3 things to try when you can’t stop thinking about work
When you can’t stop thinking about situations at work, it can take over your brain and your life. It’s exhausting and can lead to depression and burnout. Here are three activities to help the overthinking.
Appropriate use of strengths:
Sometimes our strengths can be our own worst enemy when we either don’t use them enough, or, what can be just as limiting, is relying on your strengths too much!
To try: On a piece of paper, draw 3 columns.
In the middle, name 3 strengths e.g. (1) I’m organised, (2) I like to take control and (3) I like to create a friendly team atmosphere.
Then for each strength, in the left hand column, note down what happens if you under-use that strength. E.g. if I don’t play to my organizational strength, I can feel unsure and out of control. Then in the right hand column for that strength, reflect on what happens if you over-use that strength, e.g. if I over-use my organisational strength, I don’t leave enough room for flexibility and can seem controlling to others.
Self-encouragement: remind yourself of your skills and experience:
Feeling ‘less than’ or that others are more competent than you drains your self-confidence and can be part of a never-ending cycle. This tip will help you challenge your sense of inferiority and reinforce your self-worth.
To do: open up your journal or a new doc and list:
(a) all the skills you have that you use to do your job; and
(b) the experiences and training you’ve got that have led you to your current role.
Making this self-encouragement a regular practice will increase your self-worth.
Challenging perfectionism:
For some of us, our (unconscious?) aim may be trying to be the perfect employee, almost like a robot. Perfectionism is a tyrant, because you can never be “perfect” and that often leads to all or nothing thinking and not even being able to focus on what improvements you actually could make. Value good enough and human.
To do: Open up your notes app, and keep a regular note there prompting you for 3 reflection points at the end of the day:
1 thing you did imperfectly but finished;
1 mistake you learned from; and
1 thing you’re proud of. Let’s move forward from perfectionism!
I do hope you try at least one of the suggestions above, and please do get in touch if you would like to dig into more detail about how to feel more balanced about work.
