Psychologist Marla W. Deibler, PsyD, described overwhelm as “feeling completely overcome in mind or emotion.” When we think a stressor is too great for us to manage, we feel overwhelmed, she said. Feeling overwhelmed has many faces.

Is overwhelm an emotion?

Emotional overwhelm is a state of being beset by intense emotion that is difficult to manage. It can affect your ability to think and act rationally. It could also prevent you from performing daily tasks. Emotional overwhelm may be caused by stress, traumatic life experiences, relationship issues, and much more.

How do you describe feeling overwhelmed?

By definition being emotionally overwhelmed means to be completely submerged by your thoughts and emotions about all of life's current problems, to the point where you lack efficacy and feel frozen or paralyzed. Compare the feeling of being overwhelmed to being submerged after a rough wave.