Gerda Muller - Feeling Overwhelmed?

Are you one of those people who can’t seem to stop “doing all the things”?

It might be due to your never-ending to do list.

It might be just because that is what you’ve always done.

It might be due to the high level of responsibility on your shoulders.

Personally, I am yet to meet anyone who hasn’t felt overwhelmed from time to time. Since it tends to feel uncomfortable, if not downright unpleasant, we tend to view it as negative and maybe even a weakness. Sometimes, especially as helping professionals, we judge ourselves for even experiencing it, as surely, we should know better – if anyone should have the skills to manage overwhelm it should be us as helping professionals, right?

In addition, we then tend not to talk about it, leaving us feeling isolated and alone, ultimately exacerbating the feeling. Very often we think the answer is to knuckle down and do even more by putting in longer hours, so we can get caught up. And if you’ve been there, you will know that THAT is rarely the solution.

Below are 3 strategies gleaned from my personal experience and from my work coaching and mentoring private practice owners who are struggling with overwhelm.

Stop what you are doing for a few minutes and take a break. If you are working from home you might want to go for a walk around the block, sit outside under a tree, meditate, or breathe deeply. If you can’t leave the practice, I recommend jumping onto the website called donothingfor2minutes.com and… do nothing for 2 minutes. It is amazing what can happen when you allow yourself the time to step out of doing and just into being – it’s an important reset to assist you in identifying the forest for the trees and do what really matters when getting back to doing.

Think ‘who’ not ‘how’. Who can you delegate and or outsource a task too? If you delegate and or outsource one thing a week, you will be creating more space for you to do the strategic work required from you as a practice owner.

Eliminate distractions. Unsubscribe to unnecessary email, organise your desk and office to decrease clutter, stop attending meetings just for the sake of it, get out of Facebook Groups that doesn’t provide you with value and stop meeting with people who want to ‘pick your brain’.

Finally, I suggest getting some accountability for making the changes above. Tell your spouse, partner, best friend, practice manager, me – just tell someone who will be willing and able to support and motivate you to sleigh your overwhelm and create the life and practice you deserve.

Here to help you build a practice you can’t stop smiling about

Gerda

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gerda Muller is a Clinical Psychologist, Published Author, the founder of Private Practice Success Australia, The Psych Professionals and Source Heath and co-founder of Halo Practice Management.

It is Gerda’s belief that each and every person has the right to access quality psychological services and she has made it her life’s mission to make that happen.

First, through The Psych Professionals; second, via Source Health; and third, by empowering as many practice owners as she can with her hard-earned knowledge and experience to ensure it happens now, rather than decades from now, via Private Practice Succuess Australia.

Gerda knows that the more practice owners she can help to build their ULTIMATE PRIVATE PRACTICE, the more she is achieving her life’s mission – now, ain’t that cool!