We all have different hats, so many tasks and responsibilities. Sometimes it gets like a rollercoaster in our head, and we feel, we just want to give up and don’t do anything anymore. We can’t think, we can’t focus and we lose motivation and our stress level, anxiety and fear increases immediately. In such moments, we all need some proven ways to manage overwhelm.
Whenever you have that feeling, whenever you feel that it is too much to address and you have huge baggage on your shoulders, try these few things to get back on track as it is only a matter of redirecting your energy on what you can do that time and circumstance.
6 Tips to Manage Overwhelm at Workplace
- Breath and pause…the most impactful way of managing your overwhelm feeling. What we do normally is to try to do even more, with speed, urgency and get even more stressed and nothing really gets done. Instead, pause. Take a break, walk around the block, drink a coffee. This will give you an opportunity to just feel calmer.
- Identify the source: What makes you so overwhelm? Is it that you have too much on your plate at work? You start overthinking about situations which did not occur yet? Is it the person you deal with or the invitation or meeting you don’t want to go to?
- Prioritize. Do a brain dump and start thinking about what is important for you, not for any other person, for you to do that day, that hour. Ask yourself: what makes it so important or urgent, who is impacted and can it be done tomorrow. Anything can be done tomorrow. Remember tomorrow is another day. If you don’t do any brain surgery of course.
- Now you have done your prioritization and you know what needs to get done sooner than later, ask for help and support, inform your manager if there will be a delay. Be honest and authentic, be real.
- Remember: You are one person with one brain, 2 eyes, 2 ears , 2 hands and legs. You can do all at once. Create small steps that will allow you to advance in your tasks to be accomplished.
- And if you can cook fresh for your family, if you could not finish the project that day or whatever it is, there is always a tomorrow.
Managing Overwhelm at Workplace…
Feeling overwhelmed? Happens to us all. Pause, take a breath. What’s causing it? Prioritize tasks for you. Ask for help if needed. Remember, progress takes time. Unfinished today, okay for tomorrow. Don’t let overwhelm win.
Do you need help with dealing with feeling overwhelmed at work?
I love to work with professionals and leaders to assist them in their career journey, equipping them with the tools and techniques they need to perform at their best.