Taking a Break

Feeling overwhelmed seems to be a common issue in today's world. Modern life has all but increased the complexity of our lives it seems, leaving most of us confused. When our workload increases, our managers/bosses/colleagues encourage us to put in more work, time and energy. This is an impact of an ever growing capitalist society we live in.

For instance a few years ago I worked with a client (Debbie*) who had expected to do overtime at work with no compensation, except for a tap on the back as a way to show gratitude for her work. The cognitive impact that this left in this client was tremendous, and in fact started to experience difficulty concentrating, thinking logically, was slower than usual, and was finding problem-solving harder than before.

When too much is expected of us for an extended period of time, we can experience cognitive fatigue which impacts us in such a way that we start feeling less productive, effective, and more overwhelmed. If you have read till here, and recognise that overwhelming feeling in you, these are some strategies that you can attempt:

Identify the main source of overwhelm - While you may not be able to remove the source at this moment, identifying it is significant.

Set and stick to your boundaries for Your time, workload, and self-care - What are you saying yes to? Assess if your own expectations for yourself and recognise what your priorities are for you.

Let go of perfectionism - Procrastination, and psychological distress have been named as two of the main side effects of perfectionism. It is important that we learn that being responsible and organised, and being perfect are different things. Debbie*, the client I mentioned earlier had this fear of coming across as a "failure" or "not being good enough", but by re-learning and recognising that we cannot do everything perfectly, and sometimes "good" is enough, she became able to accept her own strengths and flaws.

Delegate (or as I call it) 'good old teamwork' - When we feel overwhelmed with a task, or project, it is to our benefit that we delegate to our colleagues/friends and re-assess what our actual responsibilities are and where we draw the line.

Challenge your self-hypotheses - Often if we are feeling overwhelmed, we may have unhelpful or negative thoughts that are reflected in ineffective behaviours. For instance, Debbie* had the assumption that "If I do not finish all my workload, I will fail, and I won't be needed here anymore". Challenging such thoughts and debunking false assumptions about ourselves can help us become more perceptive of ourselves and in turn reduce our feelings of overwhelm.

Trying these strategies out may help you feel less overwhelmed and experience less cognitive fatigue.