Dealing With Overwhelm

Posted by Susanne Earle in Leadership | 0 comments

Image courtesy of ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net Have you ever felt like there is just so much for you to get done and never enough hours in the day? Have you ever felt like you're working harder and longer and falling further behind? If you answered "yes" you are not alone. The statistics regarding working hours, sleep, stress, health conditions, and missed vacation time are staggering. Leaders are often under pressure to perform at ever increasing levels and to do more with less. Unfortunately, prolonged feelings of overwhelm can lead to anxiety, irritability, ulcers, weight gain or loss, sleeplessness, difficulty concentrating, depression and hypertension to name just a few. Here are a few simple strategies that you can incorporate into your busy schedule that take little time and offer big results. 1. Simply notice what you are experiencing on a physical level. We are often unconscious as to what is going on within ourselves because we are so focused on our external world. Allow yourself to simply acknowledge what you are feeling, especially in those moments when you feel overwhelmed. Notice how your body may be reacting to what is happening around you. Are you tensing up? Is your breathing shallow? Bring your awareness to your body and then make a conscious choice to relax your muscles and breathe deeply. 2. Being aware of your thoughts and any negative self talk is essential to dealing with feelings of overwhelm. Often, when we really pay attention to what we are telling ourselves, we realize that we are our own worst critic. Hear what you tell yourself and then make a choice as to what you really want to hear! 3. Let go of needing to be perfect. Perfectionism often leads to overwhelm and can stop you in your tracks! 4. Pay attention to where your focus is. What we pay attention to expands. Focusing on what is not going right will amplify those negative experiences. Focus on what is going right and on what you do want, and those positive experiences will grow and expand. 5. Pay attention to how you care for yourself. If there are areas that you have neglected, commit to making improvements. 6. Stay connected to your own core values - to what is really important to you and your company, especially when making decisions on what to do next. 7. Engage others in your cause. Good leaders know how to advise, direct and delegate effectively. Great leaders develop their people, engaging them and empowering them to make decisions independently. Simply stated, great leaders get more work done through others with greater ease and with less feelings of overwhelm! Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net