Constant excessive demands make us feel stressed, unhappy and endanger our physical and mental health. We’ll introduce you to a few measures you can take to combat the stress factor.
This is how constant excessive demands are expressed
A mountain of files, forms or homework, long working days and to-do lists and the daily household chores: we often feel overwhelmed by unfinished business and new challenges. We then have the feeling of running after time, question our abilities and are constantly stressed.
Such long-term excessive demands and the associated constant stress are expressed, among others, in the following Symptoms and Behavioral patterns:
- irritability
- speaking quickly and abruptly
- uncoordinated work
- lack of organization and planning
- aggressive behavior
- Avoiding breaks
- inner unrest
- insomnia
- Hair loss and deterioration of the complexion
- Nervousness and anxiety
- Mental blocks
- Self-doubt and allegations
Chronically overwhelmed: a health risk
Stress causes many muscles to be constantly tense. That is why many people suffer from neck and shoulder tension when they are stressed. This can go so far that those affected keep shaking all over their bodies.
Since our metabolism is also increased in stressful situations, it also brings a feeling of chronic overload heavy sweating with himself. If our body cools down again afterwards, we usually feel tired, weak and drained. So stress demands a lot from the body.
It is therefore no wonder that chronic excessive demands lead to the development of many diseases and ailments favored. These include, for example, cardiovascular disorders, increased blood pressure, migraine, Diabetes and stomach ulcers. If you are stressed, you are generally more prone to infections, as constant stress also weakens the immune system.
The feeling of being constantly overwhelmed also leads you to not take enough time for friends, family and yourself. It takes away a large part of your quality of life, prevents feelings of happiness and can go up to Burnout syndrome or depression. To prevent this, you should listen to your body’s signals and take the right measures if there are signs of being overwhelmed. We’ll give you some tips that can help you with this.
Tip 1: Face the excessive demands
In order to be able to perceive and classify signs of excessive demands, you should regularly monitor yourself and your behavior. If you only deal with your to-do list and suppress your feelings and needs, you may not even notice for a long time that you are overwhelmed. Maybe you’ve noticed it a long time ago, but don’t want to admit it to yourself and put the feeling aside.
That will take revenge sooner or later. Therefore, practice acceptance of yourself and make yourself aware that admitting excessive demands is not a sign of weakness. On the contrary, healthy self-assessment and self-care will make you stronger in the long run. It allows you to master even greater challenges – but at your own pace and adapted to your individual needs.
In order to perceive excessive demands in good time, you can take about five to 15 minutes every day to check your emotional state. For this you can, for example, meditate or do a diary to lead.
Tip 2: take breaks!
In a world where everything revolves around efficiency and motivation, we often forget to take time for breaks. Regular recovery helps you to be able to work more concentrated, more alert and more creative again. That’s how we feel at lack of sleep significantly less productive than after a restful night in which our body was able to rest for eight hours.
Good sleep hygiene is therefore essential to prevent excessive demands. If you’re struggling with insomnia, a set evening routine, pre-sleep relaxation exercises, less caffeine, and sleep-inducing herbs (like valerian) can help. Check out this article for more tips: Sleep disorders: tips for a more peaceful sleep.
But you should also do it regularly during a working day Take breaks. If possible, don’t just spend this time on the phone, but concentrate on yourself and your time-out. For example, you can close your eyes briefly and a short one Breathing exercise or do meditation. For longer breaks, a short one is recommended Powernap or take a walk.
Tip 3: Less excessive demands thanks to realistic planning
We often feel overwhelmed when a mountain of tasks appears confusing and therefore insurmountable. Therefore, it can help you keep all of your duties and projects under one roof To do list written down and divided into categories. You can use the Eisenhower principle for this, for example, according to which you divide your tasks into the following four categories:
- important and urgent
- important but not urgent
- unimportant, but urgent
- unimportant and not urgent
Depending on the type of task, you can now create a more precise schedule of when and how you want to work on the individual tasks. You can find more information and information about this method here: Eisenhower Principle: How to Set Your Priorities Correctly.
When planning your time, make sure you have realistic deadlines and plan breaks and setbacks. In general, your plan should be designed in such a way that you can tick off all tasks every day and go home satisfied. This is a better way of avoiding stress and excessive demands.
Tip 4: A strong social network against excessive demands
Close social contacts such as friends and family are important: They strengthen your back and are another important protection against feeling overwhelmed. Therefore, make sure to maintain your social contacts over the long term and not to neglect them in the face of increasing tasks and challenges.
In addition to regular meetings and phone calls, you can also meet people who are close to you once Write a letter or send a small package to make them happy.
Tip 5: stop sensory overload!
In addition to daily tasks, permanent overstimulation can also increase the feeling of being overwhelmed. We are surrounded by stressful noises almost every day, such as car and construction site noise or loud music. In addition, there are visual stimuli that we pick up especially from smartphones, laptops and other screens.
In order to give your brain some time out, you should therefore make sure to consciously distance yourself from these stimuli on a regular basis. You can do this, for example, in the forest, by the lake or in the park to go for a walk or to jog. Even a warm bath with quiet music or an evening reading are often more relaxing than a movie night where your eyes are exposed to a flickering screen again.
Tip 6: ask for help!
If you feel that you are constantly overwhelmed by a certain workload, you should not hesitate to get support. For example, you can ask the staff whether someone could relieve you of some of your tasks or speak to your family that household duties need to be shared more fairly. If you have too little time for your private life, a reduction in hours or a change of job may also make sense.
Finally, when dealing with chronic overload, you can also seek professional support by seeking psychological or psychotherapeutic treatment.
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- Resilience: This is how you train your emotional resilience