Overwhelm is one of the most disabling parts of bipolar for me — not because I’m “bad at coping,” but because my brain hits overload fast. Bipolar overwhelm can come from my mood state, a bipolar symptom, or even a medication side effect. Taken together, those things compose a lot of my everyday experience, and that leads to a lot of overwhelm. However, I’ve found there are techniques for fighting back against bipolar overwhelm. If you’ve ever frozen — can’t decide, can’t start, can’t even begin — this is for you. Here’s what bipolar overwhelm looks like, why it happens, and my practical toolbox for getting unstuck.

Why Bipolar Overwhelm Hits So Hard

As I said, there are many sources of overload in bipolar disorder.

  1. Bipolar moods: Whether you’re depressed, hypomanic, manic, or mixed, that emotional state can overwhelm every other thing in your life. In all cases, your brain can be so focused on your mood that there is room for little else. The whole reason bipolar disorder is a mental illness is that we experience things to a level 11 on the regular.
  2. Bipolar symptoms: Not only can a full-blown mood take over your brain, but sometimes even a single symptom can do it. If you’re experiencing an inability to make decisions due to depression, you can become incapacitated, for example.
  3. Medication side effects: While medication is critical in treating bipolar disorder, it never comes for free. For example, a common side effect is akathisia: an internal and external restlessness. This “itchy” feeling can overtake everything else.

Remember: Overwhelm isn’t laziness. It’s overload.

There are, of course, many lifestyle factors that can make anyone experience overwhelm as well. Extreme stress due to work, home, or social life might cause it, grief is another source, or major changes are examples of things that can make anyone feel maxed out.

What Overwhelm Looks Like in Real Life

And while everyone can experience overwhelm, that doesn’t mean it’s an innocuous situation — especially if it’s extreme. When I’m truly overwhelmed, I find that everything comes to a grinding halt. I can’t accomplish anything. I can’t make any decisions. I can’t go out. I tend to find it intertwines with anxiety as I become more and more aware of how little I am doing. And anxiety just increases overwhelm.

Being overwhelmed might look like:

  • Retreating from the world by staying in bed with the covers pulled over your head
  • Not returning phone calls or texts
  • Not opening mail or email, not listening to voicemail, etc.
  • Being unable to start a new task or pick up an uncompleted one
  • Being unable to make a decision as simple as what to have for dinner
  • Seeing a list of uncompleted chores growing in front of you, leading to things like an unwalked dog or a lack of clean underwear

It feels like being a deer in the headlights. My brain freezes into a useless block of ice. Thoughts aren’t getting through.

Additionally, when I’m overwhelmed, my brain tries to convince me I’m failing. I’m not. I’m overloaded.
The goal isn’t to “power through.” The goal is to reduce input, pick one priority, and take the smallest step that keeps me safe and moving, not beat myself up.

The 5-Minute Reset: Reduce Stress and Stimuli

Start here when you’re overwhelmed (60-120 seconds):

  1. Change the input: dim lights / reduce noise / cool the room if you can
  2. Pick one target: “What’s the smallest thing that helps future-me?”
  3. Do one micro-step: set a timer for two minutes and stop when it ends

One of the first things I do when trying to melt my brain of ice is to remove as many stresses as possible and to decrease external stimuli. For example, if I have three (or 30) tasks to do, I prioritize them. I only focus on those of high priority and give myself permission to ignore the rest for now. To help with this, I might make multiple to-do lists, each with a different priority, so I don’t even have to look at the items on which I am not focusing. For example, I might have lists for today, this week, and this month. I can shuffle things around as needed.

Part of this is also actively getting extensions where I can. For example, if three things are due at the end of the month, I might try to get an extension on two of them to alleviate excess pressure. People are usually flexible if you just communicate.

I also work to remove excess stimuli. It’s really easy for bright lights and loud sounds to add to bipolar overwhelm. If I can get myself in a quiet, cool, dark location, it feels like there’s more room to think. (Some people find that a really messy environment can increase overwhelm, too. If this is you, try to straighten one corner or one room. This can be your safe space while you tackle the rest.)

My Bipolar Overwhelm Toolbox (Tiny Steps That Work)

Blue infographic titled “My Bipolar Overwhelm Toolbox: Tiny Steps That Work,” listing seven tips—shrink the task, do one step only, pre-stage it, visualize the first move, stack wins, borrow support, and call in my care team—with simple icons and the line “One tiny step counts. Screenshot and share!”

Once I’ve done the above, I can start using specific techniques to nudge my overwhelmed bipolar brain.

  1. I chunk things into parts. Looking at a large task is understandably overwhelming. However, when I break things up into the tiniest possible parts, each part seems more doable.
  2. I do only one tiny part at a time. Cooking a whole dinner might seem overwhelming, and this can keep you from eating the healthy food that your body needs. To fight this, I might prep the kitchen for cooking at one point, get the ingredients ready at another point, cook anything I can ahead of time, and then cook the protein at the end. Each of those steps alone is easier than all of them together (plus I can rest in between if I need to).
  3. I imagine succeeding. I can picture myself taking the step necessary to move forward. This really does make them more possible. Writing down each tiny part can be helpful too, as seeing them in front of me makes me realize I can do them.
  4. I plan for the task. I might find taking a shower overwhelming. To make it seem more doable, I break it into parts and then do the parts I can ahead of time. I get my bathmat on the floor, prepare my towel, and get post-shower clothes together ahead of time.
  5. I build on success. Once I have completed a task, no matter how small, I congratulate myself for the win, and use that as motivation to continue (or rest as needed).
  6. I get support. Sometimes, having another person around is enough to nudge my brain from the amber. Yes, the person might be able to help me complete a task, which is great, but just their presence can make small things easier. Discussing a task or the cause of my overwhelm can help, too.
  7. I reach out to professionals. If my overwhelm is constant or unworkable, it’s really important to reach out to my care team and discuss it with them. A therapist can provide you with useful tools, and if a symptom or side effect is causing the problem, a medication change may be needed.

You Can Overcome Overwhelm

If all you can do is one tiny step, do one tiny step. That counts.

While I regularly experience overwhelm for a variety of reasons, I do find I can tackle it using the above methods.

When overwhelm hits, do you tend to freeze, avoid, or spiral? And what’s one tiny thing that helps?