Ruminating about work is taking over

Hi there! I have been feeling really overwhelmed in work lately. I spend a lot of time thinking about it and trying to put my finger on what the issues are. Thinking and ruminating about work can take over most of my free time as I think that I will be able to think myself to a solution. This is exhausting. I am already finding the concept of thought work a bit daunting. I just took part in my first workshop with Maisie on models and found it really useful. My question to ask a coach is do you have any advice on approaching thought work as someone prone to overthinking and ruminating? Here is my first model. Thank you

Circumstance – I work from home in a different country to my colleagues

Thought – I can’t cope with work

Feeling – defeated

Action – I procrastinate, I lie down, I don’t tackle the big issues, I do a lot of things at once, I don’t ask for help, I don’t communicate how I’m doing with the team, I blame others, I scroll on social media, I do design work rather than other things on my to do list, I think of all the reasons I can’t cope, I complain, I ruminate

Result – I don’t cope with the challenges in my work and keep feeling defeated

 

Answer:

Your question reminds me of a [true] story. Once, my husband found a neighbor stuck in a snowbank in a blizzard, and their engine was revved up. My husband knocked on the window and the driver looked at him (surprised), then at his speedometer, which said he was going 55mph. Then he rolled his window down and said to my husband, “Damn you can run fast!” 

Overthinking/ruminating is like being stuck in a snowbank in a blizzard with your wheels spinning, thinking (or hoping) that you are getting somewhere (add to that some anxiety that you can’t see through the windshield).

Thought work is like getting that knock on the window. It helps you take your foot off the gas and get out of the car so you can assess the situation, process and drop the anxiety, and decide what you’re going to try next. 

The first step is noticing when you’re stuck in an overthinking/ruminating snowbank. What sensations do you have in your body? What emotion(s) do you experience? What kinds of thoughts tend to creep in? Identifying these in the moment is going to be the knock on your window.

Now, onto your model – you’ve done a great job with yours!

What is it about your work that is causing you to think that you can’t cope? Feel free to explore that in a thought download and come back with what you discover.