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Tip 28 - Overcoming overload and overwhelm
From time to time we may feel there is too much going on. Do you sometimes feel there are too many demands on your time or there is too much to do?
When your thinking processes grind to a halt or go round in circles, take a moment to distinguish whether your are ‘overloaded’ or ‘overwhelmed’ (or both at once).
Overloaded is more of a cognitive state. It occurs when you are juggling too many ideas in your mind, perhaps everything you need to do before an upcoming deadline. As you turn your attention to one thing, you lose track of another.
Overwhelmed is mainly an emotional state. It consists of intense anxiety or doubt at the prospect of doing a difficult or challenging task. Worries fill your mind.
Both these states can make you feel out of control and trapped in a cycle where there is no escape. Having too much on your mind brings your thinking to a total halt.
The way to address each of these states differ…
Overload
When the problem is overload, ie you can't keep track of everything on your mind, you need to address it directly by making mental space. The simplest, most familiar way to free mental space is to make a list of the ideas you're trying to juggle. Once they are down on paper, you can think about them one at a time, contrast and compare them, decide priorities etc. Making a list eliminates overload in many, many situations.
Here it is common to use the urgent / important matrix (see picture below)
A coach can help you explore your situation and help with these techniques.
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This technique can be used individually or in team meetings (with a flip chart). It is not only useful for taking stock of your situation, but also for getting started and keeping a focus on the things that will make a real contribution to your vision.
After identifying all your current and prospective tasks and projects, assign them to one of the quadrants using post-it notes and then:
- ignore the non-urgent, unimportant tasks
- think how you might discourage the urgent, unimportant tasks (they’re really just interruptions)
- develop action plans for the important, non-urgent tasks
- take immediate action for the tasks that are urgent and important
Remember if you focus solely on the urgent and important tasks, you’ll just end up ‘fire fighting’ all the time
Overwhelm
When the problem is overwhelm ie more emotional, you do not always have to address the emotional issue head on. All you need to do is to calm down sufficiently so that the emotions aren't interfering with your thinking process.
The first step in calming down (and sometimes the only step needed) is to acknowledge what you're feeling. By naming it for yourself, you immediately gain some perspective on the situation.
There are many ways to calm down quickly when you suddenly get affected by stress and feel overwhelmed. The following are five quick and easy ways to regain your calm so you can deal with whatever situations are at hand:
1. Take a walk. Exercise can be a great stress reliever in itself, as it helps you let off steam and releases endorphins. Taking a walk when stressed provides the bonus of getting you out of the stressful situation and providing some perspective so you can return in a new frame of mind.
2. Take a breath. If you're not in a position to leave, you can feel better right away by practising breathing exercises. Getting more oxygen into your body and releasing physical tension are two ways that breathing exercises can benefit you, and you can do them anytime or anywhere, even if your demanding situation isn't letting up.
3. Take a mental break. If you can steal away a few minutes of peace, visualisations and guided imagery are a wonderful way to restore peace of mind. They're easy to do, and can relax you physically as well as mentally.
4. Reframe your situation. Sometimes we intensify our experience of stressful situations by the way we look at them. If you can look at your situation differently, you may be able to put it into a different perspective, one that causes you less stress!
5. Try Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). PMR is a technique where you tense and release all of your muscle groups, leaving your body feeling more relaxed. PMR can be done by just about anyone anywhere, and with practice you can fully release virtually all the tension you're feeling in your body in a matter of seconds! This can help you feel calmer and better able to handle the situations at hand.
Once you're calm, you should be in a better position to address whatever stressful situations you're experiencing.
When you’re both overloaded and overwhelmed, addressing the overload first often works best. Making a list turns your attention toward solving the problems and taking charge, which may even be enough to calm any sense of being overwhelmed.
The first step in all problem solving methods is to identify the problem. This is just as true for mental problems as physical ones. When you accurately identify what's stopping your thinking, you can efficiently solve the problem and move forward.
Whatever approach you take it’s important to give yourself time off. This may seem impossible when you have lots to do, but a break will bring you back refreshed. Take a lunch break, or do whatever else you have been putting off 'until you’ve got straight'. If you are kind to yourself, you will be able to do more anyway. If you are struggling with this idea, think about whether you would make someone you love work without breaks - then treat yourself with the same kindness.
