Carrying the load

I don't like admitting I'm struggling with workload and I'm not one to like asking for help despite that putting me under pressure that threatens to break stress me. It's a failing to some degree, as we all need help sometimes, but I don't like to impose on others and tend to work harder rather than complicate other people's lives by asking for their assistance; I'm an independent sort of guy.

Hey, want to know a secret? You can probably guess what it is but I'll say it anyway, I'm having difficulty carrying the load right now and it's taking a toll on me.

I'll not go into it in detail however the burdens I carry are probably no different than what other people face: Work, personal, health; innocuous when written out like that I suppose, but combine them together and they can mount up. As pressure increases stress moves with it (often) bringing a diminished ability to deal with everything and the cycle repeats itself.

I always focus on controlling the controllable things and shift aside those I cannot which has worked well but sometimes things become so complex, there's so many balls in the air that need juggling and never enough time (or hands) to deal with them, and that's when the wheels can fall off the wagon so to speak. My current workload is a little like that with everything needing doing right fucken now and, of course, that's not possible.

Something's got to give and as reluctant as I am to accept that there's really no choice.

I often talk to myself, not in a weird way, positive self talk in my mind I mean, and have had to have a few stern words to push myself into accepting that I simply cannot do everything to the standards I wish to do them right now due to the workload. It's caused me to re-evaluate, put a couple things on hold and, most importantly, be a little kinder on myself in respect of my high self-standards - that's difficult for me to do but I've had no choice.

I'm not quite sure how it's working so far, it's early days, but I think it's a solid plan and it will, or should, alleviate some of the pressure which means I'll be better at what I do, probably far more productive, and less stressed which will compound.

Have you ever been in a situation over a sustained period of time in which you struggled to carry the load or burden in your professional or personal life? How did you move it forward, what steps did you take and why, and what outcomes did you achieve? Would you do the same again or change what thoughts, attitudes and actions you took back then if it was to happen again? Feel free to comment if you like.