This is a topic that comes up a lot for my clients. Spinning plates at work, an overly demanding boss, juggling kids, elderly parents, school holidays, a sick pet, a broken boiler, job insecurity. You name it – the pressures can rain down and often all at once. And I haven’t even got to the news… devastating loss of life on repeat, impunity, incompetent and ineffective leadership. I will be thrilled if I never hear the word “tariff” again.
When thinking about being overwhelmed, a little bit of neuroscience understanding is helpful. The prefrontal cortex is right at the front of your brain. It’s quite small but it’s a key area for our decision making. It’s where we solve problems and anticipate and manage emotional reactions. It uses up lots of battery power! If we perceive a threat in our environment, energy leaves that area and goes to fight that threat. That’s when we might struggle to focus or make a decision. In the immediate, space is helpful and sometimes enough to allow you to regulate. Breathing exercises are also highly effective.
There are a number of Coaching tools that can help when you’re feeling overwhelmed. In a workplace setting, Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix can definitely be beneficial. This is where tasks get organised into four quadrants around how urgent and how important they are. What would you put in Q1? Is that task actually Q2? And whatever you put in Q3 – get good at delegating – vital (I can help with this by the way!)
Another useful tool? I’m a personal fan of a “Brain Dump” – where you write down everything that comes to mind that you want/need to do. Often it can be really helpful to do this on a Sunday night as you think about the week ahead. Just this act of transferring everything on your mind to paper is powerful and settles the Sunday Scaries. It frees up space in your head and is an act of decluttering. You’re then in a position to prioritise, organise, schedule and relegate. So for example, replacing the kitchen tiles isn’t going to get done this week (and that’s fine) BUT fixing the bathroom door handle is because I will feel a lot better if this time next week I can shut the damn door. Or, I’m definitely not going to revamp my website this week, but I am going to write my next blog post. Why don’t you give a Brain Dump a try? Remember – there is going to be a lot on that list that just ain’t happening this week.
There’s a lot in our lives that’s out of our control. When we realise what we can control and how we can make small steps of progress that make us feel good, the overwhelmed feeling begins to ease.
If you’re interested in turbo-charging your professional and personal development, I have a 50% discount on a bundle of six coaching sessions. Normally that would set you back £540 but right now it’s an investment (in you) of just £270.
Since leaving CNN at the end of 2023, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on work and what that means to me. When we meet new people, we often ask each other “what do you do?” and more often than not, the response is your job. When I worked as a TV news Writer, Producer and then Executive Editor, I was always excited to tell people about my job. I loved working in a newsroom and it felt really meaningful plus everyone was always really interested. Let’s face it, “I’m an accountant” doesn’t get quite the same response at parties. But what happens when you realise you’re not enjoying it as much, it’s consuming too much of your whole being and you feel like there could be something else, another chapter?
I was incredibly fortunate to be able to take a few months out, try some new things and ask myself some key questions – what do I love doing? What gives me energy? What puts me in a flow state? What are my strengths? If I could design the perfect work day, what would that look like? If you’re making a career change, I highly recommend doing this. It’s very hard to know what else you might like to do when you’re still in the thick of your current role and the mistake is, you rush. This work does take longer than you think and also getting another job (or setting up a portfolio career which is what I’ve done) takes much longer than you think. I did not appreciate that and in hindsight, I would have had double the amount of savings stored up!
What did I get right and would recommend? Networking – I set myself a goal of having one in person coffee with anyone who would meet me every single week. If there was more than one – even better. I wasn’t necessarily asking them if they had a job for me but I was picking their brains about what they do, listening to their journeys and experiences and getting on their radar. Honestly, I got the best advice around LinkedIn profiles, what to post, recommendations around courses to try, how to market the new me. I also got to share some of my experience and advice with people in the same boat. When I was feeling brave enough, I asked the ones that worked with me what strengths they thought I had and that was a gamechanger.
Listening, teaching, mentoring, storytelling and writing. These came up time and time again and when I really tapped into what gives me energy, what puts me in my flow state – yes, it was all these things. So when City University was looking for journalists to come into their MA Broadcast Journalist News Production module, I applied and got the role as a Visiting Lecturer. I also knew I wanted to try Communications but I wanted to do a course that would prove I was a) serious and b) teach me some of the comms language and issues that are currently really important in that world. I signed up to a six-week online program at LSE – Strategic Communications: Power, Ethics and Practice. It was excellent and through that and a lot of networking, I started to get some work at various global non-profits helping them with their strategic media and communications work.
How else could I tap into what gives me energy? Because I was lucky enough to take some time off, I had a lot more time on my hands. I had also decided to remove social media from my phone and felt liberated from the doom scrolling. The time, bandwidth, mental capacity and clarity you reclaim is another gamechanger. I started walking every day and doing some strength training. I turned to podcasts to take my mind off the goblet squats. I’m really interested in personal development and growth so I hit play on the Mel Robbins podcast and ended up listening to dozens of them.
Mel Robbins is ultimately a Coach and I found a lot of her episodes really insightful and rooted in science and evidence. I started to imagine what it would be like to be able to support and coach people. How would that make me feel? Great was the answer. One of the TED talks that has always stuck with me is from the surgeon Atul Gawande who asks “How Do We Get Better At What We Do?” We don’t ask this enough of ourselves. We can’t just go to school and then maybe university and think that’s it, I’ve done all the learning there is. How do we grow and develop?
Fast forward and I’m now working towards becoming a certified Coach and I am pleased to have taken on two new clients! But what actually is Coaching and how can it help you? Coaching is grounded in the present and is forward looking. Looking back can give some insights as to how to move forward but we are not delving into the past. Coaching isn’t mentoring or consultancy although a lot of Coaches blend and I enjoy doing that. It’s important to point out that Coaching isn’t counselling – we are not trained in mental health although Coaching can be super effective in supporting your overall wellbeing.
What I love about it is this – it’s client centred and for the Coachee, it’s a time for them to really listen to their own voice and learn to trust it. Our modern day life is full of noise and in my opinion…ahem..too many opinions. Listening to advice is great but at some point you do have to know when to stop and learn to trust your instincts. The other thing that’s great about coaching is when in life do you actually get an hour to focus on what’s in your head, talk about yourself, have someone who is not a friend, family member or co-worker really listen and help you work out what options you have for moving forward and achieving your goals? Coaches actively listen and reflect things back to you. We do not direct you down a path but create the space where you decide the sat nav route. Yes, we share insights and we sometimes use some helpful tools to get you thinking and reflecting on your life, work and where you want to be. We support YOU getting YOURSELF there.
It’s been 15 months since I left CNN. So what do I do? I’m a Communications + Media Consultant, a Coach and a University Lecturer. But that’s not all. I have purposefully created a new career chapter that allows me to invest time in other areas of my life. I’m a school governor and a volunteer at a church cafe. I’m a strength training fan and lover of walks. Soon our new labrador puppy Archie will be able to join me! It hasn’t all been plain sailing and the money isn’t what it used to be (yet!) but I am richer in other ways.
Looking to design the life and career you want? Head to my coaching page. Through March I have a 50% discount on a six session bundle.
