We all get overwhelmed from time to time. It is what makes us human. We break down. 
We get tired and we start to perform at less than optimal levels. As we get worn down, we become less proactive and more reactive. This puts us on a path of chasing our tails and putting out fires. If this goes on unchecked for long periods of time, we become very ineffective in our work. We stop providing value. This ineffectiveness leads to frustration. Tasks begin to pile up and we get overwhelmed. It is a very crappy place to be.
We get frustrated, even depressed. If it continues it can be debilitating and cause despair. Severe cases can lead to a host of many problems. The biggest one might be that we abandon hope. Not only do we perform at a very poor level, we can begin to not desire to perform at a good level. I have seen numerous people break down to this level and finally bottom out.
The good news is that this is one of the simplest problems to fix. It really is. If your life is consumed by a big problem, or even numerous huge problems that seem debilitating, there is a solution, and it is a rather simple one to implement. Most of it has to do with your outlook on problems to begin with. If you have a lot of monumental problems starting you in the face, then you are really giving them too much credit.
A big problem is nothing but a bunch of micro-tasks that join forces to clutter your calendar and mind and throw you off course. A big problem may seem unconquerable, but I assure you that it is not. You may have been consumed by it for years. But you can overcome it in minutes. I once talked to a lady in her 60s who was trying to write a book. She said that she had been mulling over it for four decades. It started in her 20s. She needed some peer feedback for her finalizing it, and she had been stuck in this for a very long time.
I had a call with her and let her know she was afraid of being rejected by her peer group. This caused her to allow all the micro tasks of doing so (putting a list together, getting numbers & email addresses, organizing them, contacting them, asking for feedback, etc.) to become an insurmountable task. Fear allowed these little things like making a list to join forces with other little things and gain mass. The worst thing is that as these monsters get bigger, they get scarier and fear actually increases. This is a shitty place to be.
To make it worse, when we are here we begin to overcompensate with useless activities that keep us busy so we feel like we are being productive. However, we are failing to address the elephant in the room and create other activities to keep our minds off of it. This will never work, and I have seen people in this pattern for literally years.
Next I am going to address a problem and walk through the simple strategy of dissecting massive problems into micro tasks. In doing so, you can identify where the fear lies and then take steps to kick it in the nuts! WARNING: Acting on this can be exhilarating and create unparalleled success! Get ready for your life to change when you begin to Jump Afraid!