When you feel burned out or overwhelmed by the constant struggle to balance work and life, it can often feel like you don’t have time to take care of yourself or get yourself back on track. However, you don’t necessarily need an hour of meditation or a long workout to get your mind in a better state.
Often, five minutes of intention is just the right amount of time to give you the motivation you need to keep going. Here are the members Council for Young Entrepreneurs part 10 of their favorite quick tactics of five minutes or less that anyone can use to banish overwhelm and achieve a better mental state.
Members pictured from left to right.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Get emotional and physical distance from the stress
It’s important to understand that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed and burnt out from time to time. One tactic you can use to combat these feelings is to emotionally and physically distance yourself from the source of the stress. Even if it’s only five to 10 minutes, if you leave your phone and computer behind, step away from your desk or workspace and just walk, you’ll find yourself more refreshed and possibly less critically attached to the urgency of emails or work projects . . There is often the feeling that by leaving work behind, we fall even further behind on the things that already stress us out. Think of those few minutes as nourishment, with the potential to lead to more productivity and less stress. A few five to ten minute walks a day could well become the tool that keeps you healthy. – Ryan Meghdies, Tastic Marketing Inc.
2. Celebrate a small victory
Start celebrating small wins in meaningful ways. That could be treating yourself to one of your favorite foods or taking half a day to do something you enjoy but haven’t done in a while. Burnout can be a sign that you are not only out of balance, but also see no progress. Baby steps towards work-life balance are still progress. When we celebrate a small (or big) win, we recognize ourselves and our hard work, which helps your brain make a positive connection and gets you out of the daily grind. If that’s not possible, take a moment to breathe and meditate. Then make sure you focus on what you can do in the next hour, three hours, or 24 hours to help you persevere. Don’t think more than a day. This will prevent you from thinking too much and becoming overwhelmed. – Kyle Clayton, Team Clayton of RE/MAX Professionals
3. Take a deep breath and stretch
Breathe in and out deeply for 10 consecutive cycles. This will help oxygen flow to your brain and eliminate stale air. Bend down and touch your toes. Then reach up to the sky. Slide back and forth with your hands in the air. Stretch high into the air and feel your back expand, reaching forward and out on each side. Gently relax and wiggle it out. A quick stretch and a full air exchange can instantly change your mental outlook and take you from overwhelmed to in charge. – Mary Harcourt, CosmoGlo
4. Write down everything you need to do
Feeling overwhelmed is often caused by chaos and lack of direction. Organizing your to-do list and completing basic goal-setting activities can relieve you from keeping track of every little detail you need to take care of. When I get stressed, I take a moment to write down everything I need to do. With a quick reminder or task in your project management system (or even a traditional notebook) you can get some fresh air without missing an important assignment or deadline. Iterating on one incoming source of tasks is a healthy way to keep your schedule organized. Crossing off action points is also rewarding and motivating. – Mario Peshev, DevriX
5. Complete a quick task
When I feel burnt out or overwhelmed, I pick a task — personal or business — that I can quickly cross off my list and complete in five minutes. I find this creates momentum and the sense of a ‘victory’, no matter how small, and pushes me to tackle the future with renewed energy. – Lindsay Tanne, LogicPrep
6. Relax with some comedy
It sounds trivial, but I first watch funny comedy skits on YouTube when I wake up and before I go to bed. Laughter in those moments does magic for me. As overwhelmed as I am, if I can laugh at something, I can take my mind off these struggles and come back to them with a better outlook. – Paul-Miki Akpablie, Akos Technologies Inc.
7. Visualize a happy place
I just sit back and visualize a happy place. It works like drinking the best cup of hot coffee – a virtual coffee break, as my employees say. The trick is quite simple. Just close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Now imagine that you are in a place that brings you happiness and peace, like Pandora. Imagine being transported to a place of pure serenity, where the sun shines and the air is infused with the scent of blooming flowers. It can be a real place or an imaginary place, but it should be a place where you feel happy and comfortable. This is your happy place, a haven of peace where all your worries and stress disappear and you are free to just be in the moment. – Kelly Richardson, Infobrandz
8. Reset by listening to music
It can sometimes be challenging to maintain high energy levels when your work and personal life are very busy. To overcome feelings of overwhelm and help restore a sense of balance, I rely on one of my best personal hacks, which is using music to reset my mental state. Of course, the right tools make a huge difference to this strategy. For example, I have a few different playlists on my phone aimed at inducing specific mental states. Sometimes I need to de-stress and relax my mind, and other times I’m low on energy and need to gain strength from a long list of tasks. No matter the purpose, it’s absolutely essential to have a pair of headphones handy at all times, so much so that I never leave the house without at least one. Noise cancelling, of course. – Richard Fung, Reliable technology
9. Watch where you spend your energy
When I feel overwhelmed or burnt out with work and life, I find that it’s because I’m working on too many things that drain energy from me and not enough things that energize me. When I find myself in that situation, I review where I spend my time and eliminate or delegate an energy-draining task to make room for an energizing one. – Jessica Fialkovich, Exit factor
10. Think about the big picture
I like to take a few minutes to think about the big picture. When I feel overwhelmed, it’s easy to get caught up in the details. So I’ll pause and consider what outcomes I’m working towards and why they’re important. This helps me recognize that my work has a purpose beyond just going through today’s or this week’s to-do list. It also reminds me that our momentary struggles are nothing compared to our long-term goals, and that small steps can add up over time, making them worth investing in even if they don’t have immediate results. Taking stock of my progress can shift my mindset from being overwhelmed by current challenges to understanding how these efforts will help achieve greater goals in the future. – Adam Preiser, WPCrafter
