Feeling overworked or overwhelmed? Here’s how you can handle your stress.
One time or another, we’ve all gotten to the point where we want to do everything at once. Whether it is because the thought of being unproductive is torturing, or an overachieving tendency has led to burnout, we often feel overwhelmed when the school/work season begins. Though this anxiety is sometimes difficult to handle, there are luckily a few tips and tricks that you can use to give yourself a break.
The main problem of overwhelming anxiety is feeling that crowded state in your brain. Too many thoughts and responsibilities weigh down on your thoughts and you feel like you just can’t do it all. As stressing as this can be, there is an effective habit you can use to combat your crowded mind. This habit is called the drain dump. Instead worrying over thoughts in your head when faced with overwhelming pressure, write down everything you are thinking about. The first step of relaxation is letting go: you need to let go of the stresses hanging over you. Even more, having tasks written down in front of you makes organizing your priorities much easier, and eliminates that feeling of forgetfulness.
The second step of avoiding overwhelms is to get out of a multitasking mindset. Many times when people get anxious, it is because they have this need to do everything at once. They do not like future tasks hanging over their head, and they want to get ahead of the curve. Yet it is important to realize that doing everything at once is impossible, and trying to do so harms the quality of the outputs. Though it feels nice to be ahead of what is being assigned to you, it’s completely ok to just be on track, as long as you do not fall behind. Most people strive to be ahead so that they can have free time to relax later, yet once they do get ahead, they work harder to stay ahead,, creating an endless cycle void of relaxation. The best way to stay relaxed is to actually give yourself quality breaks where you are not thinking of your responsibilities. A good technique is to give yourself at least one day a week where you forget about school or work.
Sometimes, getting out of the multitasking mindset is difficult, but a good strategy to play by is to think about what is important at the moment. To do this, look at your to-do list or schedule. Now, decide what assignments absolutely need to be done by the end of the day. Take the time to complete all of these tasks carefully, while taking a few breaks to give yourself a rest. If you still have more time at the end of the day, then go ahead and complete some extra work. Nevertheless, you need to be mindful of your mental state: are you capable of doing some more work, or do you require some relaxation for the rest of the day? If you are still having trouble with these steps, journaling about how you’re feeling is a great way to recognize your own feelings, and it also ties into the first step of brain-dumping.
Finally, you need to start prioritizing your mental health. I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase before, but if you are starting to get feelings of being overwhelmed it’s a clear sign that you’ve put mental health on the back burner. Tying into the last strategy, focusing on the present, try to recognize when you need a break. If you are not falling behind and have extra time to work, it is completely ok to just take a break. Recognize that you are not wasting time and it is okay to not be productive at all times. Taking some time off will actually help performance when completing a task later. As long as you are not spending all of your day, on Netflix or social media, giving yourself some extra free time is a vital habit especially to avoid burnout.
Overall, it’s great to have that drive of being productive and getting things done, but you don’t want to be so extreme that you get to the point of constant anxiety. If you do get to that point, that is okay, all you need to do is recognize and accept how you are feeling. After dumping your brain, getting out of the wrong mindset, focusing on the present, and prioritizing mental health you can find that perfect flow state of reasonable productivity and relaxation.
