Houghton Lake Resorter | Managing the “Madness” of March
It’s around that time of year again when many people get excited about the college basketball playoffs and start making their brackets. But there is a different kind of “madness” that seems to roll around this time of year that has nothing to do with basketball. Between losing an hour of sleep, planning for spring break, vacations, holidays, tax preparation, and the usual work and family commitments, March can feel like a whirlwind of activity.
If you find that your stress prevention tactics have been sidelined, there are several strategies to get back on track. Much like the extra effort a basketball team has to expend to rally a come from behind victory, managing our “March Madness” is easier when we can get ahead of it. Having an effective game plan that we execute from the start helps us to better manage stress or even prevent avoidable stress.
Awareness is key. Identifying and acknowledging the signs and symptoms indicating you are feeling overwhelmed is the first step. Take a minute and ask yourself, how do you know when you are beginning to feel overwhelmed? Are you feeling constantly behind and like there is not enough time in the day? Do you experience muscle tension, sleep problems, irritability, or poor focus? Are you feeling drained emotionally and/or physically? While our reactions to big stressors are easier to spot, the impact of smaller, chronic stressors can sneak up on us over time. The saying, “Death by a thousand paper cuts” reflects how a series of small problems add up to cause significant harm. In fact, oftentimes our first indicators that we are struggling come from close friends or loved ones who mention concerns about our well-being.
Okay, you’ve made it to the Sweet Sixteen but have missed 4 of your last 6 shots. What do you do? Maybe the coach (i.e., you) has you sit on the bench to regroup. Scheduling 10-minute breaks throughout your day can help you to relax and refocus. Get a change of scenery, walk around, or get something to drink. Experiencing chaos with the entire family? Everyone on the team can benefit from a time out.
Now imagine you are a defender guarding a skilled opponent. You can’t watch the ball, their player, the shot clock, and the coaches at the same time. If you lose focus on the most important task – guarding their player – you’ll leave them open for an easy shot. It turns out that multitasking is bad for us as well. Years ago, it was promoted as a desirable and sought after skill. We all do it. At work we may check our phones or email while on a Zoom meeting. At home, have you ever found yourself losing track of a phone conversation because you were trying to catch up on tasks at the same time? “But I am being efficient,” you think. Not true. Research has demonstrated that the brain is not capable of completing more than one cognitive task at a time. When we think we are multitasking, what we are actually doing is rapidly switching back and forth among competing tasks. This results in increased stress and decreased productivity.
Mindfulness, on the other hand, is an effective strategy to maximize focus and efficiency while decreasing mistakes and frustration. The basic definition of mindfulness is focusing on one thing at a time, on purpose, without judgment. Imagine if the basketball player at the free throw line was thinking about the last shot they missed, the coach being upset with them, who is in the crowd, or anything other than making their shot. It would likely not go well for them and so they engage in mindfulness to block out unnecessary distractions.
How do you know what to put your effort into? To help you focus on the most important things, prioritize your to-do list. You may be able to do anything, but you can’t do everything (even basketball players have specialized positions). Differentiate between your “must do” and “nice to do” tasks. Ask for help and see what you can delegate to someone else. Set limits with others on your time availability and stick to your boundaries. When you say “yes” to something, you are saying “no” so something else, so it needs to be worth it to you.
Whether your March Madness involves basketball or effective stress management – game on!
Dr. Stacey R. Gedeon of Roscommon County is a clinical health psychologist and founder of SRG Healthcare Consulting and Professional Coaching, PLLC (srghcc.com). The content of this column is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice or services in her capacity as a licensed psychologist. If you have suggestions for future topics on managing everyday challenges, please submit them to drgedeon@srghcc.com.
