The Overwhelm Ogre - How to beat it

The HSE Report of 2017 showed 12.5 million working days lost due to work related stress, depression and anxiety in 2016/2017. Some of the main causes were cited as high workload, constant pressure and tight deadlines which all contributed to feelings of overwhelm.

Has anything changed much since that report was published? I doubt it. We continue to focus on the causes and results of overwhelm. We don’t do enough to help individuals recognise and understand it in themselves and learn how to beat it

I am intimately acquainted with the Overwhelm Ogre. Failing to recognise and address it in myself led to serious physical illness which put me in hospital for months, unable to walk. I am very grateful for that experience; it taught me how powerful the mind can be and how vital it is to recognise and respond to the signals we are constantly receiving from our bodies. 

The Overwhelm Ogre creeps up on you unawares; it’s all too easy to slip into an under-functioning state as your norm. Accepting daily low energy, headaches, irritability, fuzzy thinking, lack of motivation and losing interest in things that used to excite you.

You may find yourself clock-watching, dreading Monday morning and longing for Friday, Comfort eating, drinking too much, poor sleep patterns, indigestion, IBS, skin problems…the list could go on and on. These are all signs that overwhelm has got you in its’ grip and if you let things continue you risk it taking an even greater toll.

Overwhelm is not inevitable. The key is to recognise those warning signs early, listen to their message and then make the choice to take control and change things from within.

3 strategies to get going on beating overwhelm

1)    Personal Check In

Put aside 45 minutes to focus on yourself (yes you can find 45 minutes)

Relax in a quiet place with a notebook and pen and focus on how you really are right now. Divide your life up into 5 areas-it’s up to you what these areas are but you might want to include health, finances, work and something like fun or leisure? Consider how satisfied you are with things as they are in each of those areas.

Give yourself a grading in each between 0 for appalling to 10 for perfect. What’s your score out of 50? Which area of your life scores the lowest? Focus on why that is and consider what aspects of the situation are outside your control and where you can take responsibility and change things. You know yourself and what you want better than anyone.

 2)    Performance Evaluation

A lot of work-based stress is centred on performance and we tend to wait for and rely on others to assess us, because that is the established system. Why wait? Self-assessment is one of the most powerful tools you have. Set aside 45 minutes of your life (yes you can) to create a method of personal performance evaluation tailored to you that you can stick to on a regular basis. Do you need to review weekly, fortnightly, monthly; what structure will help you most?

What are the key areas of performance you need to monitor? What are your strengths and how can you build on them? Where do you need support and who could help you to develop and improve in your weaker areas?

If you are monitoring yourself and honestly evaluating how you are doing the stress of any external assessment will reduce massively.

 3)    Task Timer

Perfectionism is rife in our competitive work environments and creates massive additional pressure. When we strive to make everything perfect we lose touch with how much time something really needs. Working too hard and for too long on every task can lead to our being perceived as lacking in confidence and indecisive. Not everything has to be perfect.

Review your tasks (you may need to set aside another 45 minutes) and allocate a specific period of time to each, relative to their overall importance. Make the decisions and stick to them; create a new habit and focus on achieving each task within the time allocated.

This strategy also helps with procrastination which can be another aspect of perfectionism.

Want to know more about how to beat the Overwhelm Ogre?

Reach out to me and let's talk about it.

www.jennihallam.co.uk