6 Tips to Banish Overwhelm (Part 2)

A couple of weeks ago, we covered the first three of six tips to conquer overwhelm..

#1: Schedule Daily Reflection Time

#2: Check Your Assumptions

#3: Enlist Support

On to Number 4...

#4 Take Time to Do What You Love

What do you love doing? When’s the last time you did it?

When we’re busy, it’s easy to say,”I don’t have time for that.” I say that you can’t afford not to make time to do the things you enjoy most.

How does this help with overwhelm? Well, when you’re doing what you love, you get lost in it. And, in the process, you recharge your batteries so you’re better able to cope with life’s challenges. “A-ha” moments often happen when we’re engaged in fun activities as well.

#5 Accept That You Can’t Do It All

I love David Allen’s quote, “You can do anything, but not everything.”

As high-achieving women, we sometimes think we can–and should–do it all. We simply cannot. No matter how organized our “to do” list or how efficiently we use our time, there will always be something left to do. And that’s okay. Once I truly embraced this fact, I breathed a sigh of relief. I developed more realistic expectations and experienced a new sense of ease.

#6 Live in the Present Moment

I know this can be difficult to do in our age of distractibility-tweets, texts, instant messages, oh

my! But, it can be done. Making a conscious effort to stay in the moment helps make it more a way of life.

Much of our sense of overwhelm comes from competing thoughts. We’re thinking about the past (like the meeting we just attended) or the future (preparing for tomorrow’s presentation) instead of being focused on the task at hand.

Next time you’re in a meeting, stay in the moment. That means turning off your cell phone/email/instant messaging till a break. And when thoughts come that don’t relate to the meeting, jot them down and turn your attention back to what’s happening right now. You’ll find you get more out of the meeting and feel less stressed.

Try these tips, and let me know how it goes!