Career Chat // Feeling overwhelmed at work // Friday 14 Oct. 12 pm AEDT

@Former-Member I believe your comment was directed at me ... Not ... @Kurra

I'm not in any way suggesting you leave work at a critical moment - but finding time to make space for you is completely doable.

unless one works in a mine? Or ?

here's some personal sharing ...

i recently lost my mother ... There were moments at work in which I was overwhelmed by both the work and my own feeling and I was on the verge (often) of tears. Going to a private place and practicing mindfulness was what enabled me to get through the day on many many occasions.

here I speak from experience and not in a trite way.

also your comment says feeling overwhelmed, getting out and making a list ... !! No that's not what was posted.

To restate ... in efforts to create a calm day you sit and create a plan ... Chunk down your tasks ... Not everyone does this automatically as evidenced by @BlueBay who mentioned it was her new way of coping ...

The intention is never to condescend

Hi @Renstar,

@Kurra wrote:

"When I return to the workplace I make myself a cuppa then write a dot point list of what must be done. Once I've compiled this I resort the list according to priority. Obviously the top priority is what I turn to immediately and concentrate on completing the task. Once that's done I take a quick 5 mins break to give myself separation from the compled task before I start the second one"

I get overwhelmed as I cannot keep more than one train of thought/idea in my head at any one time. And I cannot remember things. And my work involves lost of little tasks that need to be completed urgently. My brain doesn't work very well these days and I really struggle. I really liked Kurra's idea of walking out for a cup of tea and siting in a different, less-stressful environment, re-centering and writing out a task list of what needs to be done, so when I get back to work I can continue working as opposed to sitting there panicking and sitting there too stunned to work.

I have to confess I hate mindfulness. It makes me engage with voices/thoughts more and it makes me feel worse. But I do respect that many people find it helpful.

My problem isn't that I'm struggling with thoughts as such, it's more the cognitive effects of the illness if that makes sense......???

Overwhelm at work is today's topic ... It's difficult to discuss in a tailored way without a deeper understanding of each individual's history and MI ... Some information seems obvious to some and new to others.

as a forum leader I'm always conscious that everyone is at a different stage in their MI journey.

Those who have had MI for a long time have a lot to share ... We're appreciative of contributions which add to the conversation

if you've got good ideas, we'd love to hear to from you!

if what you're reading isn't right then provide some constructive alternatives, we would love to hear that too!

and sometimes there's little that can be done, we accept that as truth and work on supporting each other ... That's helpful as well...

So look forward to hearing from you if you can offer any of the above to the conversation 😊😊 @NikNik, @Former-Member, @Kurra, @Former-Member

@Former-Member Thanks for clarifying

Cheers @Kurra that's lovely.

I felt it important to show that it all adds up!!

... grief, stress, MI, disability issues, stigma, anxiety, depression ... you name it! It can all cause overwhelm at work!

Thanks to you for your great contribution today 😊

Hi @Former-Member the cognitive side of MI is always a challenge ...

mindfulness ironically is meant to disengage you from your intrusive thoughts ...

But I agree with you it's not for everyone - other strategies such as @Kurra suggested are actually great because they engage you cognitively (writing a plan etc) and provide an alternate outlet/distraction.

Great !! Let's review alternatives ...

So for those who don't like mindfulness-

• writing things down,
• listening to music that is soothing (helps nervous system/ brain activity),
• talking to someone (take on new positive thoughts/alternative action),
• doing exercise (shifts cortisol),
• guided meditation (obviously during a break!!) ...

Anyone else do anything different? 😊

also sorry to hear you're having trouble with DES @Former-Member ...