How to get out of overwhelm

In my job I have the privilege of speaking to many people each week – in different industries, in different roles, in different countries. This gives me a good perspective on what is happening across business which I love to share here on Linkedin.

So what’s the biggest issue I am hearing from people in the business world at the moment.

Overwhelm or maybe I should say – OVERWHELM!

I have been frankly surprised and a little shocked at the demands being placed at leaders in business at the moment. 3 hour (or even 6 hour!!) Zoom calls being normal, people on Zoom from 9am to 6pm constantly with no time to even step outside. People feeling that they can’t take days off or holidays. People doing their own jobs and covering for the teams they normally have beneath them who are furloughed. And because of this so many leaders I speak to are feeling utterly exhausted and burnt out right now! Sound familiar?

And on top of this, there is an emotional and psychological cost which is building up too. A sense that the people who still have jobs and salaries can’t complain because – ‘at least I still have a job’! One client of mine described it as ‘survivor’s guilt’. And what is the physical cost of sitting in front of a computer for those many hours a day?

This has to change!

What seems to have happened is that this situation came about so quickly and was forced upon us so that no-one had much time to think about how to do this productively. How to not just transfer what we do in offices (ie long days in meetings) but instead, how do we embrace virtual working in a way that is positive and productive?

And some companies are doing this already. I spoke to one client this week who told me that the leadership team in her business have started to think very differently about their business as a result of this crisis. That the focus has moved from being primarily about profit to really considering who they want to be as a brand and the impact and contribution they want to have. Every business has the potential to recalibrate and create something new and exciting right now rather than just plough on and survive.

The questions I think we should be asking are - How do we do this differently?

How do we work in a way that is agile and responsive?

How do we work in a way that is healthy and sustainable for our people?

How do we make sure that our people have the energy to be innovative and creative which is especially needed right now?

And how do we ensure that they have energy and health for the longterm not just for now?

How do we embrace this opportunity to create new and better ways of working?

Can you feel what a different energy those questions have? How it points us as leaders and organisations in a very different direction?

And I want to say one very important thing here before I give you some tips on getting out of overwhelm. You do have a choice – always.

I will repeat that because it probably doesn’t feel like it right now – you do have a choice always.

Yes, organisations have a responsibility. But you as a leader in your business also have a responsibility to see what is happening, to influence it and to make choices for yourself and your teams. Someone has to break this cycle and it could easily be you. What if this was a time of big opportunity for businesses to think and behave a different way? What if this opened up a whole new spectrum of possibility for you and your organisation? What if you created a brand new way of working that gave people so much more freedom and flexibility?

THAT would make this time worthwhile and productive wouldn’t it?

So, here are my top tips on getting out of overwhelm (this is a big topic so treat this as the headlines!)

1. Know that being overwhelmed is a choice.

Everything is a choice and you can choose differently. it is ‘a reality’ absolutely and it is also only one reality. You do have the possibility to believe differently and choose actions differently in any moment. To move from reacting to creating your reality.

2. Being overwhelmed is a mind game you can’t win!

You feel overwhelmed, so your brain gives you more reasons to be overwhelmed, to create more evidence around that belief. That creates more feelings of being overwhelmed which produces more anxiety. Can you see the trap? That means that you can never strategise or think your way out of overwhelm when you are in it – it is practically and physiologically impossible!

3. Connection is the key.

You have to take yourself out of the overwhelm before you can start to change it. The first thing you need to do to come out of overwhelm is to shift your energy. Whenever you want to change anything you need to shift your energy first, then you can look back on the situation whilst being outside of it. So do something different that gets you in your body not your head – dance, walk in nature, run or do exercise you love, jump on your kids trampoline (one of my favourites!), play with your animals or kids. Do anything that takes you into your body and into a feeling of joy. Overwhelm literally doesn’t exist here – you are breaking the cycle!

4. Look back from the helicopter position

– now you are feeling good and out of the reality of overwhelm you can look back objectively. What do you want your day to look like? What really moves the business forward? What is just time-wasting/unnecessary? If the way things were was purely your decision, what decisions would you make? How can you make sure your people are taken care of? What are your boundaries? What will you insist on to make sure that you keep your energy and resilience? Can you see I am looking in from the outside and in a creative space that says that anything is possible?

5. Take inspired action

– now you know what to do to create change. You are clear and in control. Start then to take proactive action. What can you prioritise? What can you push back on? What can you stop doing and no-one will even notice?! How can you be the leader in this situation? What are your boundaries? What are your priorities?

You can only lead from a space of connection - to what is important and to what really moves you and the business forward, from this this helicopter position. Otherwise we are potentially just being ‘busy fools’ feeling exhausted and knowing that what we are doing isn’t productive but continuing with it regardless.