We often find ourselves in a situation where we are overloaded with a humongous amount of work. The deadlines are closing in and our desktops are piled with too many open tabs leading to different tasks. We do manage to complete but only a few of them and that results in overwhelming conditions.
Apparently, even though we don’t desire it, we still feel overloaded, anxiety-ridden and frustrated.
It affects our work and our performance on the job. And we fall behind at delivering quality results.
How should one deal with overwhelming situations? How should one create a habit of staying calm?
Here are a few practices which can allow you to turn calmness into a habit.
Catch Your Habitual Pattern Before it Spawns:
We all come to a point when we mentally drain ourselves. Hard work can really mess our mind up. Imagine, you are in a situation where a next-door colleague constantly keeps disturbing you from time to time, and you have no particular way to avoid him. He’s a talkative soul who likes to share ideas.
And most likely, you will often find yourself getting either frustrated or feeling too overloaded. In situations as such, you just have this gnawing urge to lash out on the person and send out frustration.
If you ever feel like you are frustrated, instead of lashing out think about your habitual pattern. Is there a task that you should be completing or a meeting that requires your attention, find an escape route.
But, pause and don’t go all ballistic on the person as it will impact your general well-being at work.
Use the Negative Feeling in a Positive Manner:
Often times, when you are working around at the workplace, some colleague of yours is going to come around your desk and pass a cheesy comment. Now, if you’re too sensitive, it can get stuck in the head. Let’s just say that it happens with you too, what happens? You start creating negative feelings.
Negative feelings are like the seeds of fatigue which can make you quite unproductive.
Sometimes, when triggered at the right moment, these negative feelings can turn into a rage. When that happens, take that fleeting moment in your grasp and convert that negative energy into something positive. Don’t lash out on your colleagues, instead give yourself some time and them too.
Maybe they said it out of enviousness or insecurity, you never know right?
Try to Talk to these Colleagues & Clear the Air:
Knowing which of your colleagues are passing cheesy comments is one thing, but growing out of your comfort zone and reaching out to them to discuss the matters is another. I know it’s hard but you have to try! You need to learn how not to let distractions cloud your attention at the workplace.
Go ahead, sit down with them when they are not preoccupied with official tasks. Probably, they talk too much during the work hours or pass cheesy comments when they are around you. One way or the other, try discussing the matters with them, try clearing the air so you don’t get distracted at work.
Start with a casual conversation, be an empath and identify what’s leading them to make comments. Now use that information and positively try to fix the issue with them, ask them gently not to do it.
Understand the Other Person’s Feeling & Try to Clear the Situation Up:
There are several reasons why the other person is doing what they are doing to annoy you. By understanding why they are doing what they are doing to annoy you, you can easily resolve yourself.
Certain situations why other people act mean to you at the workplace can be:
- The person is sad or upset. He or she is going through a hard time. They can find it difficult to get their way around. And to do so, they need compassion, empathy, avoiding frustration, and other solutions.
- Sometimes, people act out of inconsideration. They don’t realize how their actions are affecting your mental state. It’s always good to have an open discussion and tell them what’s been hurting you.
- The person is a jerk and it’s not easy to get around the person explaining to them where they are wrong. It’s better to involve a third party mediator who can actually help resolve the issue by talking.
- Lastly, the other person is abusive. You can’t do much about it other than empathize with their pain. The best thing to do in this situation is to protect yourself from harm’s way and get the help needed.
There are many different people in the market, and there are equally different possibilities that I can list here. However, it all depends on what measures can you take to stay compassionate and calm.
Staying calm in the toughest situations can be a real challenge, only a few are actually capable to master it. This technique requires a lot of practice but eventually, you’ll get there.