Feeling overwhelmed? Good! There are several reasons why you shouldn’t have a negative outlook on this emotion.

I bet you were confused when you read the title, huh? After all, few people consider feeling overwhelmed to be a good response to anything. When you hear the word “overwhelmed” you think of nervousness, anxiety, and anger from experiencing too many stimuli in life. But that’s not the only reason why people become overwhelmed. Sometimes feeling overwhelmed means quite the opposite.

The positive side of feeling overwhelmed

There is a positive connection between certain characteristics and being overwhelmed. First of all, let’s look at the definition of the word. With this definition, maybe we can understand all the perspectives of this feeling. As with many other words, “overwhelmed” has multiple meanings.

Overwhelmed:

  1. To affect someone strongly
  2. To cause to have too many things to deal with
  3. To defeat someone or something completely

There are ways that feeling overwhelmed can prove beneficial

Aha! See that? These three definitions already have you pondering on the positive aspects of feeling overwhelmed, don’t they? If not, read on a little further as I break this down for you.

Introverted

As you probably already know, the introvert can be easily overwhelmed, especially in large crowds of people. They also tend to shy away from social gatherings of all types in fear of feeling overwhelmed. Now, right away, you can see this as society sees it, from a negative standpoint.

But for the introvert, these social gatherings mean having to use their discernment when they rather not. They can detect negative stimuli, they also detect unattractive energies as well, making it difficult to find positive energies to bond with.

So, what you perceive as fear, is really the introvert feeling overwhelmed by a potentially unfriendly atmosphere. Being introverted is also a choice because of the comfort involved in this feeling. In the comfort of their own homes, the introvert will still become overwhelmed, mainly overflowing with good vibes in which they have no problem sharing with themselves.

The overly sensitive

Similar to the introvert, these guys can sense things that others cannot. Now, clear your mind and open it up for me. What if that overwhelming feeling is simply an abundance of both audio, visual, and sensory stimuli, and the overly sensitive cannot absorb these stimuli fast enough?

The reason why these stimuli are so hard to connect with is that these individuals are over-sensitive to things. They are actually feeling things that normally go unnoticed, like high-pitched sounds, strange lights, and even the slightest changes in a person’s expression. Basically, it’s a wild and raw superpower that just hasn’t been fully understood yet.

The Minimalist

This individual easily feels overwhelmed with the materialistic views of the world. In this case, we again see why feeling overwhelmed is a good thing. And why? Because being overwhelmed in this case means reaching a point where you desire to change. As most of you know, the world is in dire need of a few positive changes regarding minimizing.

If you were to give up your electronic devices, your gadgets, and your other various distractions, you would be forced to face one another organically. If you were to limit your spending and your acquisition of toys, you would be forced to see things completely differently. Our responsibilities would change and the world would change as a whole, right there with it. The minimalist understands how feeling overwhelmed is just the start of a revolution.

The Empath

Considering an empath can feel what others feel, it’s understandable that they would become overwhelmed quickly. Feelings of anger, love, and sadness can bombard the mind of the empath leaving them frustrated and confused about the path they need to take. This part of being overwhelmed can be seen as negative, I get that.

On the other hand, being overwhelmed with these feelings allows an empath to understand when others need comfort and help, where otherwise these emotions might go unnoticed. Being overwhelmed by the feelings of others can help empaths be there for sufferers of depression and also thwart suicide attempts, in rare cases.

The highly intelligent

Those of high intelligence often feel overwhelmed by the influx of knowledge. Unlike many others, these individuals experience an ability to constantly absorb new things and ideas which quickly advance their learning abilities. Gifted individuals are prone to experiencing overwhelming thoughts and ideas which enable them to be effective problem solvers.

Sometimes this overflow of knowledge can be too much to handle, but it always serves a greater purpose when harnessed in the right ways. Autistic people and those who have ADHD or ADD are thought to be extremely intelligent but just not able to process these overwhelming thoughts and put them into words and organized actions. Fortunately, they still contribute to society by helping us discover new ways of looking at life.

Feeling overwhelmed? I promise it’s okay

If you’ve found yourself taken over by thoughts and feelings, don’t see it as a negative thing. Rather, learn from these thoughts and feelings by seeing them in a different light. Not every overflow will drown you. On the contrary, sometimes the best ideas and notions come in waves that knock us off our feet but still teach us how to survive.

If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, good. You are a rare and wonderful person, and the world needs what you have to offer.

References:

  1. https://www.theodysseyonline.com

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This Post Has One Comment

  1. Chrystal L Smith

    This is very interesting subject on overwhelming feelings.. Good information to go on. I’m not so sure if this would be characterized as something learned from any kind of mental anguish though.. I just think, it’s more or less, gifts given by God for each of us to explore.. Realistically, the steps we experience through our life, only shape us to become the individuals we are supposed to become. Until the day we are dead that’s the end of our experience.

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