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Key points
- Technique 1: Calm the system with breath.
- #2: Get out into nature.
- #3: Take tme to plan.
- #4: Apply the 80/20 rule.
Who hasn’t had a moment when a seemingly ever-ringing cell phone or pinging email alerts have triggered an urge to throw the devices away?
With so many people working remotely these days, the boundaries of work and home life have become blurred. It can feel like one is hooked into work every moment of the day and night, whether it’s the demands of email, video calls, phone calls, or internal communications. The workload shackles can create a feeling of drowning with no rescue in sight.
A highly demanding job, a challenging boss, or the responsibility of running a business from home often results in overwhelm.
For many, that sense of overwhelm is because they really do have too much to do, as impossible deadlines and mounting to-do lists are just accepted. Personally, and professionally, the workload of running a household, managing kids and partnership, plus a full-time job and any extracurriculars and socializing can, in fact, become too much. And it’s become a badge of honor to keep all those disparate balls in the air.
In particular, women have been conditioned to do everything and so become martyrs, influenced by beliefs that can hold them back from negotiating what is considered to be a reasonable expectation of workload and productivity.
The Scientific Effects of Overwhelm
While the effects of overwhelm show up differently for everyone, stress and overwhelm cause an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. With that increase comes a feeling of anxiety and a decrease in the body’s ability to fight off infection.
With increased release of cortisol comes a depletion of serotonin. Serotonin is known for its roles in mood, the sleep-wake cycle, and impulse control. When overwhelm causes those to dip, it can trigger feelings of irritability and anxiety. Research has shown that low serotonin levels are linked to anger, sleep issues, mood issues, cravings, aches and discomfort, and a low sex drive. One might get angry and want to hit out or feel like curling up in a ball and not deal with any of the causes.
One of the most important steps in managing overwhelm in the workplace is to recognize it. Negotiating one’s mindset is the first and most important negotiation. While the inner voice can often be the most formidable adversary, perhaps it is time to listen to the voice in one’s ear saying, "I can’t get this all finished."
Techniques for Managing Overwhelm
1. Calm the System with Breath
Utilize the box breathing technique—breathing in for four counts, holding for four counts, exhaling for four counts, holding for four counts and repeating—calms the nervous system and begins to break the cycle of overwhelm.
2. Get Out into Nature
Experts increasingly agree that getting outdoors improves mental health, attention, and cognition while decreasing stress. Touching a tree or feeling the grass with bare feet grounds the body, promoting an instant feeling of relaxation.
3. Take Time to Plan
While it may seem counterintuitive when feeling time-starved, setting aside some time to create a concrete plan of action will make the rest of work much more efficient and productive. It helps train the mind to focus on the positives and set achievable goals.
4. Use the 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 rule helps in dividing tasks . Applied to tasks, it states that tackling 20 percent of the activities producer 80% of the results.
If there is a to-do list of 10 items, doing two of those actions will have a more significant effect than the other eight put together. Start by finding a high-priority task and work on achieving that one thing first.
It helps if that task can be completed quickly, as beginning with a "win" signals a feeling of progress and provides motivation to continue.
5. Delegate and Eliminate
Although most people want to feel that they can do it all, passing off tasks to someone else can free up time and brain space for the more important work.
Eliminating items that are not necessary is another great strategy. For most people, much of the to-do list is taken up with items that could be eliminated altogether.
6. Get High-Quality Rest.
Studies have consistently shown that adults need seven to eight hours of restful sleep each night to function at a high level the next morning.
When overwhelmed, the brain is being worked really hard. Give the gray matter of the brain the break it needs and deserves and tackle the work when well-rested.
Setting Boundaries
While these techniques can help people manage overwhelm, the better option is to eliminate overwhelm entirely. It is important to protect one’s time and to set boundaries that do so.
Learning how to give a positive "No" is a powerful skill and an important part of negotiating one’s best life. Get intentional about off-loading those items that are eating up valuable time but not moving you closer to your vision and goals.
Another key strategy on the path to eliminating overwhelm is to negotiate one’s mindset. Between most stimuli and responses is a pause that allows one to choose how to react. Getting intentional about choosing more positive meanings to attach to any given circumstance can reduce feelings of stress and overwhelm.
