Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you couldn’t even decide what to focus on?

In this episode, we dive deep into the experience of overwhelm, how it shows up in coaching conversations, what it really means, and how we, as coaches, can help clients navigate through it.

Overwhelm can present in many ways: some clients might feel completely frozen, struggling to make decisions, while others may talk so quickly that they can barely keep up with their own thoughts. We share real-life coaching scenarios where overwhelm isn’t just about having too much to do, it’s often an umbrella term for multiple emotions happening at once.

Through practical coaching techniques, we explore how to break down overwhelm, using tools like emotional mapping, metaphor work, and cognitive behavioural coaching to help clients regain clarity. Whether it’s supporting a client who feels like they’re "drowning" in stress or helping someone untangle a web of competing priorities, this episode is filled with actionable strategies for coaches, leaders, and anyone supporting someone through overwhelm.

If you’ve ever felt uncertain about how to coach someone who is struggling with overwhelm, this episode will give you the confidence, tools, and insight to guide clients from chaos to clarity.

 

Steps to Coach Overwhelm

1. Recognise and Name the Emotion
   • Help the client name their experience rather than just using the word "overwhelm."
2. Use Metaphors to Explore Overwhelm
   • If they say, "I feel like I’m drowning," explore: Where are you? Are you alone? Is there a lifeboat nearby?
3. Break Overwhelm into Manageable Parts
   • Use emotional mapping or an emotions wheel to identify the different emotions underneath the overwhelm.
4. Shift Focus from the Future to the Present
   • Overwhelm often stems from thinking too far ahead. Bring the client’s attention to what is happening now.
5. Cognitive Behavioural Coaching (CBC) Approach
   • Explore the thought-feeling-behaviour cycle to shift their perspective and find new ways to move forward.
6. Encourage Creative Processing
   • Invite the client to draw out their overwhelm, plotting key stressors and hidden concerns on paper.
7. Introduce Choice and Prioritisation
   • Ask: What is the smallest step you could take right now? This helps clients regain a sense of control.
8. Reframe Overwhelm as a Pattern to Explore
   • If overwhelm happens often, help the client notice patterns and decide if they want to change their response to it.
9. Remind Clients That Emotions Are Temporary
   • Overwhelm feels permanent, but helping clients recall moments of calm shows them that emotions come and go.
10. Support Closure and Next Steps

• Before ending the session, ensure the client leaves with a concrete action to maintain momentum.

 

Five Coaching Questions to Help Clients with Overwhelm

1. What does "overwhelm" mean to you right now?
2. If you could separate your overwhelm into different emotions, what would they be?
3. What is one thing you can control in this moment?
4. How does overwhelm typically show up for you, and is this a familiar pattern?
5. If this overwhelm was trying to tell you something, what might it be?

 

Key Lessons Learned

1. Overwhelm is often a cluster of emotions, not just a single feeling.
2. Clients may not recognise they are overwhelmed until they struggle to make decisions.
3. Metaphors can be powerful in helping clients describe their experience.
4. Breaking things down into smaller parts makes overwhelm more manageable.
5. Cognitive behavioural coaching can shift a client’s thought-feeling-behaviour cycle.
6. Helping clients stay present reduces anxiety about the future.
7. Prioritisation restores control—small steps help clients move forward.

 

Key Takeaways

• Recognise the signs of overwhelm—clients may be frozen, over-talking, or unable to make decisions.
• Use metaphor and emotional mapping to help clients identify the root emotions of their overwhelm.
• Shift from the future to the present—ground clients in what they can control now.
• Encourage small steps to create clarity and momentum.
• Help clients notice patterns—do they experience overwhelm before big decisions or projects?
• Use clean language and creative approaches to guide self-discovery.
• Remind clients that emotions are temporary—overwhelm will pass.

 

Timestamps

• 00:13 – 00:46 : Introduction—why overwhelm is a common coaching challenge
• 00:47 – 02:07 : How overwhelm manifests in coaching conversations
• 02:34 – 03:55 : Recognising the signs of overwhelm in clients
• 04:21 – 05:44 : Overwhelm as an umbrella term for multiple emotions
• 06:13 – 07:39 : Using metaphors and clean language to explore overwhelm
• 08:09 – 09:34 : Emotional mapping—breaking overwhelm into manageable pieces
• 10:03 – 11:46 : The role of cognitive behavioural coaching in shifting perspectives
• 12:16 – 13:59 : How overwhelm keeps clients stuck in future-thinking</stro