The first step to overcoming overwhelm is to get diagnostic clarity. After all, if you’re feeling overwhelmed because you hate your boss and are working 60-hour weeks, this is a very different scenario from feeling overwhelmed because you are in debt or if you’re raising a newborn without help. Of course, many factors can tangle with each other and are of course interrelated, but what is the most upstream root cause?
I like to divide root causes into personal and organizational factors.
Personal factors would include anything that affected your physical health, emotional health, financial health, relationships, or your sense of contribution to your community in a way that feels meaningful to you.
Organizational factors would include mainly things related to your environment. For most people, this would refer to their workplace environment. When it comes to your workplace stressors, culture is the key factor. Do you feel your team has a clear unified cause? Does your workplace optimize efficiencies and minimize make-work? Are you able to voice concerns without fear of being reprimanded?
When I first meet someone who feels burnt out, the first thing I do is “map them” onto this diagram.
Question: “What do you suspect is at the root of your overwhelm?”
