Recently, with friends, peers and colleagues, I’ve been saying and hearing the same thing. “It’s a lot, isn’t it?”
It’s often followed by a big sigh, before someone moves things on, we hang up or give each other a hug.
Here’s the thing though - it is a lot, isn’t it?
The exact definition of ‘a lot’ varies for each of us, but it’s undeniable that those two small words weigh heavy.
On a macro level, there’s never-ending news cycles, economic chaos and the establishment trying to distract us from the degradation of our quality of life with culture wars.
On an individual level, many of us have got used to a constant stream of restructuring, rebranding and reprioritising. All this can lead to a very real sense of overwhelm.
Computer says no
When we try to absorb too much information or feel overloaded emotionally, our brain stalls - similar to a computer crashing when we have too many tabs open. We can get stuck in fight or flight mode and spend our time hyped up on adrenaline and cortisol.
In this state, we also experience ‘resource shunting’ where the brain redirects our energy to focus on survival - at the expense of creativity, memory and ability to make decisions.
So how do we move through these states when they show up? It’s important to say that there’s no silver bullet - unless any billionaires happen to be reading, in which case, the silver bullet is redistributing your wealth, not using it to send Katy Perry into space.
However, staying in a state of overwhelm is not pleasant, or constructive - so in this article, we’ll share some tools to help you to build resilience and regain perspective.
Being in community can also work to counter the sense of helplessness that often accompanies overwhelm. Finding ways to use your skills to support others and show solidarity in small but material ways is an empowering experience.
So whether it’s through volunteering, mentoring, attending a protest, joining a union or even sharing your experience with other managers in the tyllr community - being with others can help you co-regulate and regain your agency.
When we experience values level conflict, it leads to cognitive dissonance, causing overwhelm just at the time when we really need our critical thinking skills switched on.
Focusing on eating, sleeping and some gentle movement can help us rebuild our energy reserves - and feels a lot more achievable than starting to build new habits when we’re already feeling depleted.
As overwhelm often comes with a range of physical and cognitive symptoms that can impact how grounded we feel, it can also be helpful to weave in anything that helps you feel more connected to your own body.
It’s important to choose something that feels accessible and useful for you, whether that’s a few deep breaths, a walk without headphones on or even lying on the floor for a couple of minutes.
When I feel this way, I try to remember what I have told countless others in this situation - to have a bit of self-compassion.
We often expect that no matter what’s going on in the world and in our personal life, we’ll have the same capacity to show up and get stuff done, day in, day out. That’s simply not true. Our energy levels, attention span and emotional capacity all vary and are impacted by our material conditions.
Feeling overwhelmed can be a valid response to chaotic conditions. But building a toolkit helps us access what we need to problem-solve and create change in our workplaces and communities. We hope this piece offered a good starting point.
Our community newsletter sparks curiosity about the world around you and challenge your thinking. Sound good?
