The difference between stress and overwhelm

 There are lots of surveys and studies that are reporting very high levels of burnout among workers and most especially among leaders. Are people really overwhelmed or are they just stressed, perhaps a bit more than normally but really just stressed?   

The brilliant Brene Brown helps us to make the distinction in a meaningful way with her insightful article based on her celebrated book “Atlas of the Heart”. Here is the article: “Stressed and overwhelmed: 10 learnings that changed how I think about emotions.”

She uses a definition of overwhelm from Jon Kabat-Zinn, an American professor emeritus of medicine and mindfulness expert:

“Overwhelm is the all-too-common feeling that our lives are somehow unfolding faster than the human nervous system and psyche are able to manage well.”

We all have those struggles where our present moment is one in which we feel a bit overwhelmed. So what should we do when that happens. Here is what Brene says:

“Now, I’ve trained myself to couple the terms “overwhelm” and “do-nothing.” When I am actually feeling overwhelmed, I say, “I’m overwhelmed, and I need 10–15 minutes of non-doing.” I normally walk the parking lot at work or go outside at home.”

I have been doing that for years but never thought of it as “do-nothing time” – I go out into the garden or I go for a walk to the shops to get some groceries or I have a few swings with a golf club or I put a bit of music on and tune into it or I go and get myself a drink of water or coffee………” So, for me, “do nothing time” presents in lots of different ways.

What do you do for your “do nothing time”?

Why is it important for us to be able to name what we are feeling and take a break to rebalance?

As the article says, there is a growing body of research that tells us that, when we are overwhelmed, we don’t make good decisions. Additionally, as Renee says: “If I had the wherewithal to figure out what comes next and how we need to approach all of this, I wouldn’t be walking around in circles crying and talking to myself.”

So the next time you see one of your people appear frustrated or cross and they get up and go for a walk, maybe they are just taking necessary “do nothing time”. 

Perhaps you could share this blog (and Brene’s article) with your team and have a conversation about when people feel overwhelmed and what they do to get relief from that ie what does their “do nothing time” look like?

That will help to normalise “do nothing time” as a necessary part of managing our mental health at work.

If you would like to explore the ways that we might be able to help you to make yours a great workplace, please call us on 0438 533 311 or email info@poswork.com.au.