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Saturday, September 02, 2006

Howto: Get Over Feeling Overwhelmed at Work

Everyone feels overwhelmed at work every now and then.

However, if you are feeling overwhelmed at work most of the time consider the following perspectives and TAKE ACTION!


  1. Stop playing the victim! We may not always have control over our situation and circumstances but we ALWAYS have control over how we respond to them. Start to view yourself as a survivor...not a victim. You may be feeling that this is hard to do, every situation is different. Let me tell you a story of a young woman who was commuting to work on the subway in NYC one morning who was knocked out cold and dragged to an ally, beaten and left to die. That is a pretty extreme situation. She survived that attack, and 3 days later with broken ribs, a swollen, black and blue face but a spirit that would not be broken...she went back into work. Her choice was...I will not be controlled by my assailant a second time. She chose to be a survivor...not a victim. I know how hard it is to make that choice...I am that woman. So be brave in how you approach all situations in your life.
  2. Stand in your power! Feeling overwhelmed is always followed by a sense of powerlessness. Remember the value you bring to your work. Think about the skills that are necessary to complete your tasks. You have this job because someone believed in you and your talents. Take a deep breath and tell yourself how capable you are. Many of us beat oursleves up with negative chatter in our head. Take your power back from your own internal demons.
  3. Control what you can! In many circumstances there may be policies, rules, other's attitudes, and constraints that truly are out of your control. Focus on changing what you can control. Your own approach and attitude about your project is contagious. So make it a positive attitude that is catchy, not a negative one.
  4. Make a plan for change! Once you have identified what you need to change and have established that you have the power and control to make the change... you need a plan. It stops being bitching and moaning if you do something to improve your situation. So look at your circumstances with a strategic eye and develop some tactics to implement change.
  5. Just Do it! Enough said.

*****
For more FREE tips on advancing your career and navigating the workplace, sign up for my FREE e-zine "Lipstick Leadership" at LipstickLeadership.com today! And check out the products I've developed to guide you toward the success you deserve!

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Verna Wilder said...

Michelle, I love it that you start with, "Stop playing the victim." I think that most people don't even know they're doing that, and it takes a good friend to point it out, which is what happened to me years ago. Since then, I monitor my language and my attitude: Is this a victim position? How can I step back into my power in this situation? I've also shared with a close friend/co-worker that she was using the language of a victim, and she heard me without getting bent out of shape, but she also justified her victim language by going deeper into her victim identity. She just wasn't ready to let it go. And I hear people say, "Well, it's easy for you; people LIKE you." Uh-huh. Guess why.

In your story about the the subway incident, you were, in fact, victimized, but you were not, in spirit, a victim. Our attitude makes all the difference in how we see our lives, doesn't it? I've been laid off twice, the victim of decisions that were beyond my control, and both times led me to something better, something extraordinary, because that's how I viewed the experience.

I'm going to blog about an experience I had of controlling what I could control (step 3) and how that one litte shift changed my life, so I won't go into it here.

Thank you so much for blogging and for your stories and for your indomitable spirit. I'll be reading your blog more often.

9/21/2006 1:56 PM  
Blogger Michelle Yozzo Drake said...

Verna,

It's hard to see ourselves clearly when we are in pain.

Sometimes, the only way that we can get closer to who we are is to have someone be brave enough to point it out to us. You are a good and brave friend to try to be the mirror for your friend who is caught in victim mode. The reason that I shared some of the details about my attack is because of the "It's easy for you perspective".

It is not easy for anyone to take back thier power...
but once you start to take it back...
there is nothing that will ever stop you from achieving your dreams.

Thanks for the comment and I can't wait to read about your experience of controlling what you can!

To power and the courage to pursue it!

M

9/21/2006 3:14 PM  

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