Everything feels too hard — what to do

Getting a glass of water feels like scaling a mountain. This is overwhelm shutdown, and there's a route through it.

Why it happens

Nervous system in freeze — the body has decided 'threat' and is conserving energy
Too many open loops — mental RAM is full
Under-slept, under-fed, or under-rested — the tank is empty

1
Do a brain dump
Every open loop on paper. It empties the RAM.
2
One thing. The smallest thing
Not 'clean the kitchen'. 'Put one cup in the sink'.
3
Body reset first
Water, snack, 5 minutes outside. Then tasks.
4
Cancel one thing you dread
One removal often unlocks the whole day.

Type any stuck task. Get a 2-minute step and a timer. Free demo, no card.

Is this burnout?+

Could be. If it persists more than a week, take it seriously.

Should I just push through?+

No — pushing an overwhelmed nervous system deepens the freeze.

How is this different from depression?+

Overlap exists. If joy is missing too, talk to a professional.