50 Lists to make when life feels overwhelming

Overwhelm. It’s quite possibly one of the worst feelings out there. It can be a source of anxiety, it can make you feel like you “just can’t”, it can hinder your ability to push forward, create self-doubt, make you feel incompetent…..it’s overwhelming thinking about overwhelm!

If you’re a creative type, you may find that overwhelm as a lot less with how much you have to do and how much you WANT to create. While both create a sense of chaos, it’s often the feeling that you’ll never have time to work on a new project or read the endless amount of books at the library that gets you feeling super anxious.

One of the greatest ways to calm the overwhelm is to get clear on all those things, and create places where all your ideas can go, hidden away from the “musts” and save in a place you can come back to and reclaim them,

Today, I’m sharing with you 50 lists you can make when life feels overwhelming.

Why lists? Focusing the mind helps calm us down, gives us a purpose in the moment, and can allow us to build more awareness around what we want and need so we can stop procrastinating or relax when we need to.

Have you ever tried to work on something only to have your mind say “hey don’t forget about this..and this…oooo what about this!” — yeah. Lists help defeat those feelings so you can get more done.

Keep in mind that as you create a list it does not have to be “completed” in one setting. Use them as a reference space to come back to. 

50 Lists to Make When Life Feels Overwhelming

  1. Books you want to read

  2. Ideas you have for your scrapbook/project/journal/blog, etc.

  3. All the things you have accomplished today so far

  4. Reasons why you are awesome

  5. Fun things you want to do when you have free time

  6. Movies that always make you laugh

  7. A “Parking Lot” for everything you want to accomplish in the next month — I like this term better than brain dump

  8. Meals you want to eat this week

  9. 20 names for newborn baby chicks

  10. What you’d take on a cross country road trip

  11. Things that are overrated

  12. All the flowers you can think of

  13. Foods that are green

  14. Everything you think you learned in High School

  15. Crushes you had in grade school

  16. Your favorite phone Apps

  17. Gift ideas for _____

  18. All the things your dream home would have

  19. Favorite games for a game night

  20. Party theme ideas

  21. Restaurants you want to go to/try

  22. Top 10 things you love about ______ (then share it with them!)

  23. Documentaries that blew your mind

  24. Products that you use on a daily basis

  25. Everything you can think of that’s in your kitchen

  26. Your dream grocery list

  27. Go through the alphabet with a theme and try to name something for each letter (animals, movies, locations, fruits, celebrities, etc.)

  28. All the traits of your ideal significant other (or everything you love about your current one)

  29. Everything you’d need for a perfect solo movie night

  30. The best things about Christmas (or any holiday)

  31. Everything your dream home office would have

  32. Questions you never got answers to

  33. Things you still want to learn

  34. If time was limitless, what are all the things you’d do?

  35. The best candle scents

  36. Your favorite foods

  37. Podcasts you want to listen to

  38. Things that make you happy

  39. Sky’s the limit wish list of everything you want

  40. What should get cleaned each week?

  41. Things you’d do if you had a dream day/schedule

  42. Birthdays this month

  43. Local events to go to this season

  44. Animals you’ve seen while hiking/taking a walk

  45. Cute things your pets do

  46. Recipes you want to try

  47. Questions you want to ask your role model

  48. Things you want to tell your future self

  49. TV shows you’re currently watching

  50. Hilarious YouTube videos

Download the 50 Lists Printable to add to your journal or post on your desk with the form below! ⬇️

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