3 Ways To Stop The Overwhelm

Okay so I'm back from a close-to-three-week trip with my family, and I'm landing back into real life: client work, service, rhythms, routines… all the things.

And there's one topic that keeps coming up — with clients and in my own body:

Overwhelm as an entrepreneur.

Not the cute kind. The kind that makes you feel behind before you've even started. The kind that turns your brain into a browser with 47 tabs open and one of them is playing music and you can't find it. 🫠

Here's the angle I want to offer you:

Sometimes overwhelm isn't "too much." Sometimes it's a pattern.

Meaning: it can be self-produced — and if that's true, you have way more power than you think.

Let me break down the three patterns I see the most (and how to interrupt them without becoming a monk who journals for six hours a day).

First: Check if you're creating chaos where there's calm

This one's sneaky because it can look like ambition. Drive. Leadership. "I'm just motivated," etc.

For some of us, our default way of operating is to seek challenge — and when there isn't one... we make one.

(Hi, it's me. I'm the problem.)

Now, to be fair: sometimes creating a challenge is helpful. It lights a fire under your ass. It gets you moving. It gives you energy.

But when you get stuck in creating chaos where there's calm, it turns into bad pressure instead of good pressure — and that's when overwhelm becomes harmful.

It can push you into freeze mode. Paralysis. Procrastination. Not knowing where to start. Spinning instead of moving.

Here's the audit:

Am I creating this overwhelm?

Am I creating this chaos?

Is there something I could say no to right now?

Can I take something off my plate?

Can I press pause on an idea?

Can I say no to an event or commitment or deadline I literally made up in my head?

Overwhelm isn't always your schedule. Sometimes it's your relationship with pressure.

Second: Pace — are you moving too fast to collect information?

If you're someone who lives with your foot on the gas... stay with me.

When you're overwhelmed, the move often isn't "slam on the brakes." It's not "stop everything and disappear."

It's a yellow light moment.

Instead of fully stopping, you release the gas just enough to collect yourself. Notice what you're losing. Get your orientation back.

Because here's the thing: when you're speeding through life and business, you don't have time to see what's actually happening.

You can't check in with your team. You can't look at the data. You can't notice what's working and what's not. You can't pivot or refine. You can't see where you're leaking time, energy, and money.

You're just… going. Crushing. Going. Crushing. And all the information is basically hitting the windshield and pinging off.

Overwhelm multiplies when you're moving so fast you can't collect reality.

So yes — take your foot off the gas long enough to gather facts.

Evidence over feelings. Facts over feelings.

(Feelings matter — but facts give you clarity.)

When you pause long enough to look at what's true, your feelings often shift… because you're no longer trapped in the spin.

Third: Rule-breaking can turn creativity into chaos

If you're a rule breaker, hi. Same.

Not "ruthless rebellion." More like... divergent thinking. Outside-the-box strategy. Experimenting with better ways. Doing business in a way that actually fits you.

But here's what happens when that pattern runs unchecked:

You start reinventing the wheel constantly. New ideas. New directions. New initiatives. New creative vortex. Every. Single. Day.

And eventually your own creativity becomes... exhausting.

The fix isn't "stop being creative." (lol good luck with that anyway)

The fix is: give your creativity bumpers.

Think of it like bowling. You can have your own wild throw. Your own style. Your own swing. But the bumpers — systems, automations, processes — keep the ball in the lane.

Structure is not the enemy of creativity. It's what prevents creativity from turning into chaos. Which is basically just another word for overwhelm.

The real point: These patterns are strengths… until they aren't

Here's what I want you to hear clearly:

These are A+ entrepreneurial qualities. Loving a challenge. Moving fast. Breaking rules. Creating change.

That's literally the job.

But when they tip into too much challenge (chaos), too much speed (no data), too much rule-breaking (reinvention spiral)… you end up overwhelmed in a way you don't need to be.

A simple "Overwhelm Reset" you can do today

Name it: Is this overwhelm real… or self-produced?

Choose yellow light, not full stop: Release the gas a little. Slow down enough to orient.

Collect evidence: What's actually happening? What's true? What's working? What's not?

Add one bumper: One system. One automation. One process. One container.

That's it. Not a full business overhaul. One bumper.

One more thing (because it matters)

There are some really awful things happening in the world right now. And that absolutely creates a shared, collective energy of overwhelm.

So if you're feeling it and you can't "logic" your way out of it...

Go easy on yourself. Take deep breaths. Help where you can. Be in community.

And protect your peace. ⚡️

ILY, let's get to work!

Robyn

Links

Get your behavioral Identity Report → https://www.robynsavage.com/the-identity-report

Work with Robyn → https://www.robynsavage.com/services

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/robyn_savage