3 Strategies To Reduce Overwhelm Right Now.
These days, pace of life is fast. The pace of your business is faster. And neither of them are going to slow down any time in the near future. You feel like there is not enough time in the day to complete half the tasks on your plate. You don’t want to let anyone down. This feeling of overwhelm leads to stress which leads to the release of cortisol and adrenaline. Resulting in more stress. Here are 3 strategies you can implement to reduce your feelings of overwhelm right now.
1. BREATHE.
Pull your shoulders back, raise your chin and take 5 deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. It sounds so simple, but this small step will alter your current breathing pattern. When you are stressed your shoulders slump forward. Your breathing is shallow. Your brain has a more difficult time making decisions. Changing you breathing pattern clears your mind and releases the tension you hold in your shoulders.
2. DO A BRAIN DUMP.
What? Huh? Translated, this means write it down. Feelings of being overwhelmed occur when you have too many tasks, thoughts and feelings swirling around in our brains. Take a piece of paper and write down every task, worry, or project on your mind right now. All of it. This brain dump accomplishes two things. First, the act of writing it down frees your mind from having to keep track of that worry. It knows you can refer back to it at any time now. And Second, you have a list you can use to prioritize, further reducing your stress and overwhelm.
3. START SINGLE-TASKING.
We live in a world where multi-tasking is praised. Where you wear your multi-tasking as a badge of honor. The reality is that it takes your brain 15-20 minutes to transition fully from one task/train of thought to another. And another 15-20 minutes to switch back again. This can waste several hours of your day. Or you will be stuck with less than stellar output. Start one task. Work on it for 2-3 hours, or whatever YOUR reasonable time limit is. Then switch to the other task. For longer, projects repeat this cycle over several days, but in the long run you will be more productive.
Overwhelm is real.
The stress that comes from feeling overwhelmed is real. Biological reactions in your body compound the effects of both, including sleeplessness and impaired decision making. Implement these 3 strategies right now to reduce your overwhelm. Start feeling less stress and more productive today.
For more tips on combating overwhelm visit our Facebook page at Inspired Bravery
