[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Today's text presents 5 tips from Alice Boyes, author of The Healthy Mind Toolkit and The Anxiety Toolkit (not translated in Brazil), to help you overcome those moments when you feel overwhelmed by your workload. Check out the tips:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Endless daily tasks?
Do you feel like your daily to-do list is endless? Are you afraid to check emails on Friday afternoons and find there are still many messages when you want to enjoy the weekend? Or perhaps you've noticed that anxiety is preventing you from focusing on what you're currently doing. You may feel anxious about not working at times incompatible with work, such as when you're putting your child in the car seat or when you're stuck in traffic. You may even feel worried about the project you're not working on when you're busy doing something else.
If you feel overwhelmed by your workload, below are some tips to help you cope. It's important to note that not all tips will be suitable for everyone; you can choose the ones that will help you. First, remember that when you start to panic about being overwhelmed with work, begin by taking slow breaths (it's better to focus on slow breathing than deep breathing). Slow breathing helps you avoid panicking and maintain focus. Breathing activates the brain's preparedness and planning mindset. If you concentrate on exhaling as if you were slowly blowing up a balloon, your breathing will naturally regulate itself.
Practice your acceptance skills and talk to yourself.
To feel calmer, talk to yourself, say self-motivating phrases. This technique combines self-compassion and taking responsibility. Try different types of self-talk and see what works best for you. As a starting point, you can try:
"Although I have many things to do, I can only concentrate on what I'm doing now. I'll feel better if I do that."
"I would prefer to be able to do more things in the day, but I will accept what I am actually able to do today." (This sentence uses a common cognitive-behavioral therapy technique, where people are encouraged to replace "should" with "would prefer" or "could" in order to alleviate anxiety and feel more empowered.)
"What is the best course of action to take now?" This question serves as a reminder that dwelling on the past or worrying about the future interferes with establishing focus and priorities.
“I enjoy my job, so I like being busy. It’s natural that I feel overwhelmed sometimes. I can handle those emotions and make adjustments as needed.”
Choose yours and try it, you'll be surprised by the results.
Track your work time to know exactly how much you're working.
Some research that has tracked working hours and employee reports has found that workers have the impression that they work much more than they actually do. What happens to the brains of people who claim to have worked 70 hours a week? The brain acts as if this were actually true, even if it is an exaggeration. This happens because our brain draws conclusions based on our emotions.
If you feel anxious about work, your brain overestimates how much you're working, which makes you feel more anxious and establishes a self-perpetuating cycle. When your perception of your workload is drastically exaggerated, the situation seems hopeless, which will likely make you feel even more depressed and anxious. This will prevent you from taking steps to resolve your situation. Importantly, overestimating work time is a widespread pattern in the population.
How to solve this problem? Try tracking the time it takes you to complete your tasks for a week (there are online tools for this, or you can use a spreadsheet or notebook). Track your time without trying to change your behavior. Your behavior will naturally shift in positive directions due to the monitoring, so there's no need to force it, at least initially.
During the monitoring period, limit brief work-related activities during off-hours, such as checking your phone or sending a quick email. Objectively, these activities may only take a few minutes, but this pattern can seem to consume more time than it actually does, so reduce these behaviors.
Small, non-work-related activities can help you feel more balanced in your life.
Verify your assumptions about other people's expectations.
Sometimes we assume we have to be extremely quick with people because that's what's expected of us. However, you don't need to respond to an email as soon as it arrives in your inbox. You need to be focused on your tasks and set aside specific times for responding to emails or receiving other requests.
Practice not responding to messages outside of business hours. Most people will understand and perhaps appreciate your help within their own boundaries. When you limit your responses to business hours, you are more likely to consider where the response fits into your priorities than if the pattern is to respond at any time of day when receiving emails.
Clarify expectations with others. Instead of assuming your boss needs something done immediately, why not ask them when they need it? Make your current priorities clear to others and how quickly you can resolve issues related to them.
Examine your assumptions about what to do to succeed.
You may also have flawed thoughts about what it takes to succeed in your field. Perfectionist assumptions such as, "To succeed, I need to work harder than everyone else," become especially problematic when you are climbing the ranks in a competitive industry and you are in a group of other like-minded professionals.
Be wary of assumptions that cause unnecessary stress, especially if they also contribute to procrastination and paralysis.
Write down your problem assumptions, followed by more realistic alternatives. Your realistic alternative thinking could be something like, “Given that my work group is composed of great entrepreneurs, there’s a good chance that most of us in this group will be successful. Therefore, I don’t need to perform at the top of the group to achieve success.” Building more realistic alternative assumptions is both a science and an art. Experiment with different types of thinking to see what feels truest and most useful to you personally.
Start taking time off now, instead of waiting for the "right" time.
When you enjoy a night or a weekend off and the sky isn't falling, you learn that you can be less anxious about your workload. If you want to feel more relaxed about work, act more relaxed about it.
You can operationalize this however you like. Ask yourself, "If I were more relaxed about my workload, how would I act?"
A classic of psychology is that people wait for their emotions to change before they change their behavior. However, changing your behavior is probably the best and fastest way to change your emotions (and thoughts). When you start tuning into it, you'll likely notice the pattern emerging again and again. For example, try reversing "When I'm less busy, I'll create some better systems" to "When I create better systems, I'll feel less busy." This approach will help you combat the widespread self-sabotaging pattern of always being too busy.
So, what did you think of the tips? Which one will you start practicing today?
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