3 steps: from Overwhelmed to "I Got This"
If you’re anything like me, these days are filled with all sorts of “WTH is happening exactly?” I am finding myself in familiar territory of feeling overwhelmed with my to do list and I don’t like it one bit. I am now attempting to coordinate kids’ learning at home, while I work and we are all going stir crazy because we have been home for weeks. I thought I might take a few minutes to share my top three steps for going from Overwhelmed to “I got this” in less than 20 minutes. I’m a huge fan of taking a complex idea and making it simple. My 3 Step process is pretty easy: Take a step back, Look at the big picture and take bite size pieces.
Step 1
First thing’s first. When I’m feeling overwhelmed and most recently when my poor 5th grader was feeling super stressed by looking at his week one lessons for learning at home, I am a huge fan of walking away. Take a break. Go get a snack, play a game, read a book or take a walk. It’s really helpful for my kid to get outside. Fresh air does this boy all sorts of good. This is just a quick breather, not permission to procrastinate for hours, to reset your energy and stop the momentum of negative stressed out energy. Do something that brings you peace, makes you feel calm and lets you forget for 10 minutes what is feeling so huge.
Step 2
After your brief pause, you can come back and reassess the situation. It’s usually easier to process with a clear mind. I like to come back and start with my overall goal. What am I looking to accomplish exactly? Big picture, not the details of how to get it done. This week, my kids need to learn the new process of learning at home and get used to the new tools. They do not need to get it done perfectly. They are not even being graded on these assignments yet. It always helps me when I can simplify what actually needs to get done. Usually through this process I realize I was making the situation seem more dire or bigger than it actually was.
Step 3
Last, once I’ve reclaimed the original vision for success, I am able to break things down into palatable next tasks. One step at a time. Tiny steps are always easier to approach than the full 100 steps in the process. When looking at the week’s lessons was overwhelming for my son, seeing his work broken out into individual days was easier. I printed out work and put it in individual folders for him to only look at today’s assignments and not worry about tomorrow or the rest of the week. It worked like a charm!
I’m a huge fan of taking the complex and making it simple. At times, this can be perceived as oversimplifying, but this 3 step process has worked for me for years. When I am overwhelmed, I walk away. When I come back to look at the big picture, I keep it high level. Remember what the actual goal is instead of getting lost in the details. Last, I can only do one thing at a time. What’s my next best move? What one thing can I do to get one step closer to the end goal. It always, always works for me. I’m so grateful for this knowledge. It’s helping me navigate some really weird days.