in a whirl

1. In a preoccupied, disconnected, or unfocused state of mind. I was in a whirl leaving the doctor's office, unable to come to grips with the diagnosis she had just given me. The actor says he has been in a whirl following the overwhelming positive reaction to his latest film. I always feel like I'm in a whirl when I take that medication. It's like it's hard for me to think.

2. In a state of intense, chaotic activity. For all the build up to Christmas each year, I find that it always goes by in a whirl and is suddenly over before you know it. The baseball season is 162 games long, and yet it always feels like it's passed in a whirl. It was a birthday party with 12 four-year-olds—of course it went by in a whirl!

in a ˈwhirl

confused and excited: My mind was in a whirl as I realized that this decision would change our lives.