It’s only a 35 days until Christmas (sorry to frighten you) and as usual I’m sure you are thinking about the many things to fit in before we reach the big day.
It is very normal for many of us to feel overwhelmed and exhausted, because there are so many work and personal things still left to do and seemingly not enough time to fit it all in.
What I can tell you is that the feeling of overwhelm is often detrimental to our stress levels and our mental health. It also reduces our productivity levels making us achieve less, which means we have to work longer hours to keep up which of course makes everything seem more stressful – what a circle!
Overwhelm is often caused by the way we are seeing and managing things, not necessarily by the number of things we have to do. Most people are so busy on the hamster wheel and we get immersed in the overwhelmed feeling and forget to think effectively.
When we learn how to influence our mind to see it differently then we feel calm and more at peace and are able to work more productively, achieving more in less time. Of course, that feels more motivational!
I teach my clients how to do this effectively and because it’s Christmas, I want to share these strategies with you
- Know your end result– Get really clear on your deadlines and what you want to achieve by that date. This means get clear on your specific outcome, be very specific and WRITE IT DOWN! When you are this specific it helps you to develop a plan to get there and what to do.
- Chunk it down– Break that outcome down into bite size pieces and WRITE IT DOWN into your diary. Chunk it down into what must be achieved each week for you to be on track and meet the deadline. Looking at the big picture feels overwhelming. When you chunk it down effectively with weekly goals to the end result, you’ll feel more at ease.
- Lock it in– When you block times into your diary to get things done, it holds you accountable for the tasks which relate to your goals. It helps you create a laser focus for that period and means you will be more productive. So make time for each task you need to do to work to meet your deadline and LOCK IT IN.
- Prioritise and say NO– This is a common problem, because so many people let requests of others get in the way and this means they fall behind with their own workload, creating a heap of stress for themselves. You can’t keep everyone else happy all the time and some people are not going to like you no matter what you do. It’s okay to say “no” to requests from other people and prioritise your own workload.
- Remember to breathe– When we forget to breathe properly then it affects our energy and increases our stress levels. Most people shallow breathe or even hold their breath when they feel stressed, so this makes it feel worse. Deep belly breathing is like an ON/OFF switch for stress. Make time throughout the day just to pause and focus on your breath and your brain will be calmer and focus better. Even if it’s just for 5 minutes. Put an alarm on your phone and every hour let it beep to remind you to do 5 big belly breaths!
These are just a few tips to help you through. You are welcome to contact me if you’d like more. ?
Remember writing things down helps reduce the feeling of chaos and overwhelm. It gets it out of your head as often we make everything seem bigger than it is when it’s stuck in our head going round and round. It also activates the parts of your brain responsible for movement, planning, reasoning and awareness. This means you feel calm and get more done in less time.
Enjoy this time – don’t get caught up in the drama and chaos that most people lean into at his time of the year!
Let’s get in touch and work together to make the change impactful, or you can visit our website to find out more!
