Emotional Insights for Leaders: What Is Overwhelm Trying to Tell You?

In this installment of the Emotional Literacy Series, we turn our spotlight onto Overwhelm. Read on for practical tips and activities to turn feelings of overwhelm into clarity and productivity – for you and your team.

By Svetlana Suvorova – LinkedIn

Our mantra remains the same: emotions are not just welcome at work; they are essential. As leaders, recognizing and understanding our emotional landscape fuels our self-awareness and fosters empathy, building resilient teams that drive performance.

Today, we’re talking about feeling Overwhelmed. If you’ve ever felt like you have too much to do, too many responsibilities, or too many emotions to handle, you’re not alone. But is “overwhelm” an emotion? Some people might not agree, but if it makes you feel a certain way, then it counts.

Emotion Spotlight – OVERWHELM

“Keep it simple and focus on what matters. Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed” – Confucius

Last week, I felt overwhelmed because my 4-month-old son was sick, and my husband and I were worried about him. I was also sick and had work to do. It was a lot to handle.

But now that things have calmed down, I’ve been thinking about overwhelm. Overwhelm stems from an imbalance in input(higher) over output. It also signals a lack of focus, from too many inputs scattering our attention. When you have a lot of things to do, it can feel like an impossible task.

So, how is this feeling helpful? It serves as a reminder to focus on one thing at a time.

We often think we’re good at multitasking, but our brains aren’t built for it. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you have too many thoughts or emotions. When we’re worried, frustrated, disappointed, scared, grateful, and stressed all at once, it can feel like too much. The real problem is that we’re not focusing on what’s important and dealing with our emotions.

“Keep it simple and focus on what matters” – that is the message overwhelm sends us.

Easier said than done, huh?

Understanding OVERWHELM

Definition: The sensation of being swamped, either by tasks, emotions, or thoughts, often leading to feelings of being stuck or paralyzed.

Message: “Refocus, keep it simple, and tackle one thing at a time.“

Feeling: A sense of paralysis, weight on chest, feeling under pressure, where decision-making becomes challenging, and actions seem insurmountable.

OVERWHELM in Leadership

As a leader, addressing overwhelm proactively safeguard your team’s well-being and the organization’s success. By identifying overwhelm early on, you signal the need to recalibrate, refocus, and realign priorities. You set an example for your team, and they will feel supported and equipped to manage their tasks and emotions effectively.

Useful when:

• Identifying areas that require prioritization.
• Recognizing the need for delegation or additional resources.
• Encouraging team members to communicate their challenges openly.
• Ensuring team members don’t feel stuck with projects, by offering the right support and resources

Not useful when:

• Leading to prolonged inaction or indecision.
• Preventing the reassessment of tasks or the setting of new goals.

💡 Emotions, for the most part, act as motivators, urging us to action. Overwhelm, while daunting, can be channeled into productive steps if we break tasks down and tackle them one by one. However, it’s crucial to discern between the need for action and moments that require introspection and healing, as with feelings akin to depression. When overwhelmed, ask yourself: “Is this emotion signaling a need for action or a moment of pause and reflection?” By recognizing the underlying message of your emotions, you can navigate them more effectively, ensuring you’re not stuck and always moving forward with the right approach.

Communication tips:

• Start by opening a dialogue: “I’ve noticed some signs of stress. How are you feeling about your current workload?“
• Validate their feelings and offer support by asking, “Is there a specific project or task that’s causing this feeling? What resources do you need?“
• Encourage prioritization and open communication with questions like, “Which task is most urgent?” and “Keep me updated on how you’re managing.“
• Reassure them that they’re not alone and that adjustments can be made to deadlines or resources – “I trust your judgment. If you need to adjust deadlines or delegate tasks, let’s discuss it.” By fostering trust and understanding, you ensure team members feel supported and equipped to manage their tasks and emotions effectively.

By being observant, empathetic, and proactive in your communication, you can help team members transition from indifference to engagement slowly but steadily.

🌟 Weekly Exercise:

This week, let’s directly address overwhelm with a structured exercise:

1. Grab a sheet of paper and divide it into four columns: “Thoughts,” “Emotions,” “Tasks”, and “Actions.”
2. Freely jot down everything occupying your mind in the respective columns, leaving “Actions” empty for now.
3. Review your entries. This visualization represents your current state of overwhelm.
4. For the “Actions” column, identify actionable steps from your “Thoughts,” “Emotions,” and “Tasks” columns and list them.

The aim isn’t to clear all tasks but to prioritize, gain clarity, and tackle essential tasks one at a time, helping you navigate overwhelm more effectively.

Remember that emotions, even those as daunting as overwhelm, are signposts on our journey. They guide, teach, and often, reshape our paths.

How will you navigate your next wave of overwhelm?

This post originally appeared as part of The EQ Edge newsletter on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.

Svetlana Suvorova, a Certified EQ Coach, merges her corporate leadership experience with a passion for emotional intelligence, empowering leaders to leverage their emotions for success. Living in five countries has ignited her love for people and languages. Fluent in the language of emotions, she provides fresh insights into understanding and channeling them effectively. She’s leading the charge to redefine emotions in the workplace, offering bespoke coaching, in-depth training, and impactful keynotes. Stay in tune with her vision through her weekly newsletter, The EQ Edge.