This time of year always has me feeling overwhelmed and even a bit cranky. At my job it is enrollment time, and often the line to my office is several students deep! There are frequently no lunch breaks (I do pack snacks!), and I wind up going home hungry, crabby and exhausted.
I feel like most people probably have seasons in their year where they share in my pain. Perhaps it is during inventory or auditing within your company, or when your children's school district pivots to virtual learning and you are once again thrust into the shoes of an educator, watching YouTube videos to learn seventh grade math. Regardless of what overwhelms you, there are ways to help to feel less overwhelmed and, hopefully, find a more positive state at the end of your day.
Try chunking. No! I am not talking about eating your feelings. I am talking about "chunking" your responsibilities into smaller, more manageable pieces with nice breaks in the middle. It might make your day a little longer, but at least you will go home a bit saner.
Try pinpointing what specifically is tipping your scale. Perhaps there is something you can remove from your plate, or bring in help from a friend, colleague or coworker. Always remember to return the favor when your pace has slowed down.
Try to do a little self-analysis. Perhaps part of the reason you are so overwhelmed is because you might be a bit of a perfectionist? It is OK to leave work until the next day or even let a little laundry pile up at home. Maybe you are putting too much responsibility on yourself to be a super hero, when that is never fair to anyone!
Try setting a new pace. Maybe you tend to rush to get everything accomplished or maybe you spend too much time on smaller tasks that likely could be accomplished quicker. However you usually work, try to mix it up, slow down on one project and try to speed up another. The novelty could help with those overwhelming feelings and maybe help you wind up a stressful work week a little quicker.
Try not to rip your hair out or lose it on your spouse. With time, anything can become manageable! And, if all else fails, at least it is almost the weekend!
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