Feeling of the Week: Frantic
When Everything Feels Urgent and Nothing Feels Possible
Emotional Equation: Frantic = Overstimulated + Overcommitted – Clarity
Frantic isn’t a feeling that tiptoes in. It crashes. It overwhelms. It floods.
You know you’re frantic when your heart is racing, but your thoughts can’t land. When your mouth says, “I’m fine,” but your nervous system is screaming. When you’re refreshing your inbox while mentally rewriting a to-do list and pretending you remember what someone just said.
It’s not just stress, it’s survival mode with a calendar.
What “Frantic” Really Means
Frantic is a state of nervous system overload. You’re not just busy, you’re overstimulated, overcommitted, and under-supported.
Your body thinks it’s in danger. Your brain acts like the next moment could break everything. But often, you can’t name exactly what’s wrong, because everything feels like it is. That’s what makes frantic so disorienting. It’s a state of internal chaos, where urgency overrides clarity, and reactivity replaces choice. And if you stay there long enough? Burnout becomes inevitable.
Why It Matters
Frantic isn’t just exhausting. It’s unsustainable.
In this state, you:
Lose access to clear thinking and creative problem-solving
Struggle with emotional regulation and impulse control
Disconnect from your sense of purpose and presence
Eventually, you stop responding to life and start reacting to it.
Every ping becomes a crisis.
Every ask feels impossible.
And the person you know yourself to be; wise, kind, capable, gets buried under the weight of everything you “have to” do.
Coping With Feeling Frantic
This isn’t about clearing your calendar. It’s about calming your system so you can see the calendar clearly again.
Try one of these reset strategies this week:
Interrupt the Loop: Even a 90-second pause can begin to bring your nervous system out of overdrive. Step away from the screen. Shake out your hands. Close your eyes. Say to yourself: “I’m safe. This can wait.”
It doesn’t fix everything, but it helps you remember you’re not the fire.
Drop the Ball (On Purpose): Frantic thrives on the belief that everything matters equally. It doesn’t. Pick one thing, yes, even a small thing, and set it down. Let the laundry sit. Let the email wait.
You’re not failing. You’re filtering.
Name the Fire: When everything feels urgent, nothing actually gets your full attention. Ask yourself, what’s really on fire right now? What one thing actually requires me? Then give that thing your focus.
Let the rest wait its turn.
Reflective Prompt: What’s one thing you can let go of today to protect your capacity, even if it’s just for now?
Frantic Is a Flag, Not a Flaw
If you’re feeling frantic, it doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means your internal system is waving a red flag. It’s saying: “Too much. Too fast. Too loud. You don’t have to overhaul your life to respond. You just need to start small. Start kind. Just start. You are not your schedule. You are not your speed.
You’re allowed to pause, even if it’s only for one breath.
And from that breath, you can begin again with more clarity, more calm, and more care.