How to overcome overwhelm: beating my burn-out battle
Several years ago I made an extreme and completely out of character decision…
I closed my business for 2 months. To do — absolutely nothing.
You see, I’d reached another cycle of complete burnout after YEARS of working 60+ hour weeks, late nights and weekends. I was physically and mentally exhausted and needed a break.
After recognising the pattern of working myself to the point of burnout — both in my own business and back in my corporate career — it was time to make significant changes.
This ultimately led to me overhaul my lifestyle, change my business model and transition my career into more fulfilling work.
BUT I also created new habits, beliefs and behaviours which supported me to beat the cycle of burnout — once and for all. And this is exactly what I’m discussing in this article.
Because one thing I’m noticing right now is that lots of leaders are feeling stressed, overwhelmed and exhausted as we close out the year.
Whether you’re overstretched at work because you’re doing more, with less resources — or balancing your career and carer responsibilities. Like many of my clients, you could be dealing with one or more big life events. Starting a new job, a move, losing a loved one or welcoming a new child.
As I always remind my clients, any of these experiences alone are big and stressful. And if you’re going through more than one major life transition, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed and exhausted.
So what can you do NOW to overcome overwhelm — instead of waiting until you hit the point of burnout, like I did?
Today, I’ve decided to get real and share my own personal battle with burnout. Read on to learn the exact methods I used to reduce stress and overcome overwhelm at work!
TIP #1 — TAKE TIME TO PLAN
They say when you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. Organisation is one of my key strengths, so planning comes pretty naturally to me.
But because I love variety in my work, I tend to multi-task. Balancing several tasks requiring different skills or energy levels is inefficient. And being ‘busy’ doesn’t mean effective.
In fact, working in an unstructured way is a fast-track to overwhelm!
Are you feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list? If so, it’s likely you’re lacking a clear focus on what tasks to prioritise and where to start.
The first step to overcoming overwhelm is to do a brain dump. Write everything down. Get all of those ideas and to-do’s out of your head and onto paper.
Next, separate goals, projects and tasks. Get clear on your overall goals and the specific projects you’ll need to complete to reach those goals. Then, outline the separate steps involved at each stage of a project.
Finally, plan ahead. Establish 1-2 primary goals each quarter. Then prioritise your projects by completing 3 key tasks per day.
Also, batch similar tasks to work more efficiently — and concentrate on one thing at a time to avoid multitasking. When you take the time to plan, you will reduce overwhelm and know exactly where to focus!
TIP #2 — SLOW DOWN, TO SPEED UP
If you’re always ‘on’, stress hormones like adrenalin and cortisol will build up in your body and eventually burn you out. Therefore, it’s critical to take time out and prioritise self-care on a regular basis to bring yourself back into balance.
If you’re already overwhelmed, the immediate priority is to rest. Disconnect from work or have a tech-free weekend. Take regular breaks throughout your working day — even if it’s a ten minute walk around the block at lunch.
Or if it’s available and needed, book a holiday and take some extended time off. You’ll be amazed how rejuvenated and energised you’ll feel just by stopping for a while!
Longer term, prioritising and planning self-care is essential to manage stress and avoid overwhelm.
By self-care, I don’t mean bubble baths or spa days. Though, I’m all for those! I’m talking about the small, consistent practices you implement on a daily basis.
Moving your body regularly to burn off any stress. Getting fresh air and making time to be still, present and breathe. Think of it like a daily vitamin you take to avoid getting sick.
For me, self-care means daily movement, meditation and eating healthily. I also put limits on my working hours and make time for fun.
What does self-care look like to you? And how often are you prioritising those activities right now?
Because when you slow down when you need to, you will prevent burnout — AND speed up later!
TIP #3 — BUILD BETTER BOUNDARIES
Feeling frustrated because of all the endless projects you ‘have to’ do? Dreading an end of year event — and wondering why you said yes in the first place?
Saying yes out of obligation or prioritising other people’s needs over your own creates stress and overwhelm. These commitments also drain your energy — and take time away from the important work you WANT to do.
Learning to say no and set boundaries is crucial to avoid overwhelm. You may think establishing boundaries with others is the hardest part. Yet, it’s often honouring the ones you have with yourself.
