The last few years have brought many changes across personal and professional lives across the globe. While some of the changes have been positive, such as the prioritization of work-life balance, other changes like persistent uncertainty are causing many professionals to feel overwhelmed.
As experts, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum are familiar with the toll professional life can have on a person. Below 14 of them offer coping tactics that can help reduce overwhelm and get professionals back on track.
Table of Contents
1. Take Time to Express Gratitude
Mental health professionals are constantly pointing out how easy it is to feel overwhelmed with work and life without self-awareness, self-care, healthy relationships and strong support systems. After becoming overwhelmed, one coping tactic to get back on track is to count to 10 and quietly express gratitude for positive experiences while taking deep slow breaths. - Lillian Gregory, The 4D Unicorn
2. Do Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises are my go-to when I feel overwhelmed. The timed breathing exercise of five seconds of intake, holding for three seconds and exhaling for eight seconds works well. It helps me regulate my stress and gain some sense of control. - Baruch Labunski, Rank Secure
3. Seek Out Silence
Find two to three minutes of silence. We are constantly flooded with sounds, news, voices, thoughts and priorities. The whiteboard that is our brain is sorting, filing, seeking patterns and prioritizing without stop. Silence is sorbet for your mind. Find a few minutes and just be. When you come back to your next meeting or conversation, you will inherently have greater clarity and focus. - Lowell Aplebaum, Vista Cova
4. Take a Brisk Walk
I am 54-years-old and I run a medium to larger business. When the phone starts ringing and emails start coming in 10 at a time, not to mention texts and calls, I get up from my desk, put my jacket on and take a sprint for five to 10 minutes. Brisk walking for half a mile is an instant stress reliever—so much so that I've had a walkway built outside my office door and I use it often. - Tammy Sons, Tn Nursery
5. Make Daily Task Lists
One effective tool is very old school: making daily to-do lists. List-making helps me itemize what needs to be done, prioritize a sequence to complete tasks and makes me take it one day at a time. While many apps do this, I use a paper diary book to visualize what I need to do and when things are due. Seeing things crossed off with a red marker also creates a great sense of relief. - Peter Marber, Aperture Investors
6. Start Journaling
I have been journaling and can attest to how it has helped me deal with work and life during stressful moments. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I take a few minutes away from everyone and write about my emotions and thoughts. This has been a helpful outlet for managing my frustrations. I also use the journal to learn more about myself, especially my emotional well-being. - Dr. Kira Graves, Kira Graves Consulting
7. Do an Internal Realignment
Proceed mindfully by reflecting on what is going on inside and outside yourself. Think about your goals, take a deep breath and realign. The goal is not to engage in thoughts or behaviors that are harmful to yourself or that will affect your outcome. Stop, make a decision to take the next best step and then take the next best step after that. Plan for overwhelming moments in advance of when they will happen. - Uriel Saenz, THE US LIFESTYLE GROUP LLC
8. Do a Physical Exercise
There are many great physical exercises that reduce cortisol and ground you. One of the most interesting and extreme ones is to run as fast as you can, as if you're escaping a bear, to drain the excess energy. On the opposite end of that equation is meditation. You can also try soothing yourself by running your hands over your forehead and head, like you're rinsing bad energy out of your hair in a shampoo commercial. - April White, Trust Relations
9. Determine What Action Would Best Boost Your Mood
The coping tactic I use and suggest is what I call "flipping the switch on your emotions." Do this by taking an intentional action that you have predetermined will boost your mood. Examples could include reading an inspiring quote, thinking about a future event that you are looking forward to, messaging a friend that you need a pick me up text or taking a quick bathroom or coffee break. - Lisa Lundy, Lisa A Lundy
10. Connect With Your Network
Don't be afraid to reach out to your network for help or guidance when you are overwhelmed—we are all aiming to create a healthier work-life balance. The best people to lean on are those in the same boat as you. Are you noticing someone feeling overwhelmed? Try proactively reaching out to them and offering to help or providing a listening ear. Communication is key when it comes to managing stress. - Aaron Sherinian, Deseret Management Corporation
11. Try the '3 P's'
Pause, ponder and prioritize. Pause all activity, starting with a deep breath in and a long exhale out. Ponder what the overwhelm is trying to tell you. Perhaps you need more skills, support or to stop doing something. Prioritize the next best thought or next best action you can take following your five-minute fix. - Karen Mangia, Salesforce
12. Remove To-Do Tasks
Choose something (or things) to not do. We usually are overwhelmed because we think we have to do too many things. In reality, some of those things can wait or just not get done. Skip your blog post this week, leave the laundry for a few more days, or ignore your LinkedIn for a week. It will be OK. So many of the things that we think are vital actually aren't. Free yourself by taking things off your list. - Krista Neher, Boot Camp Digital
13. Change Gears By Completing a Simple Task
Take a pause, change your location and complete one simple task from start to finish. Perhaps you make your bed or water your plants if you're working from home. If you're at the office, maybe refill your water bottle or reorganize your workspace. The completion of small tasks will give you the burst of confidence and momentum you just might need to move on to the next item on your to-do list. - Leah Marone, Corporate Wellness Consultant
14. Dance It Out
I believe in psychological therapy, self-care massages and other often expensive investments too. However, knowing where to start with those things can be overwhelming as well. Keep it simple. For example, blast a song you love. If all else fails, Google "funny animal videos." - Sabina Pons, Growth Molecules
