13 Subtle Signs That You Are Rushing Something You Aren’t Ready For

The truth is that the world will bend when you are ready to stand, but if you rise too soon, grab too much, release nothing that crushes you, you may crumble under the weight of life itself. So here are 13 ways that you can self-identify if it is time to release some things.

1. You’ve been having sudden bursts of frustration

When things that are not a huge deal, that would not have bothered you previously start getting under your skin in a matter of moments, then you need to pay attention to that. When you are reacting in frustration more often than anything else, it would probably be a good idea to ask yourself why you are always so mad. You may be over-committed.

2. You forgot an important thing (again)

We all make mistakes. So no one expects you to remember everything, but when you are consistently forgetting, barely know what needs to be done, and feel like life and deadlines are just one blur that is caving in on you? Well… you may need to step back. Remember, just because you can conceptualize/see the next step does not mean that you need to be taking that next step. Sometimes there is still prep work needed to be done in you before you take on all these new projects and responsibilities.

3. You feel overwhelmed consistently

Whenever you are overwhelmed, your vision gets blurry and completing things that you started seems almost impossible. When we take on more than we can handle our body signals at us by shutting down and we feel overwhelmed. It is a good idea to listen to our body and to see what it is trying to tell us.

4. Always worrying

When something is throwing your balance off, just know it’s not long before it throws you off with it. You will find yourself in a constant state of worry when you are rushing ahead of yourself. You may not be ready or feel secure in yourself yet to do the things that you find yourself pursuing. There is a difference between having a worry here and there, and being in a constant state of panic over small things. If it’s a constant state, maybe consider lessening your load or taking a step back.

5. Always on edge

You may have memories of times when people regarded you as sweet, easy to get to know, open minded, etc… but since you have taken this new opportunity that you were not adequately prepared for, you have seen yourself grow more rigid. It doesn’t take you long to panic or assume the worst. You are never calm and are always on edge. Maybe, instead of ‘taking the edge off’, you could lay off some commitments. Remember, you have a commitment to yourself as well.

6. Losing creative steam

You are under so much pressure from the outside world and yourself that you are actually losing creative energy/ability. You find yourself at a loss for vision, new ideas, perspective, you name it. It makes it hard to imagine much of anything anymore. You may create for work, but you don’t create for you anymore. You need to breathe if you plan on being productive in any way.

7. You are in transition internally

You are in transition with yourself and there is so much that you are needing to develop in yourself. You know yourself better than anyone and you see how you need to grow. Taking time to deal with ourselves, work on growth, and to pursue progress is hard. It is not an easy thing to choose to continue to grow. But to take care of yourself as you transition while balancing a world of responsibilities? Not the best idea, unless you don’t mind crashing.

8. Too attached to your phone

You can’t put it down. Not because you need affirmation; because you need to get things done. You are answering emails, messages, phone calls, etc and it’s overwhelming you. If you can’t leave your phone for a few hours without having an anxiety attack…you may be doing too much.

9. Can’t sleep

Too much stress, too little sleep, mediocre progress. You can’t sustain this lifestyle and you should not want to.

10. No quality time with self

If you never get to take the time to just be with you, to just breathe, to just process life as it is happening…you may be doing too much. There is no shame in taking care of yourself before taking care of the things. In fact, it’s pretty necessary.

11. Everything is personal

If you don’t have time for personal, it’s hard to know what is and what isn’t. Everything starts to spill over and mix, but in the worst possible way. You may find yourself offended by things that aren’t a huge deal or skipping things that are. You become insecure in your leadership and things just start to overtake you. It’s not a good thing, but what it is trying to tell you matters so much is you want any good to come from your work. Take it easy.

12. Can’t even cry

You are sad, you are stressed, you are tired, you are avoiding it all. You don’t process your emotions. You just feel empty all the time. You keep saying you’re tired but are not able to go to sleep. It’s a cycle that will take you out. The best that you can do is to take care of yourself and lessen your commitments, process your emotions, let yourself heal.

13. You are never your best self

How could you be? You don’t have time, you only have the drive, you are never happy, you are always stressed. You need to lessen your load so that you can grow. Taking on more than you can handle is a glorified concept that is actually a horrible way to live. We must honor our limits and they will stretch for us in time.

There is nothing wrong with chasing slow, with taking your time, with building first and then lifting next. It’s the natural order. The only other option is burnout.