Have you felt overwhelmed recently?

If the answer is yes, then let this blog post resemble nothing more than a quick reminder that you are not alone.

We truly are living through unprecedented times, especially for young people.

I am fortunate to regularly speak to people of all ages and backgrounds which provides me with a broad yet unique perspective. The current state of global affairs and the uncertainty of the future are topics appearing so frequently in my conversations with clients, close friends and family, that I have felt compelled to write about it.

However, when I began to put down my thoughts as to how I would frame such a blog, I initially felt overwhelmed by the scope of the topic… The irony.

Fortunately, however, I soon realised that just like so many things in life, the simple solutions are often the most effective.

For some brief context, I have learned to enjoy being regularly humbled by the fact that I tend to overcomplicate things.

Whether it’s attempts to optimise a particular system, reading unnecessary information before taking the relevant action or just spending too much time in thought, making things more complex than needed comes easy to me.

And yet at each step of my journey, I am always surprised and impressed by the power that lies in being able to make things simple.

If I am fortunate enough to achieve simplicity, I always take time to look back at how I was previously approaching the situation and smile with my newfound clarity.

Speaking from personal experience, a lot of what causes me to overcomplicate things in the first place, is that in times of stress we resort to what we are comfortable with. Coming from a family legacy of psychology, spending time thinking about thinking is a common pastime of mine.

However, due to the pressing economic instability, cost-of-living crisis and geopolitical unrest that most of us are battling daily, I think it is completely understandable to find myself often apprehensive to what the future holds, especially as a young person.

So how do we then simplify our lives, reduce stress and filter out all of the noise that can lead to feeling overwhelmed?

I believe one simple answer is to share.

The exact experience that I am benefitting from by writing these very words… Sharing how we feel and what we think about a topic or situation has a truly remarkable impact on our wellbeing.

Although I would add, only when done with a few considerations in mind…

Anyone has the ability to just begin talking about an issue. Maybe as you’re reading this now, you’re actually thinking, “I wish a few people I know would share a lot less.”

But I’d argue that what I am writing about here is different to just having a conversation.

To truly share effectively requires some dedicated time and thought beforehand, in order to capitalise on the transformative power that sharing has to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.

Whilst I have a range of considerations that I always try my best to do when it comes to sharing, for the sake of simplicity and keeping in theme with this blog, I will share just one of them.

That being, to write your thoughts down.

Again, perhaps that may come across as relatively underwhelming. But what I might add, is that writing is in fact one of the most complicated forms of thinking you can do.

When we write out our thoughts, especially if handwritten, we force ourselves to consider our next words with greater depth. Unlike a free-flowing conversation, writing demands that we take more time over the words we use and the topics we decide to expand on.

So when it comes to sharing a particularly stressful issue, feeling or thought with someone… You may be surprised at how writing those thoughts down on paper beforehand, will organise your thinking and allow you to uncover ideas and perspectives that you may otherwise have missed.

In addition, writing your thoughts down provides you with the opportunity to pause for a while before returning to what you have written. During this time, your new perspective of your own thinking might shape how you approach the conversation with greater understanding and awareness. As a result, you’ll be more likely to have a rich, meaningful conversation and enjoy the benefits of sharing how you feel with someone who has your best interest in mind.

In reflection, I have experienced these benefits from writing this very blog. Admittedly, at the time of writing, what would help my wellbeing more so, would be getting to sleep, especially after watching this evening's Champions League fixtures…

However, in all seriousness, by writing down my thoughts in response to the question I proposed in the title, I hopefully have put together something that has been worth your time to read.

Before concluding, I would like to point out that the contents of this blog are by no means a recommendation more than it is an insight into what has helped me. It is what I have found in my experience, to have been invaluable and an integral part of my practice and lifelong study of the subject of psychology.

If you have found this blog insightful, I would very much love to hear from you. As I mentioned, writing is just one of several methods I have found to enhance my experience of sharing. If you’d be curious to know more, I would be happy to extend this post into a series, so please do let me know.

If this has stimulated any other thoughts or questions that you would like to discuss then please get in contact.

I look forward to hearing from you and I hope you have a great rest of your day.

Zak