There is an endless stream of articles on how to balance life and work. Millennials struggle with this balance more than any other generation. It is not just because of all the stereotypes about millennials being lazy, self-centered and desperate for social media validation. The struggle for millennials at work comes from being the first generation that grew up in a world full of technology; a world that makes it incredibly easy to be connected to everyone constantly, but also a world where we are more disconnected than ever before as well. This disconnect we feel has nothing to do with our phones or laptop—perhaps for the first time in human history, people feel disconnected from themselves. We’ve lost our sense of who we are and what we stand for as individuals and instead have been subliminally programmed by marketing messages to believe that happiness can only be found by buying things and following certain social media influencers. Millennials are now old enough to enter the workforce with this feeling of emptiness amplified by constant connectivity everywhere – even in libraries! And this feeling isn’t exclusive to millennials either; anyone can feel overwhelmed at work or anywhere else if they don’t know who they truly are or what they stand for. Here are some things you should consider if you too often feel overwhelmed at work:
You Feel Overwhelmed At Work Because You Aren’t Clear On Who You Are Or What You Stand For
## You Feel Overwhelmed At Work Because You Aren’t Clear On Who You Are Or What You Stand For The first step towards feeling less overwhelmed at work is to understand who you are and what you stand for. Asking and answering the “who am I?” question is difficult for most people, but even more so for millennials who grew up at a time when no one asked them to define themselves. You might have heard that our parent’s generation was defined by the cultural and political revolutions of the 60s and 70s — “generation X” (or as we call it, “the millennials”) grew up without a definitive set of cultural or political references. A person’s identity is a combination of who they are, what they do and what they stand for, or their values. If you aren’t clear on all three of these things, it can be incredibly difficult to feel grounded, let alone find meaning in your work.
You Feel Overwhelmed At Work Because You Haven’t Figured Out What Is Important To You And Why
Once you’ve gone through the process of defining who you are, you should ask yourself why it is important to you. Knowing what is important to you is incredibly important for two reasons: It helps you avoid distractions that don’t align with your values and it gives you something to ground yourself with when times get tough. Distractions are everywhere. One of the reasons we feel overwhelmed at work is because so many of us engage in what behavioural economist and psychology professor Dan Ariely calls “magical thinking” — i.e. we believe that just because something feels like a good idea, it must be a good idea. If you have ever been on social media and seen something that you “should” comment on, or that you “should” like, you have been the victim of magical thinking. You might have even fallen into the trap of believing that there is something wrong with you unless you engage in these actions. Knowing what is important to you helps you avoid falling into the trap of magical thinking. It also gives you something to hold onto in moments of struggle. Going back to the idea of values being both an end and a means, having something to hold onto when times get tough is incredibly important for helping you stay grounded.
You Feel Overwhelmed At Work Because It’s Hard To Find Meaningful Relationships In The Office
While it’s important to have relationships outside of work to keep you grounded, it is also important to have meaningful relationships in the office. These relationships aren’t just important for keeping you happy while you are at work but also for helping you thrive. A 2012 Gallup poll found that 43% of employees were not engaged with their job and that 27% were actively disengaged. After generations of homogeneity in the workplace, millennials are bringing in a new era of diversity that is challenging how businesses operate. While millennials are often portrayed as entitled and lazy, this is far from the truth. A recent study of more than 1,000 millennials found that the majority were extremely engaged with their work and wanted to make a difference. In order to make meaningful relationships in the office, you need to be proactive in making connections with your colleagues. It may be scary at first, but you need to overcome your fears. You can’t afford not to be engaged with the people around you because you feel that they are too distant or senior to talk to.
You Feel Overwhelmed At Work Because Your Environment Doesn’t Support Your Wellness
In our article on workplace wellness, we wrote that there is a direct relationship between a company’s wellness culture and its bottom line. The more that a company promotes wellness, the more productive and engaged its employees are. The way that a company’s culture is set up plays a significant role in promoting wellness. One thing that is often overlooked is the office environment. This includes everything from the lighting, temperature and how people are seated. Studies have shown that when people are seated in open-plan offices, it has a negative impact on their productivity and well-being. If you feel that your environment is not supportive of your well-being, it is only going to exacerbate the feelings of being overwhelmed at work. Being mindful of how your environment impacts your well-being can go a long way in helping you thrive.
Bottom line: Being overwhelmed at work is a sign that something is off.
The best way to combat feeling overwhelmed at work is to know yourself! You need to understand what you value and why to figure out who you are and have an idea of what your ideal work environment looks like. You need to understand what is important to you and why so that you can avoid distractions and find the motivation to keep going when things get tough. Once you know yourself, you can stop being so overwhelmed at work.