Whether it’s personal or work related, we all at some point will be faced with a sense of feeling overwhelmed with too much on our plates and not knowing where to go, what to do and panicking there is too much to do.
I luckily have always been able to deal with stress and a heavy workload quite well (in fact I have always secretly thrived on it), but even I, including very recently, will have a wobble and a moment of sheer panic of how I am going to get everything done. So here are my top six ways to keep your cool and get back in control.
Take a deep breath
Panic has set in, and you are ready to have a meltdown because there is so much to do, you don’t know where to begin or how it is all going to get done. Take a few deep breaths until you can feel yourself starting to relax and tension lifting.
Get all that information out your head
Once your mind is focused, make a list of everything that is going around your head. Whether its business related, or personal related, write absolutely everything down onto a piece of paper. It’s now time to take back control!
Mark how important things are, when they have to be completed by, are they things you really need to do, can you ask someone to help you, is it something you could outsource? Now you have a plan of action to work through with deadlines too!
Don’t forget to take time out
We all need to take time out to relax and unwind. We can’t just keep pushing through, but we also become less productive the more we try to. Take some time out to relax. Go for a walk, go to the gym, or listen to some music. Do something to take you away from what you have been doing and go back fresh and ready to get on with the tasks.
Talk about it
I am very lucky to have an amazing and close family where we download on our day at the end of each day and how we are feeling. I’m not necessarily looking for them to give me advice, but it helps to just get everything out so I can then refocus what I need to do and how I am going to get there.
Sleep!
This is a big one for me. Our minds and our bodies can’t just keep going, they need time to shut down and rest to allow them to reboot and feel rejuvenated. Working until the early hours is not going to help. We become less productive or can end up making mistakes. Go to sleep and get up feeling refreshed and ready to go. Yes – I am practising what I preach!
Don’t ignore it
Most importantly, don’t just hide away, keep pushing through hoping that things will get better or go away. There is only so much you can take and you need to acknowledge that we all go through tough times at some point, but we will get through it, we may just need to take some steps to get us back where we need to be.
I hope these tips have given you some ideas on ways to deal with or reminded you that you do need to make some time for yourself to relax!