With the increasing need to juggle many demands, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed.
Overwhelm most commonly means overcome with emotion as a result of an amount of something (work, stress, etc.) that's just too much to handle.
How we manage stress is an important part of our overall health and wellbeing because it can be the root of physical dis-ease.
Evaluating our priorities is a great way to minimize stress levels and feel more in control and empowered every day.
Prioritizing can help you see the whole picture more clearly and empower you to focus on what’s most important. For instance, you may recall a time when you struggled to balance career and family or felt pulled in several directions.
Situations like these are common, and when they occur, it can be difficult to determine what’s really important versus what our emotions or anxiety may be telling us.
In these times, it can be helpful to distinguish between urgent and important tasks. Truly urgent tasks will always get done because they are problems that must be solved or have deadlines attached to them. They are typically reactive in nature, such as responding to an email or taking your car garage after it breaks down.
Important tasks – which can include daily self-care or work on long-term goals – don’t always alert you to their necessity. They often get left behind as it’s natural to follow the “flashing lights,” or tasks that are actually urgent or that we deem urgent.
When we do this frequently, it can negatively affect our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
Ty this exercise at the beginning of your day or week and see if it helps with eliminating some of the mental chatter ad overwhelm that is persistently running in your mind.
1. Do first. It’s usually helpful to complete things that are both important and urgent first. By doing this, you’ll feel accomplished and better able to move on to other things that need your attention.
2. Put your Superwoman hat away and ask for help. We all get by with a little help from our friends! It’s perfectly acceptable to ask for help when your plate is full. Asking a family member, friend, or colleague to support you can provide major stress relief. Some might also have the option to outsource support, such as by using a laundry or meal-delivery service
3. Plan for another time. Planning for things that don’t require immediate attention but are highly important can empower you. This can include planning ahead to connect with friends socially or scheduling your salon appointment for a less busy time. Knowing you’re preparing for the future may help you feel less stressed
4. Enjoy later. Tasks that are less important and not urgent can still be enjoyed! Prioritizing what’s most important will vary between people. When possible, create space for this category after items 1-3 are complete
Your turn! Take a few minutes today or this week to write down current responsibilities, tasks, and obligations. Remember, you don’t have to do it all – and you don’t have to do everything right now.
Something it took me a while to learn!!
Then take note of what – if anything – has shifted for you in terms of your emotions and stress. How do you feel now compared to before you began?
Would love to hear your experiences xx
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