Yes, it’s normal to experience resistance from others when you change your behaviour. After all, they’re used to you operating in a certain way. But by continuing to hold that boundary, people will start to respond differently over time.
One client created a boundary with relatives who always phoned in the middle of her working day. At first her family complained she was no longer available immediately, as and when it suited them. But by honouring this boundary with HERSELF, they soon learnt to call after hours!
When you begin to build boundaries and honour your own time and energy, others will too.
TIP #4 — LET GO OF CONTROL
Decades ago in my corporate career, I was promoted to my first management role in my mid-20’s. At that stage, I hadn’t yet developed the leadership skills to effectively coach and guide others.
As a high-achieving perfectionist, I held high expectations for myself and my team. And I was a micro-manager, believing no-one could complete tasks to my standards.
As a result, I found it difficult to let go and delegate. My workload increased, my development stagnated and my team became frustrated. Eventually, I worked myself into burn-out.
Shortly after launching my first business, I found I was working longer hours than I ever had in the corporate world. Yet I refused to hire help and continued to do everything myself!
My pursuit for perfection and inability to let go led to significant stress, ongoing overwhelm and eventually, a repeating cycle of burnout.
As a leader, learning how to let go and delegate is vital to create space for strategic thinking. And asking for help is key to improving time management and maintaining a sustainable workload.
The lesson for you is this: When you let go of control, you will avoid overwhelm.
TIP #5 — BALANCE ‘BEING’ & ‘DOING’
Activator is one of my Top 5 strengths, which means I’m naturally a doer. Someone who dives right into action, works hard and follows through on my goals.
However, it wasn’t until I’d reached the point of exhaustion that I realised — I’d never stopped to take time out or reflect on a regular basis.
And it’s a pattern I notice amongst my high-achieving clients too. Becoming so focused on the ‘doing’ (planning, strategy, checking items off a to-do list, achieving goals) that you forget to enjoy the present moment. To just BE.
‘Being’ is about taking time out to reflect on your successes, learnings and celebrate your achievements. What’s happening right now.
Additionally, it’s about ‘being’ intentional and connected to your purpose. Understanding the ‘why’ behind your goals. Knowing what’s truly important and making decisions based on your needs.
Finally, it’s about focusing on who you are being, as well as the actions you take towards your goals. The person you’re growing into and personal qualities and attributes to cultivate to achieve your desires.
Because when you balance the ‘being’ and ‘doing’, you will feel more fulfilled at work — and overcome overwhelm!
TIP #6 — THE POWER OF CHOICE
Back in 2019, I was feeling completely overwhelmed. I’d been balancing building a new business, with part-time studies and planning our wedding in less than 2 months. On top of that, my dad was in the final weeks of battling terminal cancer — one challenge you can’t prepare for.
Eventually, it all became too much. The emotional toll. And complete overwhelm at EVERYTHING I had to do.
But after giving myself time and space to reflect, here’s what I realised…
All the overwhelm I was experiencing was coming from ME and the pressure I was putting on myself. You see, I couldn’t control these external circumstances — only myself and how I responded to them.
I could choose to get stressed and overwhelmed — or come from a place of fun, ease and lightness. Especially when it came to wedding planning!
I could choose to worry about checking items off my to-do list — or let go of my need to control.
I could concentrate so much on future focused outcomes that I missed out on the joy of the present. Like those precious moments with my Dad. After all, life’s about the journey, not the destination.
Overcoming overwhelm is all about the power of choice. When you choose to reframe your thoughts, you will beat overwhelm.
So there you have it. The exact strategies that have helped my clients and I manage stress and overcome overwhelm at work. I hope by sharing how I finally beat my battle with burnout, you’ll see it’s possible to make changes in YOUR career too!
Ready to build clarity, confidence and a personalised strategy to take back ownership of your career? Then the Ignite Your Career coaching program is for YOU.
If you’d like to learn more, I invite you to book a free 30 minute call with me HERE.
Stacey Back is a career planning specialist, certified career coach + speaker. She helps high-achievers at a career crossroads find the work that lights them up, increase their income, impact and create a career + life on their terms. Stacey works virtually with individuals and organisations based across the globe.