Taming the Overwhelm: Notes from Dr. Rachel Boehm
Dr. Rachel Boehm shared her tips for conquering overwhelm.
I recently had the privilege of hosting a LinkedIn Live session with Dr. Rachel Boehm, an expert in overwhelm, stress and burnout in the workplace.
According to Dr. Rachel, overwhelm impacts organizations and it affects us all individually. Our internal stories and stress responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) play a big role in how we cope (or don’t).
Here are a few of the takeaways I got from the conversation.
Takeaway 1: Take Micro Breaks
This is such a simple yet powerful practice. A micro break is anything from 20 seconds to five minutes. The key is to not do work during this time. Refill your coffee, take a quick lap, get water, or even play a quick phone game. Your brain needs this space to process and connect information. Even 20 seconds helps if you're feeling completely buried. Give your brain some space and start strategically, perhaps with just 20 seconds if working long days.
Takeaway 2: Understand Stress Response Types
Knowing about the stress response types (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn) is incredibly valuable. Identifying your own default response helps you recognize it and interrupt the pattern. Understanding how others might show their stress responses also helps you interpret their behavior better and feel less triggered. It allows managers to approach employees differently depending on their typical response. This connects to the idea: "If you can name it, you can tame it".
If an person on your team has a tendency to Fight when they become stressed, it can help you become more empathetic because you know that it’s just their coping style. You can help them regulate their stress by slowing them down and giving them a moment to reflect.
If a person on your team has a tendency to freeze or get quiet during stress, that’s a great time to pull them aside and invite them to open up. Create safety and help them see that Freezing is counter productive.
Takeaway 3: Challenge Your Story
Dr. Rachel's question, "What story am I telling myself about it?" is profound. Recognizing that our feelings are physiological responses to the stories we create gives us agency. Training yourself to "catch yourself sooner" when you're going down a negative rabbit hole or catastrophizing can help break the stress cycle.
You can help others by asking them “what story are you telling yourself?” This is a powerful way to have others dig deeper into why they are locked in a stress cycle.
Takeaway 4: Be Curious (Especially as a Manager)
Instead of jumping to conclusions or reprimanding when an employee makes a mistake, be curious about why it happened. This isn't about excusing poor performance, but about understanding the root cause. It helps you figure out where support or further training is needed and makes the employee more receptive to necessary feedback. Understanding that personal issues can impact work performance is key here.
Takeaway 5: Focus on Adaptability
Instead of thinking about building "resilience" (which can feel like just learning to tolerate more), frame it as building adaptability. How can you pivot and make stress your strategic advantage? Stress isn't inherently bad; it's about the story you tell yourself in the moment.
Conclusion
I truly appreciate Dr. Rachel for sharing such valuable insights. She shared truly actionable tips that can help individuals manage overwhelm at home and work, and help managers better support their teams.
To connect with Dr. Rachel and learn more, visit her website at rachelboehm.com. There's a button to book a call with her, which you could even count as a micro break. :)
Thanks everyone for reading. If you found this helpful, please share it. Everyone is dealing with overwhelm right now, and these takeaways can make a real difference.
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