Workplace Distractions and Stress

Have you ever had a week, a month, or a summer that was so overwhelming and hectic that you didn't know where to begin to get back on track?

You may not be able to change whatever it was that triggered the mayhem, but you'll still have to deal with the fallout. In addition to the outward manifestations of chaos, people may also experience unexpected, unexplained emotional upheaval.

So, for instance, it's time to head back to class. For parents of small children, this typically signals the end of summer and the beginning of a return to normalcy. However, for parents whose children are "coming of age," this may mean that they are leaving the nest and perhaps even the country to attend university.

No matter how many times you told yourself you'd be relieved when they finally left, you may discover that this time is a real emotional roller coaster.Quite a few of my customers have told me that they feel like they're on an emotional rollercoaster due to this same thing.

In addition to the emotional anguish, they feel overwhelmed by the realization that they have neglected so many responsibilities during this period.

Perhaps you have spent the better part of a week away from the office at the company's annual event. You have probably learned a lot of new things recently. You are pumped up and ready to go. but now you're feeling completely helpless. feeling overwhelmed by "where do I begin?" and falling behind in your day-to-day activities. What then? Frequently, we do nothing.

Neither of those situations is what derailed my week last week. However, it is just how I feel: unable to cope and subject to extreme mood swings. Why did everything seem to be collapsing around me? problems with the technology.

Since my Outlook email account crashed, I have been unable to receive or send emails or access any of my data. I conduct a great deal of my business via email, so this is quite important to me. I know you all thought the sky was falling during the first few days.

It would be terrible to lose my folders, and things have gotten all thrown into a tizzy as a result of my being "virtually off line" for the past week.

It seemed like I'd never be able to catch up, and I had no idea how to get started.

When this occurs, where do you even begin?

I followed these steps, and I hope they prove useful to you as well. I wrote down anything that was possibly weighing on my mind at the time. This newsletter was one of the many things I neglected to accomplish because I was preoccupied. The 15th was the "due" date, and it's now the 18th with no sign of release.

Having the laundry list of things that needed doing in front of me made it easier (and less scary) to pick the first one to complete, which in turn helped me get the rest of them done.

The newsletter was the culprit in this instance. That will be my first major undertaking.

just checking in to see whether that solved the problem.

To the contrary, I've fallen further behind and am experiencing increased levels of stress (and Outlook is still not working right). Next, I took a step back to assess how I had been handling things up to that point.

This is what I overheard: "Tell those Microsoft guys that you're out of time and they need to do whatever it takes to get this solved." What makes me think these guys aren't giving it their utmost to find a solution to the problem is their ingenuity. A further shining example: "Why hasn't anything been done yet?" Everything is still out here. "How are you going to clean up this mess before leaving for vacation next week?"

What I heard was a chorus of voices telling me how far behind I was and how much I "should" be doing instead. The "Tom and Jerry" approach was clearly required.See my ezine issue No. 6 if you haven't heard of the Tom and Jerry solution. "Thank it for sharing, toss it off my shoulder, and listen to something helpful, something positive," I told myself.

Stop Being Overly Critical of Your Own Abilities

And thus, ladies and gentlemen, is the article's entire point. Far too many of us believe we should "arrive at perfection" and maintain it forever. The true challenge is recognizing when you are off track, out of sync, or otherwise distracted... and resetting your concentration.

Putting the "distraction" aside, if only for a moment, and focusing on something I could manage allowed me to see things more clearly.

Oh, the naysayers returned really quickly. On the other hand, I saw an immediate improvement in my ability to refocus. I spent less and less time "spinning my wheels," as it were.

And therein lies the rub. It's not how much is left undone or how long you've been off course that spells failure. The problem is that we can't seem to pull ourselves back into the present.

Everyone loses their bearings and has to start over. Success comes from maintaining a regular presence.

And now for my final comment on the subject. Feel good about yourself and return. Conferring with oneself is correct.

There are a few paths forward here, at least. You may get frustrated with yourself for "losing your train of thought once more." You can either feel bad about being "off" and then bringing yourself back or you can be proud of yourself for realizing it.

Which approach do you believe will yield the best results? (Is the glass half-full or half-empty?)

The hash mark practice from the previous issue can be applied here. When you find yourself wandering "off center," add a hash mark to your list. However, you deserve praise for realizing your attention had wandered.

So, what do you do the second you realize you've lost concentration?

So you're on the right track again.

Don't be hard on yourself if unexpected events take over. And as soon as you are able, take a vacation from the mayhem and focus on something that will help you develop personally. When you return to the anarchy, you'll find it just as you left it or maybe not.

Outline of the Process

To boil it down to its essentials, it's not complicated at all:

Take a step back and catalog all the tasks that remain unfinished.
Select a value from the provided options. (Everything that matters? Pick a task that won't take too much time or effort.
To stop the negative self-talk cycle, try the Tom-and-Jerry exercise from Article.
Thank yourself for being self-aware enough to realize when you've gotten sidetracked. You've done a fantastic job of recognizing this.
Please write me an email and let me know how this solution has helped you.