Feeling buried in notifications, emails, and endless to-do lists? If constant digital distractions leave you anxious and frazzled by 3 p.m., you’re not alone – 60% of Canadian employees suffer from workplace-related stress.
While there are many causes of workplace stress, digital overload can scramble our ability to focus, make decisions, and feel in control.
Why does this happen? Our brains are wired to handle occasional stress, but ongoing interruptions trigger a survival response – fight, flight, or freeze – that shuts down the part of the brain responsible for clear thinking and problem solving.
The result: frustration, black-and-white thinking, and poor decisions.
The key isn’t working harder; it’s slowing down and using these four questions whenever overwhelm strikes:
1. What am I thinking about right now?
Pause and check in with your thoughts. Naming them helps regain focus.
2. How do I feel?
Notice and accept your feelings without judgment. Acknowledgment diffuses anxiety’s power.
3. What else could be true?
Challenge your assumptions. Is your workload impossible, or just a lot today? Could talking to your boss help?
4. What action will I take?
Decide on one next step, even if it’s simply resting for the day and tackling the issue anew tomorrow.
Want to know if it’s working? Check if you’re clear on your next step, confident in your plan, and feeling calm. Write these four questions somewhere visible in your workspace.
Use them often. They’ll help you break the cycle of stress, regain clarity, and work with more calm and control, even as technology’s demands keep growing.
