Are you also feeling overwhelmed?
I was talking to my friend Anna last week, who is absolutely drowning in overwhelm. She was telling me how she has been feeling helpless, exhausted and mostly ridiculously emotional (her words, as emotions are never ridiculous!).
Anna is feeling at her wit’s end, and super frustrated because she has so much on her plate.
I could relate.
She came to me for some advice about what to do, as she could tell that she was on the cusp of burnout. She told me she was sure she was also driving her colleagues and family crazy, as she was irritable, impatient and not interacting with her usual joy and kindness.
Staying in a state of overwhelm can lead to a heap of bad stuff happening – not only does it put pressure on relationships, it can also have a detrimental impact on our physical and mental health, leading to issues such as anxiety, depression, disrupted sleep and a weakened immune system.
If you’re also feeling like Anna, there are four things you can do immediately.
Decide that you need to do something about it – this can be the hardest part, especially when you’re absolutely exhausted. And it’s also hard to make a decision, because feeling overwhelmed makes it harder to make decisions – about anything!
Delete – have a good look at what you can delete from your schedule (and your life). Are there commitments you can withdraw from? Meetings you don’t need to attend? Social activities you said yes to because you felt you should?
Delegate – what can you delegate? I think you know that I hate housework and so I delegate that. Make a list of all the things you can delegate at work and at home. At home you could include cooking, shopping, cleaning, paying bills, buying gifts, planning holidays. You could delegate by paying someone to do these things, or get other people in your household to do them (your partner and kids for example).
Think about what you can delegate at work too. Do you need to attend all those meetings, or can you send someone in your place? Or just get the notes later if you’re not going to add value? If you’re not sure what you can delegate at work, make a list of all the things you do over the course of a week, then take an honest look to see what someone else in your team could do instead.Delay – are there things you can delay doing? Whose timelines are you working to? If you have deadlines, do they have any flexibility? And what about at home? What can you push back (or just delete!) a few weeks or months? If you’re overwhelmed at work, can you have a chat to your boss about what the most important priorities are?
