Even though it’s still the beginning of 2023, many of us are already feeling overwhelmed.
Despite having had intentions to start the year with calm
and in control; increasing living costs, constant loadshedding, work
priorities, family and personal responsibilities have all gotten in the way of
our good intentions.
When you get overwhelmed, you feel
- - Stressed
- Like everything is out of control
- - Constant anxiety or worry
- - Having too many things to do and not enough time to do it in
When you are in a constant state of overwhelm, your negative thoughts and fear become heightened. Even small tasks or obstacles feel like large challenges that you just can't seem to overcome. It becomes difficult to find a way out.
Taking action becomes hard, however, it’s necessary to do
so.
When you're feeling overwhelmed, try taking these steps to find your way out.
1. Make a List
Start by making a list of everything that feels
overwhelming. Include everything that
you have to do and everything that you’re worried about.
2. Identify What is Within Your Control
Now start crossing off the things that are outside of your control. Acknowledge that even though you are worried about them, you can't really do anything about them.
3. Create Strategies
Now that you are left with a list of things that are within your control, prioritise them into the following categories :
·
Important and Urgent
·
Important and Not Urgent
·
Unimportant and Urgent
· Unimportant and Not Urgent
Work through the important and urgent items first. Remember that you can only do one thing at a time, so if you have overlapping deadlines, try to shift them or delegate some tasks to someone else. Asking for help is not a weakness.
4. Start
Start working through your list. It will be tempting to get through the things that you enjoy doing first, but start with the priorities. Focus on one thing at a time. As you complete each item from your list you will start feeling like you're in control again.
5. Shut Down and Restart
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it helps to shut down for a little while so that you can re-start with clearer focus. When your laptop or phone starts lagging, the first thing you try is to shut it down for few minutes and then re-start it, right?
It seems counter-intuitive especially when you have so much on your plate, but you can do the same for yourself. Be kind to yourself and give yourself an opportunity to take a breath.
Try :
·
Taking a walk
·
Doing something creative –
doodle, colour, bake
·
Listen to music.
·
Walk away from your desk
and chat to a colleague or friend.
·
Get out into nature – yes,
the little patch of grass in your office park or complex counts!
·
Play with your kids.
· Play with your pet.
Once you've reset your mind, you will be able to focus on the things that you need to get through.
Feeling overwhelmed is normal, it happens to all of us. You shouldn’t be feeling overwhelmed,
stressed and worried all the time, though.
You should be able to and can learn how to manage overwhelm. When you do that, you will be able to things that
you enjoy without feeling worried about the things you should be doing.