Have you ever went to bed thinking to yourself: “Where the hell did the day go?”
The hours flew by, but you didn’t manage to accomplish anything noteworthy?
That’s because you were running on autopilot and only snapped out of it at the end of the day.
But why does that happen?
And – more importantly – how can you avoid it from happening again?
Why You Shut Down
We live in a complex world. There’s a lot to learn and a lot to do.
And when we overlook our present limitations while setting high expectations, our mind enters Panic Mode.
“There’s so much to do and so little time!”
To protect your sanity and well-being, your mind searches for distractions to keep you occupied, without having to worry about the things that are causing you to panic.
Not the wisest of strategies, I know.
Your mind has the right intention, but applies the wrong solution.
That’s when conscious effort is needed to deal with panic.
How To Escape Panic Mode
The first thing to know about panic is that it’s a reflex. It’s a default response you have to life’s challenges.
You will most likely enter Panic Mode before you realize, and the last thing you want to do is panic about being in Panic Mode (a very common occurrence, I’m afraid).
Here are 7 steps you can take to escape Panic Mode and move towards a more sensible attitude to life:
1- Accept your situation: Panic contains an element of “this isn’t happening to me!” which means that you don’t accept things as they are. Begin by accepting your situation. Accept that you have a lot to do. Accept that things are the way they are, so you don’t have to resort to evasion or rejecting reality the way it is.
2- Be fully aware of the things you want to do: Rather than looking away from your workload, you want to be aware of it. When you panic, your mind looks away, and you end up not doing anything. You want to feel comfortable looking at your workload and being aware of what you want to get done.
3- Acknowledge your feelings: Don’t ignore your feelings of panic, fear, worry, anxiety, frustration, or any other feeling you’re experiencing. Acknowledge these feelings as your way of dealing with your present challenges. If you ignore your feelings they will simply operate in the background and set the stage for Panic Mode to take hold of your mind.
4- Admit your limits: Your workload seems daunting because you can’t handle it all at once. Admit what you are able to manage and what you can’t manage. Admit how much time you have, how fast you can get work done, how much effort you can afford to give and all the other restrictions you will operate within. If you don’t admit your limits, you’ll develop some unhealthy expectations.
Speaking of expectations…
5- Adjust your expectations: Don’t aim to do more than you can accomplish, and adjust your expectations according to your abilities. Say to yourself: “It’s OK, I can only do this much.” This way, you don’t pressure yourself into producing results you know – somewhere in your psyche – that you can’t produce.
6- Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day: Don’t try to do everything under the sun in one day. That’s a switch to turn Panic Mode mode on. Instead, set reasonable daily targets you know you can achieve, and postpone everything else for the days ahead.
7- Focus on what you can do: Don’t worry about how things will turn out or what the stars may have in store for you. Focus on what you can do and leave everything else to take care of itself. Trying to control what’s outside your control is impossible, and the most sensible approach your mind can think of to deal with this impossibility is to go into Panic Mode.
Smile and take a deep breath. You just learned a way to deal with your Panic Mode. 🙂