The universe set this article in front of me at the exact right moment. I feel both seen, and attacked a bit (LOL). Alice Boyes, writing for Harvard Business Review, offers five common self-sabotaging mistakes overwhelmed people make, and suggests practical solutions for each:
- You think you don’t have time for actions that would help you.
- If you have an idea of what might make you feel more in control, but don’t think you have the time to put that grand solution into place, aim for the next best solution that is available to you now.
- You don’t utilize your unconscious mind enough.
- “Focus isn’t the only way to get things done.” Let your mind wander—on a walk, in the shower, while driving. The unconscious wandering mind is a tool for creative thinking and problem solving.
- You interpret feeling overwhelmed as a weakness.
- When you are self-critical, you become more likely to procrastinate, more likely to aim for extra perfectionism, and more reluctant to ask for help from others.
- You default to your dominant approaches and defenses.
- When we feel stressed, we become more rigid and resort to our dominant values, but in the extreme. Thoughtful people resort to overthinking. Self-reliant people resort to managing everything themselves. When overwhelmed, try matching your values to the demands of the situation.
- You withdraw from your supports.
- If you feel overwhelmed, you probably have limited emotional energy. But it’s important to find ways to remain connected to the people who support you.
It seems like the end-of-summer/start of a new academic year always feels stressful and overwhelming. Any other tips out there on how to manage it?
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Penny Schnarrs
Virtual Communities Program Manager
Association of American Medical Colleges
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