There’s no questioning that overwhelming tasks come hand in hand with the engineering profession. While being faced with overwhelming tasks are expected to be a normal occurrence in the engineering setting, having to face them continuously can be very stressful and can lead to an unhealthy professional lifestyle.
Since such tasks can’t really be avoided, how do we overcome them? Here are some tips that can help you get through the day when you are faced with stressful tasks. The process can be difficult to master but if it will help alleviate the stress, then it’s worth a shot.
Breathe
Simply take in deep breaths. It may sound simple, but a lot of us forget to do so when we are faced with a daunting task. Usually when we are “served” a stressful task, our minds begin to think about various things at the same time. You suddenly think of all the other tasks you will have to reschedule in place of this new one. You will have to see how many hours you’ll have to render overtime. Will you be able to submit your due report within the deadline?
The best way to start dealing with this is to stop, clear your mind, and take some deep breaths. This will help you to try and maintain your focus.
Gather your thoughts
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Take some time, even just a few seconds to organize your thoughts and the situation you are in. Is this new task really urgent? Or can it wait a few hours? How long will this task take you to finish? Is there someone who can assist you with your other tasks while you take care of this new task at hand? Analyze your situation and find the best course of action to take.
Perspective
It help when you think about some of the stressful things that you or the people you know have already gone through. By thinking that you and other people have already completed even more difficult tasks will help motivate you to finish that overwhelming task.
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Meditation
Yes. It works and it helps! Just sit down and close your eyes for a couple of minutes, bring your breathing down and try to center yourself in something pleasant or in silence. This will clear your mind, lower your anxiety level and will help you make more sound and realistic decisions.
How about you, what are the techniques you use to handle overwhelming tasks? Share it with us in the comments!
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