Effectively Managing Overwhelm

In today’s high speed and complex world being able to prevent and manage overwhelm is a key skill to have. When we are overwhelmed it leads to stress, health issues and decrease in productivity. Here are some initial steps and actions to help you manage this.

The first 3 steps:

#1 Pinpoint the cause - Ask yourself, “What is causing me to feel overwhelmed?” The first step is to figure out and get clear on the cause.

#2 Accept your current situation - Accept that you have a lot going on. When we resist it is when we struggle. This often takes a weight off your shoulders.

#3 Reframe how you are viewing it - Step back and take a different perspective that lifts you up. Ask yourself, “How can I view this in a more positive?” or “What am I grateful for about my current situation?”

Here are some other keys that help in preventing and dealing with overwhelm.

*Focus on one task at a time - Decide on one thing to do and complete this. You can break this down into small parts and then do one of those.

*Set boundaries - Decide on how long you will work and the type of work that you will do. Honor these boundaries.

*Delegate - What can I delegate to someone else on my team?

*Take breaks - Work for 30 minutes and then take a 5 minute break where you get up and move.

*Breathe - Focus on connecting to the breath. This is a great tool to get centered. One technique is to inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 1 second, and exhale for 4 seconds. Then repeat this.

Ideally, we want to be taking care of our physical and mental health ahead of time to prevent overwhelm from happening in the first place. If it does happen though, allow yourself to slow down and remember the steps and keys above! Best of luck!