There are times in life when we are going to feel overwhelmed. In particular, since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in March 2020, prevalence of anxiety and depression has been increased or even doubled. Among others, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones. Still, many seafarers may be facing more and more overwhelmed.
Τhe COVID-19 pandemic has made many of the seafarers feel physical and mental exhaustion, while anxiety and mental health issues appear an alarming increase. Indicative of this situation is the fact that ISWAN received over 20,000 calls and messages to its helplines from seafarers and their families seeking help and support. This is twice the usual number of calls and messages relating to suicides or suicidal thoughts.
The pandemic has yet to run its course and seafarers are still being asked to go above and beyond the call of duty
…said ISWAN’s Chief Executive Officer Simon Grainge, adding that from April 2020 to March 2021, 31 abandonment forms involving 333 seafarers submitted to the ILO/IMO Database on reported incidents of abandonment of seafarers. Speaking at SAFETY4SEA about crew welfare, Nigel Koh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SOL-X Pte. Ltd., a Behavioral Based Safety company, said that a suboptimal workload management can lead to crew overwork and fatigue.
In fact, human error has long been one of the most common factors for incidents/accidents at sea, and common conditions onboard could cause seafarers to feel overwhelmed, something that may lead to incidents/accidents at sea.
What to do when feeling overwhelmed
#1 Use the 5-4-3-2-1 technique
This technique doesn’t require any special spaces or tools, as all you need is your five senses. Here’s how to use this technique for instant grounding:
- 5 – Look around and name five things you can see, right now, from where you are.
- 4 – Listen and name four things you can hear.
- 3 – Notice three things you can touch, like the pages of a nearby book or the feeling of your feet on the carpet.
- 2 – Next come two smells: Breathe in the pages of a book or the citrus scent of the candle you lit.
- 1 – Finally, name something you can taste: a sip of cold water will do, or even just the taste of your own mouth.
#2 Clean up your immediate surroundings
The phrase “outer order, inner calm” is popular for a reason. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, tidying the area around you restores order to a little corner of your universe and allows you to move forward. A general advice is to restrict yourself to things within arm’s reach. Stack loose papers, put caps on rogue pens, wipe away dust or grime. The resulting order will help you feel like you’ve accomplished something and allow you to focus on the task at hand, not the clutter.
#3 Prioritize
Cut everything that should be done and stick to things that need to get done now.
#4 Stop accidentally multitasking
Our brains aren’t designed to do two or three tasks at once. Instead, we move back and forth among our various tasks, leaving us with the mental equivalent of whiplash, and getting little done in reality. Unintentional multitasking counts, too. This means trying to work, while at the same time, holding a conversation, watching your phone, and eating lunch.
#5 Take tiny steps
When you feel overwhelmed from your tasks, think only of the next tiny step. The next step can be ridiculously small, and only you have to know that you’re inching forward by thinking even the next click on the computer.
#6 Control your impulses
When you’re working on something less-than-fun, it’s easy to get distracted by every little thing. For this reason, instead of following every little impulse, which can pull you into a vortex of procrastination, keep a sticky note next to you and write down your impulses as you have them. Just unloading the thought, even if you don’t follow through on the impulse to find the answer, can be enough to vanquish it. Another solution could be just acknowledging the impulse, which would be enough to make it go away.
#7 Rethink your to-do list
Keeping a to-do list is the most important lesson from Organization 101. But if you’re overwhelmed, looking at a long list of tasks can be daunting, so you may need to reconsider it. There are many ways to bring more order to your long string of tasks, such as writing out your list in accordance with your schedule. Plan big projects for the morning when you have the most energy and focus.
#8 Accept what you cannot do or control
While we all organize, at some point we will run into something we can’t do or control. When that happens, the only thing to do is to radically accept. Radical acceptance doesn’t mean throwing in the towel. It means allowing for uncertainty and uncontrollability, without struggle or complaint, and keeping on with what you can do instead of dwelling on what you can’t.
