at someone. Those may help at the moment, but they aren't terrific coping skills over the long haul. Why You Get Overwhelmed Stress is like a see-saw.
Responsibility is at one end, control is at the other.
But, when you have more responsibilities than you have control over them, your stress level goes up. Your child doesn't sleep at night, and you have to go to work in the morning. You and your spouse need to get away, even for an evening, but you don't know a baby sitter you trust. Of course, the stress see-saw works the other way, too. But imagine the feeling of having no responsibilities for even an hour - and doing whatever you need or want for that time.