Feeling Overwhelmed by Personal Growth?

The feeling of being overwhelmed by personal growth is common. I’ve experienced it myself—the internal questions like:
“When will I stop feeling like this?”
“When will I finally get better?”
“I’m 36 and I still can’t get a grip on my thoughts when they take over.”

That inner urgency to feel better, especially in darker moments, can be counterproductive. It can make us feel more broken, more behind, more stuck. But there’s something that’s helped me…

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The Wisdom of Impermanence

Over 3,000 years ago, a wise teacher said: “Everything is impermanent.”

That includes our thoughts, our emotions, our anxiety—and even our very sense of self as we know it. This simple but profound truth has helped me become a little gentler with myself.

It reminds me that my feelings, no matter how overwhelming, are part of a passing moment. They are real—but they are not permanent.

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Being with What Is

Knowing this doesn’t make intense feelings go away. It doesn’t make intrusive thoughts less persistent. But it has changed how I relate to them.

When I’m anxious and overwhelmed, I ask myself: What good will it do to resist what’s already here? To fight the anxiety with more tension? Or to distract myself until I can’t feel anything at all?

Instead, I try to stay present. To acknowledge what’s here with as much gentleness as I can. I try not to flee, but to embrace the moment—because that’s how love and healing begin.

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Let It Rain

If it rains, let it rain. Pain can bring growth. From the rainfall, buds eventually sprout. And from pain, wisdom can emerge.

This isn’t about glorifying suffering—it’s about trusting that something meaningful can arise when we allow space for what’s truly present.

You already have the answers. The path is within you. What you need most is space, trust, and patience to hear it.

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What Helps Me—and Might Help You

Next time you’re in a low moment, try this:

– Sit with your feelings. Let them be exactly as they are.
– Remind yourself: there’s nothing wrong with you.
– Take time off if you need to—cancel the plans, step back from work, create quiet.
– Avoid big decisions. Let clarity come naturally, not under pressure.
– Create a small, gentle routine: for me, it’s washing my face, brushing my teeth, doing yoga (10–45 minutes), and drinking warm water in the morning.
– Journal. It helps me reflect, understand, and check in with what’s really going on.
– After a few days—open the curtains. Let the sun in. Others in. Let yourself come back.

Sometimes the insight comes during the cocooning. Sometimes, it comes after. Either way, it always comes.

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Final Thoughts

You are not alone in this. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your personal growth journey, know that it’s okay to pause. It’s okay to feel. And it’s more than okay to give yourself grace.

You are growing—even when it doesn’t feel like it. Especially then.

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Other Reads:

Learn more about my offerings on this link.

Here’s more about mindfulness on this link.

Learn more about healing your inner child on this link.

External Resources:

Zen & Engaged Buddhism:

Plum Village 

EIAB