How do I feel less overwhelmed? What can I do if I feel stressed? As a therapist specializing in anxiety and stress, my clients often ask me these questions. When you are overwhelmed your sympathetic nervous is in over-activation and your window of tolerance and capacity to handle stress is significantly smaller. You are in a state of hyperarousal with high emotional reactivity, stress, and feeling charged up and on guard. If the stress gets too much, you can also experience hypoarousal, which is when you feel detached, numb, shut-down and tired. In therapy, we mindfully work on building your own toolkit for feeling calm and peaceful while also working on perfectionism, self-worth, and setting clearer and healthier expectations.