Lived Experience Forum

[NikNik]

Hi everyone,

Regardless of whether you have a mental illness or not, at times work can be overwhelming. Dreaded deadlines, busy times of year and low staff numbers are just a couple of the factors that can contribute to work overwhelm.

This week @Renstar from Ostara Australia will host a discussion on what can cause work overwhelm and what can help to manage it.

Two things you can do now

1) Hit 'Like' below to get a reminder email on the day

2) Leave your question below if you can't make the session on Friday

[BlueBay]

Hi @NikNik

I'll be at work on Friday.  But I would like to mention that I feel overwhelmed at work at times with so much to do.  I am a real stress head. But just recently I have been writing down a 'to do list' and do what I can.  We are going to be flat out during xmas time as we have a lot of tourists come down for 6 weeks.  

But sometimes it's easy to forget that, so I need to stop and remember 'just do what you can do, the rest can wait'.

[Renstar]

Good afternoon and thanks to @NikNik and @BlueBay.

Today's important topic is overwhelm and how we deal with overwhelming feelings in the workplace ... Of course the strategies we discuss today can be applied to your life as a whole, so hopefully it will be well worth joining in.

So what exactly characterises overwhelm for you?

What does overwhelm feel like when you experience it? @BlueBay has shared some of her experiences and by the way thank you so much for getting the conversation going 😊 ...   And for that great suggestion about writing a to do list which is actually an example of chunking down! 

From a therapeutic point of view... clients who experience overwhelm have certain tendencies; there's a lot of overall black and white thinking and 'all or nothing' thinking, in other words some distorted thinking... The stuff that CBT is really good for.

In the workplace this sort of distorted thinking can trigger anxieties that we bring into our work space all it can also trigger a sense of overwhelm when our workplace is placing too many demands on us. That would make sense too ... When the workplace is stressful, fast paced and heated up it's easy to become overwhelmed!

Today I will be researching what the experts say about overwhelm and I've already got a great article to stare in a future post ... in the meantime what are your experiences at work in regards to overwhelm and feeling stuck?

Great to hear from you @BlueBay so I know you'll be busy working today hopefully not becoming overwhelmed by it though 😊

[Renstar]

What do you think of these four steps for handling overwhelm in the workplace?

It is written by a health sector worker, which we know can be extremely overwhelming ...

step one:

Get clear on your outcome; know what your outcome is. I speak to many nurses who drift along, doing what needs to be done, with- out a clear outcome. They exist and allow life to carry them along, rather than take control. This is about you, and what you really want from your year, your career and more.

step two:

Start your day with the intention for the day, which means you have intention for your life, which means you have a plan and some- thing to focus on. Your intention means you have something to focus on, why you do what you do, rather than simply ‘drift’.

step three:

With so much happening at work, in your personal life and more, there is a lot of talk and thoughts filling your head every minute of every day. Do a brain dump; get your thoughts and ideas out of your head and on to something visual. Write down everything on your mind; just get them out of your head.

It could be applying for annual leave, finish- ing that application for study, taking your jacket to the dry cleaners, or going for a walk after work. It could be to take cour- age and apply for the promotion, or report horizontal bullying, whatever it is, just write it down and get it out of your head.

The reason why this is so important is it allows your mind to do what it does best, to focus on your outcome, it allows creativity. This means your mind will look at other ways to get around what needs to happen, rather than the brick wall you may be seeing now.

When the thoughts are whirling around
in your head, the energy to organise what needs to happen is draining. The worry thoughts, the anxiety thoughts of not enough time or not having enough knowledge, leads to being overwhelmed, which of course leads to...nothing, nothing gets done.

Keep your notebook with you, when something comes to mind, write it down. You never know, it may be a best seller just waiting to happen. As a mother of five busy boys, an educator and business owner, things can get pretty hectic. This step will get you results right from the start, as it is a reminder of what is happening, and more importantly, what you would LIKE to happen.

step four:

The final step to get your ‘in-flow’ day started is to prioritise what you have writ- ten down. What are the ‘must do’ items, what can you delegate and what are things you really don’t need to do at all?

Doing this everyday will improve your level of productivity, and keep those feelings of overwhelm away.

Reference:

Sargeant, J, Laws-Chapman, C, 2012, ‘Creating a positive workplace culture’, Nursing Man- agement, vol. 18 (9): 14-1

So ...

Firstly have a clear outcome

Next set an intention for the day 

Do a brain dump via visual/notebook writing

Then make a to do/must do list ... Follow it.

I REALLY like this and remember to ... Practice practice practice 😊

... but is this harder when you have MI?

[Former-Member]

It is harder when people start to overrule you due to your mental health. What's the point in planning then?

[Renstar]

Thanks for joining in 😊😊 what do you mean by overrule you due to mental health? @Former-Member 

[Former-Member]

Someone must have lost faith in my capacity of decision making and made a decision in an area that is clearly my area of competence and responsibility.

[Renstar]

That's harsh ... And disappointing @Former-Member ... I'd be asking myself the same question ... What's the point of planning ?

any chance you can get a straight answer?

[Kurra]

Hi @Former-Member
There is a point in planning even when people are over ruling you as a result of your diagnosis. You're still the same person you were before you revealed your diagnosis. You haven't changed overnight and your previous capacity is the same. Your own confidence has been shaken and you may be exuding your lower self-esteem. Your self-esteem will rebuild in time. Just give it a chance.

I have dealt with this by consistently demonstrating that I am as effective as any other employee. If I do start getting overwhelmed I leave the workplace for 10 mins or so to give myself some time to reestablish my equilibrium and to calm myself. I personally find that if I go for a fast walk around the outside of the building that this is enough to stop me from stressing myself even further.

When I return to the workplace I make myself a cuppa then write a dot point list of what must be done. Once I've compiled this I resort the list according to priority. Obviously the top priority is what I turn to immediately and concentrate on completing the task. Once that's done I take a quick 5 mins break to give myself separation from the compled task before I start the second one.

These simple actions empower me to remain on top of my work. As I have continued to follow this plan my self-esteem has soured to new heights.

I think you'll find that your confidence will grow enormously if you follow this or a similar system that you have developed according to your own specific needs.

Have courage to try this out for yourself.

The additional thing that I do is that before leaving the workplace at the end of the day, I write a prioritised list for the following day.
Usually what happens as I drive to work the next day I mentally go over my list from the previous evening. On arrival at work I go through my list and reprioritise tasks if necessary.

I really hope this helps you a little bit.
Hugzzz 💕

[Kurra]

@Former-Member
In terms of decisions still email your recommendations to your superior. There's nothing more satisfying than having your decision and recommendations being over looked and the alternative not proving to be particularly successful.

Of course it's even better when they realise that what you had proposed is the best way to proceed. Believe me. This can and does happen. Just be true to yourself and believe in you.