Are you suffering from “Brain Buzz”?

I spent last Saturday at a seminar, “Stress: The Silent Killer,” at which I delivered “The Angina Monologue” as well as listening to other skilled experts. Each of us had different information to add to the growing body of knowledge about our bodies, our minds, and our lives. It was exciting, illuminating … and fatiguing.

I got home, flung my briefcase down, and waited until Sunday morning to unpack. It took all day (moving slowly) to store leftover handouts, put away charge slips, follow up with a new client, and deal with all the little scraps of paper on which I had scribbled or other people had scribbled and handed to me.

The most exhausting part was the fact that my brain was filled with so many ideas, images, creations … and yes, some worries, too … that I could hardly function.

Instead, I hunkered down and took a day off, only to return to work on Monday with renewed energy. Sometimes, taking that time is the only thing we can do. Other times, there are little skills we can use to keep from being overwhelmed. That’s the topic of today’s article.

Don’t forget: April is “Coming Out” month for introverts.
(Introverts are people who really get buzzed by too much stimulation.)

Here are some offerings I have crafted especially for you introverts. 
They are all teleseminars, and they’re all FREE.

Do you feel as if you have invisible gnats buzzing around inside and outside of your head? Are you so overwhelmed by possibilities that you start to work on one task, then set it down and switch your attention to another, and then another?

Welcome to the World of Overwhelm. It happens to all of us and it is happening more and more in our increasingly complex world.

Here are some solutions I have come up with, besides simply shutting down for a day or so:

Organize in advance
Make a list before you go to bed of all the things you need to do, in order, the next day. Tell yourself, “There, now my day is all organized.” Then put it aside before you go to bed. Don’t even think of taking the list into your bedroom, which should be a serene space where you can relax.

Stick to your organization
Never, ever, EVER (did I say that enough), start up a computer without knowing in advance exactly what you are going to do next, and after that….
Make a list (on paper, in real handwriting) and post it where you can see it while you are on the computer. When you get distracted by incoming emails, instant messages, and internet searches, return to your list for grounding.

Switching tasks
Switching tasks can be confusing. Always take a few minutes to breathe and center before doing this, clearing your mind of the previous activity just as you should tidy your desk or workspace before switching tasks.

Avoid multi-tasking:
We all do it: talk on the phone while opening mail, or jot down notes on one topic while listening to another. No, it doesn’t make you doubly efficient; just the opposite, in fact. It can leave you exhausted, and you haven’t even accomplished much of anything.

When all else fails, take a day off and do something pleasurable. You will more than make up for that lost time by being re-energized.

And finally, remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “I have so much to do today, I must meditate for two hours instead of one.”

The Confident Introvert

“What are they afraid of?” my department manager used to ask after meetings in which a number of department members sat, silent and resentful, while he was unaware that his habit of springing surprise agenda items and asking for an immediate decision was very upsetting to these talented, educated introverts. Understanding, appreciating and utilizing the skills of introversion are foreign ideas to some – even to introverts. Now you can read about it in
The Confident Introvert.
Order now at http://www.ConfidentIntrovert.com