It is uncanny how often my coaching opportunities relate to what I also need in my work or life. I have had numerous conversations about staying focused and energized in the face of, “too much to do” or “not enough time” or “I’m feeling overwhelmed with all these changes.”
Pause
Even for just a minute or 30 seconds. Stand up or sit down and breath, out with “I’m breathing out” and in with “I’m breathing in” and start with the out breath for more impact. Saying the words in your head while you breathe helps focus you into the present moment. If you can, close your eyes, even a minute will give you a bit of a rest that will help you focus and let go of the anxiety of overwhelm.
Be the Observer
Notice what you are saying to yourself; step back in your mind and reflect on how your voice in your head is behaving. Be curious, “is this an old recording from habit?” or “isn’t that interesting that this situation has pushed my buttons?” Are you projecting into the future with worry about item number 45 on your list or an outcome that is out of your control? Gently pull yourself back into the present moment and focus on being your best in this moment.
Schedules & Lists
I am such a big fan of lists. I keep a pad and pen by my bed so that if I wake up during the night with a thought of “oh no, I can’t forget this tomorrow!” I can quickly jot it down and release it from my brain so that I can go back to sleep. One client I worked with had a big pile on her desk that was causing fear and overwhelm, “what if there is a client item in there that is overdue?” We scheduled a 30-minute block of time for her to go through the pile and write down everything in the pile so that she knew exactly what was there. Then, she started working through the list a little at a time (no overdue customer items were there). And she started scheduling a little time every day to file and make her “to do” list so that the scary pile did not come back.
Scheduling my lists works great too. I have too many things to put all in one day or on one list so I put them on multiple days through the week or even into next week or next month if it is not a priority. It is such a sense of relief knowing that the item is captured on a list.
Gratitude
Of course, shifting to gratitude for what is going well and what you have is always a helpful habit. It is more easily said than done if you are feeling a heavy load of overwhelm. It is best to cultivate this habit when all is going really well and then when that overwhelm feeling hits you will be more likely to call on this process that has become a powerful habit. I keep little reminders to help me shift too (like a card or a picture or quote).
How have you overcome being overwhelmed? Please share in a comment!
photo credit via Flickr Creative Commons: andres.thor