How to Manage Overwhelm

Overwhelm

 

 

Exercise: Turn off any media, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Now listen to each breath as you inhale and exhale. Open your eyes when you feel the oxygen flow through your body. Okay, now I have your full attention.

 

Before you did that little exercise, how did you feel? Stressed, walking about with a heavy feeling of anxiety, unsure where to start? You are experiencing overwhelm. Overwhelm comes when you have too much to do and you don’t know where to start.

 

Overwhelm happens to the best of us, even those who seem like they have it all under control.

 

Recognising and managing overwhelm could be your secret to success. I have a few tips on how to manage overwhelm:

 

STOP

Overwhelm can be crippling and cause unnecessary stress. It may feel engulfing. So, this is the time to Stop. Find ways to switch off. Focus on something that requires 100% of your attention and be kind to yourself. You might want to consider:

• Meditation: Meditation is a great way to calm the body and recentre your mind. It has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety and allow you to regain focus. You don’t have to meditate for hours on end. Download a meditation app and factor in between 1-5 minutes of meditation per day.
• Cooking
• Colouring or crafting
• Going for a walk without your phone.
• Listen to your favourite music

 

Learn How to Say No, Guilt Free

It has taken me most of my adult life to use and mean the word NO. No closes to the door to stress and can be the most empowering word especially during times of overwhelm.  So how do you say No? Look at your situation and identify what you can and can’t take on and say no to everything that is beyond your capacity.

 

Make Progress

The feeling of making progress, can lessen the sense of overwhelm. It will motivate you to get through your ‘To Do List’ in the most effective way. Review each project and identify what can be done quickly and what will need a longer league time. Focus on the smaller tasks for quick wins.

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Block Schedule

Allocate time blocks to focus on your tasks. For instance, schedule between 90-120 minutes on each task and then take a break. Refuel, go for a walk, answer any non-work messages or just close your eyes for a few minutes. Block scheduling is a clever way to help you make progress and can really help you visualise how long a task will take to complete.

 

Manage Your Media

Believe it or not, external factors such as social media can have a big impact on overwhelm. Looking at a photo or reading a post about how someone or a competitor is making tons of sales can have be very demotivating. It would seem obvious to stop looking at those social accounts, but curiosity is likely to get the better of us. So, switch off the noise by:

• Turning off notifications
• If you still want to follow these accounts, why not restrict access to those individual accounts so you don’t see their updates.
• Unfollow

 

Ask for help

I am so guilty for not asking for help and it has really landed me in a pickle. After I had my son, the amount of help I was offered by friends and family was truly out of this world. It got me thinking about why we don’t ask for help. They say it takes a village to raise a child and it really does. You don’t have to juggle motherhood and a business alone. So lean on friends, colleagues or loved ones. People are always happy to help. Ways you can do this:

• Childcare swap – Organise playdates between your Mum friends, so you each take a turn of looking after your little ones. It may help you buy yourself a little extra time to focus on your to do list.
• Delegate tasks to colleagues
• Outsource the work to a freelancer

 

By Donna Jackson @thecuriousmummy

 

The ALL by MAMA Network runs a monthly Accountable call, so if you are still struggling with Overwhelm and need to off-load the burden. Please get in touch and reserve your spot. Available only to VIP Members.

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