In my experience, when I feel overwhelmed with feelings to the point that I can't think clearly anymore, which makes every responsibility I have in life seem totally overwhelming and unmanageable, its because I have avoided allowing myself to FEEL the feelings so that they can pass and I can move forward. And when I get to the point where I feel overwhelmed and foggy, its because I've avoided the feelings for so long, out of fear of facing them, that they are getting all backed up in me like a traffic jam.
I'm learning to face the feelings when they come, and let myself feel them so I can keep moving forward in my healing/recovery. If I feel like crying, I cry. If I'm sad, I let myself be sad. If I'm angry, I let myself be angry. If I have thoughts clouding up my mind, I get them out on paper (or on screen).
I used to tell myself, "I can't deal with this feeling right now, its not the right time for x, y, or z reason." But that just made the traffic jam worse and I was miserable.
Now I've decided that my personal emotional health and healing/recovery is more important to me than if people at work see if I've been crying. Its more important to me than what the neighbors think because I didn't get the lawn mowed because I was letting myself feel sadness as part of my healing process. Its more important to me than what a visitor might think because I didn't get to cleaning the bathroom because I was doing what is necessary to heal myself.
And another thing I've learned is that when I DO take the time to let myself feel the feelings when they come - which gets me to the other side faster - then its a huge weight off my shoulders and I have more peace and more energy and more motivation to tackle the things that were overwhelming me in the first place.
TO ME...(not saying its the same for anyone else)...its well worth it to take the time to feel the feelings and get THROUGH them so I can be free to keep moving forward. Just my humble opinion from my own personal experience.