How to Get Out of Overwhelm (Quickly)

"I'm so sorry to bother you...I know how busy you are."

If you're like most physicians and busy professionals, you may be hearing this phrase preface the request or invitation that is about to follow.

It's become common to wear busyness as a badge of honor. Taking on new responsibilities and tasks without letting go of current ones is not a sustainable practice, especially when you find yourself struggling to get in basic self care like eating nourishing meals, exercising consistently and getting enough sleep (quality and quantity).

The constant deluge of email, voicemail, professional and personal tasks quickly add up and become a recipe for busyness. It’s inevitable…at some point in the pursuit of your passions, goals and dreams, you’re going to get tired, frustrated and completely overwhelmed. And in some cases, you'll want to just throw your hands in the air (or curl up under the covers) and raise the white flag of surrender.

So what do you do when you find yourself in the land of overwhelm?
 
If you find yourself there, know that you are not alone. We all end up there from time to time.  The key is recognizing when you’re there so you can take action to get out sooner rather than later.

Here are 3 simple strategies to help you regain your footing and see your way out.
 
1. Gain Clarity

• Know what’s on your plate. We feel lost when it seems we can't get our arms around all of the things on our plate. Pause long enough to do get those "to-do"s out of your head and written down on paper. In this way, you can then objectively look at all of it and begin to prioritize the important and time-sensitive activities.

2. Examine your expectations

• How realistic are your estimates of the time it takes you to complete a given task? We often will agree to task with an unrealistic deadline and then beat ourselves up when we can't meet it. Take a breath and ask yourself honestly if you've taken on too much. If yes, negotiate new deadlines where possible and delegate when you can. Practice "leaving room on your plate". Too much healthy food on a plate will leave you feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. The same is true for too many personal and professional tasks no matter how meaningful they are.

3. Practice making front-end decisions

• This one practice can help save you a significant amount of time and energy. Whether you apply it to managing email, accepting or declining invitations and requests, or choosing what to have for dinner, you will feel less drained when you make a decision up front rather than waiting until the decision is made for you. Delayed decisions are often a fear of making the wrong decision or missing out on something. But, what if you didn't label your decisions as right or wrong? Maybe they're just opportunities to learn. Assess what you think is the best course of action based on the information you have in this moment. Remember you can always make a new decision when you have more information. 

 
Everyone faces frustration, overwhelm and exhaustion. How you handle yours determines the way you feel as you do your work in the world, and ultimately how you live your life.

​What helps you to get out of overwhelm?