OVERWHELM is real!I see too many of my clients guilty of this when I first meet them.
They say yes to everything during periods when they have so much energy and so much excitement for what they’re doing. Then, as the tasks build up and they’re juggling work and all of their side projects, their kids, home and family commitments, anxiety sets in as they worry they’re going to drop the ball on something.
Exhaustion follows quickly behind.
Everything starts to feel like too much.
We need to get better at saying NO. There is nothing wrong with saying no, you won’t be judged for it.
Some excellent coping strategies:
“Don’t set yourself on fire to keep others warm” – be true to yourself and recognize you have intrinsic value separate to your service to others.
If you are in a position to do so, delegate. You don’t have to be the person to do it all. Delegation can look different than you think it does – if you have writing assignments, consider ghost writers. If you have a hectic schedule, consider hiring a virtual assistant (yes, really). Get somebody to help you with mundane household chores.
Commit to good habits. That means setting an alarm and forcing yourself to take a break or work out, even for just ten minutes in your day.
Build in some slack to your schedule. Add 15 minutes to the time you estimate a task will take. Block out a part of your day so it can’t be filled.
When you say no, don’t apologize for it – own it. ( You get better the more you do it.)
When overwhelm hits, tell someone. Let them in so that you don’t feel like you’re dealing with everything on your own.
Recognize this is a journey and you won’t solve it all at once.Be kind to yourself along that journey.