There was a time when I thought mindfulness meant sitting cross-legged on a cushion, burning sage, and somehow becoming immune to stress just by “being present.”
Except when you’re overwhelmed, nothing feels present. Your brain’s doing laps around your to-do list. Your shoulders are permanently glued to your ears. And even drinking water feels like another task to remember.
That’s the real deal no one talks about: when overwhelm hits, mindfulness doesn’t come naturally. It feels impossible. Irritating, even.
Like sure Jan, I’ll just go breathe deeply while my inbox is screaming and the laundry mountain looks like a ski slope. But what if I told you mindfulness isn’t about escaping your chaos?
It’s about anchoring yourself in it without drowning. And I learned this the hard way. After a minor meltdown (crying in the bath eating peanut M&Ms), I decided I needed a different kind of toolkit.
One that worked for real life
These 5 mindfulness techniques helped me pull myself back when I was teetering on the edge and I promise, they’re doable.
1. The 5-4-3-2-1 Reset
Okay, this one’s saved me more times than I can count. It’s basically a sensory grounding exercise, but in plain English, it tells your nervous system, “Hey, we’re safe right now.” You don’t need candles. Or peace. Just 60 seconds and your five senses.
Here’s how it works:
🖐 5 things you can see – Look around. Name them. Doesn’t have to be deep.
🫶 4 things you can feel – Your clothes, a coffee mug, your feet on the floor.
👂 3 things you can hear – The fridge hum, your breath, a bird outside.
👃 2 things you can smell – Literally sniff the air or your shirt sleeve.
👅 1 thing you can taste – Gum, water, leftover coffee. It counts.
I use this in traffic. In stressful work calls. When I’m spiraling at 10PM because I “wasted the day.” And every single time, it gives me that one-second pause I need to stop reacting and start regulating.
2. One-Minute Tasks (To Feel Like a Functional Human Again)
This might sound silly, but here’s a weird truth: feeling overwhelmed often comes from avoiding tiny things. Like that one email. Or putting away the clean laundry. Or washing the mug that’s been in your sink since 2003.
These tasks aren’t hard they’re just stacking. And the longer they stack, the heavier your brain feels. So I started playing a little game with myself: What can I do in 60 seconds that’ll make me feel 1% more grounded? It could be wiping a counter. Taking a sip of water. Turning on a playlist. Sending a 2-word reply. Lighting a candle.
Doesn’t have to be heroic. Just movement. Action is often the antidote to overwhelm and one-minute actions are the bridge between “I can’t deal” and “okay, maybe I can.”
3. The “Mind Dump” That Saves My Sanity
I don’t journal every day. I’m not that girl. But when I’m overwhelmed? I dump it. All of it. On paper. No rules. No structure. Just a stream-of-consciousness vent sesh. What I’m worried about. What I’m mad at myself for.
The 37 tabs open in my brain. I call it a “brain dump,” but honestly, it’s therapy with a pen. Sometimes I even do it on my phone in the Notes app. Once it’s out of my head, it stops shouting. It’s like the weight gets redistributed. I stop trying to juggle it all in my mind and start seeing patterns.
Like oh, maybe I’m not lazy. Maybe I’m just stretched 12 ways and expecting myself to keep sprinting.
4. The “Name It and Normalize It” Trick
Here’s a sneaky reason overwhelm lingers: we keep trying to fight it instead of naming it.
Like, we say “I’m fine” when we’re clearly not. Or we shame ourselves for “not handling it better.” That’s why I started saying things like: “Wow, I’m really overwhelmed right now.” Out loud. To myself. To my partner. Sometimes to the dog. And you know what? It helps.
Because the second I name it, I’m not trapped in it anymore. I create a little distance. And I stop being mad at myself for feeling human.
This practice, naming + normalizing—has helped me sit with hard emotions instead of bulldozing them. And weirdly, they pass faster when I stop resisting them. Bonus points if you pair this with a cozy ritual. Put on a sweatshirt that feels like a hug. Sip tea. Rub lotion into your hands. Say: “This is hard. And I’m still safe. And it’s okay to pause.”
5. The Micro-Moment Check-In
You don’t need 20 minutes to meditate. You need 10 seconds of noticing.
That’s what mindfulness really is. It’s catching yourself in the scroll-hole and gently asking, “Wait, is this helping me?” It’s noticing your jaw is clenched. Your brow is furrowed. Your breath is shallow. And then choosing something different.
I do this a few times a day. No timer. No ritual. Just micro-moments. Like when I sit down at my desk, I ask: “What do I actually want to feel today?” When I finish lunch, I pause and feel grateful. When I’m spiraling, I whisper “come back” to myself.
That’s it. That’s mindfulness. Just gently bringing yourself back to now again and again. And no, you won’t be perfect at it. You’re not supposed to be. It’s a practice, not a performance.
What Helped Me the Most?
Honestly, giving myself permission to be soft. To slow down. To be a little messy while I figure it out.
I stopped chasing some ideal version of “zen” and started finding my version of calm. It wasn’t found in silence. It was found in small, kind pauses that reminded me I wasn’t broken, I was just tired.
These tiny techniques became my lifeline. Not because they fixed everything. But because they helped me feel like I could handle something.
Want to Try This Without Overthinking?
I know mindfulness content can feel a little “extra.” Like sure, let me just book a silent retreat while I’m drowning in deadlines and debt.
But these practices aren’t extra. They’re essential. Especially when life feels like too much.
So if your brain’s been yelling lately? Try just one of these today. That’s it. Just one. You’re not lazy. You’re overloaded.
And you deserve support that meets you where you are.
