Feeling Overwhelmed? How Coaching Can Help You Reframe Your Struggles and Create a Life You Love
Stop Feeling Overwhelmed: How Life Coaching Helps You Reclaim Clarity and Control | Jo Renshaw Life Coaching
If you’ve ever felt stuck, exhausted by the job search, or torn between different career paths, you’re not alone. It’s easy to fall into a spiral of second-guessing yourself—wondering if you’re doing the right thing, questioning whether you’re good enough, and feeling like every decision is a battle. That heavy sense of overwhelm? It’s not just in your head. It’s what happens when you’re trying to move forward without a clear path.
But what if you could break free from that cycle? What if, instead of feeling like you're failing at keeping up, you had a plan that felt calm, focused, and doable?
That’s exactly what happened when Kathy came to coaching. She arrived discouraged and drained after weeks of job applications, rejections, and self-doubt. But through coaching, she uncovered what was really holding her back—not just in her job search, but in how she was thinking about her life and her worth. And once she made those internal shifts, everything else began to change.
In this blog, I’m going to walk you through the five powerful steps Kathy took—so you can apply them to your own situation.
You’ll learn:
How to shift from panic and scarcity to grounded security
How to figure out what you really want (instead of doing what you “should”)
How to own your strengths and start showing up with confidence
How to break things down into manageable steps instead of getting stuck in perfectionism
And how to stop waiting for external validation and start trusting yourself
If you’ve been feeling stuck, stressed, or unsure about your next move—this is for you. Let’s get started.
Step 1: Shift Your Mindset from Scarcity to Security
Kathy’s biggest fear was financial insecurity. She was constantly anxious about the future, caught in the tension between needing a job to pay the bills and dreaming of something that would actually light her up. Like so many of us, she had tied her sense of security to her income—and because that income felt unstable, so did everything else.
But in coaching, something shifted. Kathy began to see that her real sense of safety didn’t come from a specific job or salary. It came from her capacity to adapt, take meaningful action, and draw on her own experience, skills, and network. The more we explored this, the more grounded she became—not because her external circumstances changed overnight, but because she stopped believing the thought, “I’m not secure unless I have the perfect job.”
Instead, she practised reminding herself, “I am secure right now in this moment.” That one thought helped her access a calm, clear-headed energy. From there, she was able to move forward—not from fear, but from strength.
Step 2: Clarify Who You Are and What You Want
Kathy felt adrift, unsure of what she was truly aiming for. She had fallen into the trap of applying for roles that didn’t energise her—jobs that looked good on paper but left her feeling flat inside. When we explored this together in coaching, it became clear that she hadn’t given herself the time or space to really ask: What do I want? What matters to me? Instead, she had been following a quiet set of "shoulds"—the invisible expectations that told her to keep her head down, be sensible, and stay safe.
As we slowed things down, Kathy began reconnecting with what actually lit her up. We explored her strengths, her values, and the moments in her past where she felt most alive. She didn’t need to have the whole answer overnight. She just needed permission to get curious.
Rather than needing to figure it all out before making a move, she started trying things—saying yes to conversations, experimenting with new roles, and learning about herself through action. That shift gave her energy and momentum. She started seeing herself not as lost, but as someone in the process of discovering. Her new belief became: “I’m finding out who I am by taking action.”
Step 3: Build a Personal Brand That Reflects You
Kathy had always been quietly competent—someone others could rely on—but she hadn’t been fully owning the value she brought to the table. Her LinkedIn profile read like a job description, her CV didn’t reflect her real accomplishments, and in interviews, she was holding back, unsure whether it was okay to speak confidently about her strengths.
In coaching, we uncovered how this pattern was rooted in an old fear: that standing out might look like arrogance. Once we explored this, Kathy began to see how underselling herself wasn’t just keeping her stuck—it was keeping the right opportunities from finding her. Together, we refined her personal brand so that it felt authentic and energising. She updated her LinkedIn to reflect her voice and values, began sharing what she knew with confidence, and started reaching out to her network from a place of clarity and generosity.
This shift changed how others saw her—but more importantly, it changed how she saw herself. She began to believe: “I am a person who helps businesses thrive.” And from that belief, new doors started opening.
Step 4: Take Small, Consistent Steps
Like many high-achieving women, Kathy had internalised the belief that she had to do everything—and do it perfectly. The sheer volume of her to-do list felt crushing. She’d spend hours fine-tuning applications or procrastinating over which step to take next, and in the end, she’d often feel like she’d done nothing meaningful at all. This led to a sense of paralysis and failure, even though she was expending huge amounts of effort.
In coaching, we worked to unhook her from the idea that she had to be perfect before she could move forward. We made progress—not perfection—the goal. Kathy began to take one small, deliberate action each day, even when she didn’t feel completely ready. That consistent action, no matter how small, began to rebuild her confidence.
Instead of trying to plan her way to certainty, she gave herself permission to learn as she went. And in doing so, she replaced the thought “There’s too much to do” with something more empowering: “I can do this. I am capable.” That belief, paired with action, became her new momentum.
Step 5: Embrace the Journey, Not Just the Destination
At the start of coaching, Kathy had one focus: landing a job. She believed that once she got the offer—once she had the title, the salary, the external validation—then she’d finally feel confident and secure. But week by week, she started to realise that the transformation she was seeking couldn’t be given to her by someone else. It had to come from within.
Through our sessions, she began to appreciate the process itself—not just the outcome. She noticed how much she was growing, how differently she was thinking, and how her identity was shifting. The version of herself she was becoming—the one who took action, spoke up, trusted her instincts—that version was already emerging.
She no longer needed the job title to tell her she was valuable. She believed it for herself. Her new guiding thought became: “She’s already there, and I’m allowing her to emerge.” That belief gave her confidence—not just in interviews, but in life.
Your Guide to Taking Action
Here’s how you can apply the same coaching principles that helped Kathy:
Ground Yourself in the Present
Each morning, take a moment to write down three things that make you feel secure right now. It might be your skills, your support network, or simply the fact that you keep showing up. When worry creeps in, return to that list. Let it remind you that safety is something you can create from within.
Define What Energises You
Spend some time journaling your way into clarity. Ask yourself:
What activities make me feel energised and fulfilled?
If I fast-forward a year, what would I love to have accomplished?
What kind of work excites me?
Give yourself permission to write without editing or overthinking. You might be surprised by what comes up.
Refine Your Personal Brand
Your LinkedIn profile, CV, or personal website should reflect not just what you’ve done—but who you are becoming. Take time to update your bio so it speaks to your strengths and values. Share a post about something you’ve learned recently, or a moment you’re proud of.
Commit to Daily Small Actions
Progress doesn’t come from grand gestures—it comes from the small things you do consistently. Choose one small step each day. Reach out to someone, write a paragraph for your website, or sign up for a networking event. One step builds momentum.
Write to Your Future Self
Imagine it’s six months from now and you’ve made meaningful progress. Write a letter from that future version of you. What advice would she give you today? What does she wish you’d stop worrying about? Keep that letter close and let it guide your actions.
Final Thoughts: How Coaching Can Help You
Kathy didn’t just find clarity—she found confidence, direction, and excitement for her future. Coaching helped her break through mental roadblocks, reframe her struggles, and take action.
If you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure of your next step, coaching can help you shift your mindset and move forward with purpose.
What’s one thought you’re ready to reframe? Let me know in the comments!
This blog is inspired by the work I do with my clients during sessions, and brought to you in partnership with AI.
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