Three Key Shifts to Manage Overwhelm at Work

Three Key Shifts to Manage Overwhelm at Work
It's easy to get overwhelmed with your to-do list at work.
You're probably managing several tasks or projects at once.
Work keeps piling up. You feel as if you don't have
enough time to get it all done. You're stressed and
there's no end in sight.

A recent survey published by the Center for Disease Control
reported that more than 80% of professionals experience
high levels of job stress. A lot of it has to do with the
overwhelm they feel with their amount of responsibilities
and tasks.

When you're feeling overwhelmed, it affects the quality and
output of your work and, at least to a certain degree,
determines how successful you are. Here are three key
shifts you can make to reduce overwhelm and start working
with ease:

1. Shift from "pushing" to "flowing"

When you experience overwhelm at work, your tendency may be
to keep pushing, believing you can get through it using the
"no pain, no gain" mantra. When you're "pushing" to get as
much done as possible during the day, it usually leads to
more stress and can be counterproductive.

The physical signs of "pushing" include leaning forward,
tensing, shallow breathing and clenching your jaw. When
you notice these signs, simply pause and step away from
work for a bit. Get a glass of water, take a few deep
breaths, stand up and stretch. Take a moment to notice why
you are pushing ("I'm unclear," "I am angry," or "I need
more time") then see if you can get to the root of the
problem so you can move back into the "flow" (you know that
feeling like everything is lined up and work becomes
easier).

As you shift away from pushing and towards flowing, you'll
notice a lightness in your body, mind and spirit. You can
then resume work on your task or project with a renewed
sense of energy and focus.

2. Shift from being reactive to responsive

With the pressure of deadlines and commitments, it's quite
easy to be reactive to your environment and those around
you. However, if you feel reactive most days, it can be
overwhelming and exhausting! The difference between being
reactive and being responsive is simply the level of
engagement you bring to a situation. Going into overdrive
doesn't help the work get done faster; it merely adds to
your sense of overwhelm and reactivity.

Typically, the body will experience higher respiration
rates, a faster heartbeat and more body tension when you're
being reactive. It's much more productive to be responsive
to whatever projects, interactions or situations you
encounter at work. It's helpful to rank a task or project
for the appropriate level of engagement (i.e. "this needs
all of my focus and energy" vs. "I don't really need to
stress about this").

As you shift away from over-engagement and reactivity and
towards responsiveness, you'll experience much more ease at
work. Being responsive in your work setting will help you
effectively complete tasks and calmly interact with people
on the job.

3. Shift from a limited to an expanded perspective

When you're overwhelmed, it's difficult to see the many
options that are available to you. Seeing things in a
narrow-minded way limits your opportunities and can cause
you difficulty in navigating change and other potential
challenges that come up in your work.

Shifting from a limited perspective to an expanded
perspective involves looking beyond the "ways you've always
done things" to create new options that reduce stress and
overwhelm. You may want to research ways that other people
handle their challenges. Try introducing a new process or
idea into your work that expands your perspective to
increase your or your team's productivity. Ease occurs as
you expand your perspective, include other options and
consider new ways to approach work.

Using these three shifts in your daily work will not only
reduce your stress and overwhelm but will allow you to
create better results. Working "in the flow," being
responsive rather than reactive, and expanding your
perspective are all critical to the quality and output of
your work, as well as your well-being on the job.

May you know joy, may you know peace and may you work with
ease.

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Athena Williams-Atwood, founder and president of Work With
Ease (http://www.workwithease.com), is committed to
assisting individuals and organizations increase their
productivity, profitability and achieve a sense of ease at
work. She has worked with over 300 start-up and small to
mid-sized businesses globally, combining practical business
principles with mind-body medicine to create an integrated
approach to work.