Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

Too little sleep … too much work … or too few fun times … can leave you feeling overwhelmed and downright discouraged. How does it happen?

It could be negative employees who pile on cortisol chemicals through complaints that erode your workplace. Or it could come from constant workplace demands that rob your serotonin and leave you exhausted and mentally bankrupt.

Luckily … the pathway back to well-being and calm can be yours in a shorter time than most people realize. Freedom from feeling overwhelmed comes faster when you:

1. Ask 2-footed questions such as … What if …? and then take one step toward a winning solution. For example, recently, I felt overwhelmed with volunteer work at a camp for disadvantaged youth. My own business commitments fell behind seriously and I felt like a tiny vessel circling in stormy oceans. My question … What if I took one week away from volunteer work and concentrated on rest, asking for a bit of help, and catching up at work? Then I cancelled a few volunteer meetings for one week only, and opened a wonderful clearing through my rushing Red Sea.  As a result,  I’ll enjoyed work while I caught up, and volunteered with a new zip.. after the week's end. Your 2-footed question?

2.  Organize bite-sized chunks and then fix the wider picture in clear view … so that all the details will lead toward your larger vision. I like to think of it as hitching a small wagon to a great star and then heading slowly in its direction. Have you ever noticed that when you organize facts or details ... to follow a clear pathway ... that distractions and less important facts tend to slip to the sidelines?

3. Sequence key details so that the first logical step listed is the first step taken. If you're like me ... then more than ever before you’re hit with emails, phone calls, memos, and new facts flying from every bend in the road. When demands charge at us like bulls to red flags ... we fall. It doesn't need to happen, though. Luckily, the human mind creates new neuron pathways forward … when we prioritize and move in a sequence – with a plan in mind.

4. Plan  time ahead … so that you create at work … as well as  relax … play … relate to people you enjoy … exercise … and toss in a good meal. I like to squeeze in a game of golf too ... because on a good day I get a few good shots to the green... but cannot remember better times with colleagues, or the refreshing outlook that comes from walking among apple trees, listening to birds tell one another about their day, or feeling lush carpets underfoot. What sport draws you into nature’s best? 

5. Cultivate positive relationships … and don’t be afraid to ask advice from experts. As a leader at MITA I meet sudden situations that could drown me … without the wonderful support and expertise of others far smarter than I am. Over the years, I’ve discovered that talented people enjoy sharing their strategies, and often that support grows into mutually exchanged benefits. When we feel too overwhelmed it can be easily to stop listening… or learning … or simply letting go. That’s why  it’s key to build strong support systems so people you trust are already in place when tornadoes stressors … overwhelm you.

What do you do to avoid feeling an hour late and a dollar short because too much is coming too fast for you to handle?