Know The Signs
It’s been one of those days. One thing after another has cropped up, each one more demanding than the last. Between work, family responsibilities, and social obligation, you feel as though you’re slowly being crushed and having to do a mountain of tasks.
What do you do?
If you’re like most people, you start avoiding things. The problem is, the more things pile up, the more overwhelmed you grow until soon you’ve shut down completely. Now you are avoiding everything, and nothing is getting done.
How do you get out of this?
Your body will tell you when you’re reaching the shutdown point. This point is where your muscles seem tight, your head hurts, your stomach aches, and you start snapping at everyone around you. The moment you notice these signs, it’s time to take a step back and reassess the situation before you head down the path to avoidance.
Quit Trying to Predict the Future
When we become overwhelmed, we start creating three negative outcomes in our minds. Here’s where we assume every conversation is going to go wrong. We expect every project to fail. It’s no wonder we shut down.
Again, here is where you need to step back and ask yourself what is the more realistic expectation? It’s probably not going to be as bad as you think. If you need to, remind yourself of similar disaster predictions you’ve made in the past, which never wound up happening.
Break it Down
When overwhelmed, everything seems like too much work, so you start avoiding anything requiring action.
This is why you need to start tackling things in very small steps. Small steps will always feel more doable than large ones.
It’s also easier to keep your focus in stressful times when you’re keeping your eyes firmly on only what’s in front of you.
Take Action
The more you worry about things you need to be doing, the bigger they will grow in your mind. Instead, don’t give yourself time to think.
Jump right in and get done what needs to be done. Now it’s out of the way, and you don’t have to think about it anymore.
Own Up
Even if the pending disaster does manifest, it doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Rather than avoid the outcome, face up to it.
It’s easier to apologize if you need to. Embrace the lessons to be learned rather than running away forever, thinking you’re a failure.
It can be hard to remember all these things when you’re overwhelmed, so above all, remember this: Go easy on yourself. If you do your best and keep moving forward, things will always work out in the end.
More Reading: 7 Habits To Avoid When Coping With Anxiety
To Your Success,
