How To Stop Feeling Overwhelmed and Burnt Out

Facts Don’t Cause Stress.

I happen to be an expert in feeling overwhelmed and burnt out—which also makes me an expert in how to stop feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. Sometimes, I even manage to prevent it altogether. But enough about me. Here’s the miracle phrase that lets me instantly “snap out of it”:

Facts don’t cause stress.

Let that sink in.

I first heard this life-changing truth from Diana Chapman on a Tim Ferriss podcast. I literally hit the 10-second rewind button just to hear it again.

Here’s the good news: Those four words are like a magic incantation, breaking you out of almost any negative headspace.
The bad news? You’ll probably need to do a lot of thinking before you truly believe them. And that belief is where the magic happens.

Diana explains that it’s the story we tell ourselves about the facts that causes stress—not the facts themselves. Change the story, or ditch it entirely, and the stress disappears.

Let Me Show You What I Mean

I build software—for myself (like Slaytime) and for others. My overwhelm used to hit hard when someone told me they needed something done immediately—usually with a timeline that was completely unreasonable.

In the past, this would spiral me into stress because I told myself a story:

“I need to be able to do anything and everything, or I’m a failure.”

Sound familiar?

Here’s what happened when I started focusing on the facts:

• The request wasn’t reasonable.
• My capabilities weren’t the problem.

Now, I can calmly say, “If that’s what you need, I’m not the right person for the job.” That’s not a story—that’s just facts.

The Key: Practice Seeing the Facts

Here’s the truth: Realizing what’s happening, seeing the facts clearly, and believing them takes practice. It will feel awkward at first, but stick with it. Over time, you’ll get better. And before you know it, you’ll be able to:

• Turn off overwhelm whenever you need to.
• Avoid burnout altogether.

So next time you feel stress creeping in, pause and remind yourself:

Facts don’t cause stress.

Until next time, slay!