Blood pressure decreases due to overwhelm

Everyone knows it - we stand paralyzed before an unpleasant task that seems insurmountable, not knowing where to start. A wave of reluctance engulfs us, a sudden fatigue even weighs heavily on our spirits, leaving us motionless at the desk,

thinking seems frozen, and we feel unable to start or make a decision. Commonly known as the inner saboteur, this phenomenon can also be physiologically proven: A study has shown that in such situations, blood pressure is measurably lowered. What to do? The "inner saboteur" is actually an expression of a particular form of experiencing stress: We feel overwhelmed, and in response, our nervous system shuts down. Many people experience this when faced with tasks like completing tax returns, tidying up, or children struggling with their homework. Even emotional dilemmas requiring action can have this effect. Upon closer examination, it is often noticed that these are tasks in which we have no routine or practice. Tax returns are done only once a year, the new material in homework has not been thoroughly learned, and technology is unfamiliar because we rarely deal with it. Therefore, we feel overwhelmed. It doesn't matter whether we are actually overwhelmed or just believe it to be too difficult for us; the effect is the same.

Developing Routines

For recurring tasks, it's worthwhile in the long run to establish routines. When the task is repeated in the same manner as frequently as possible, a neural restructuring occurs in the brain. Through automation, far fewer brain resources are required, the task can be accomplished with minimal effort, and capacities for creativity, interest, and novelty are freed up. If we do nothing about it and the situation repeats regularly, we effectively train ourselves into a blockade. Reluctance becomes coupled with the task, making it more difficult for us to overwrite it with a positive routine. "Iron discipline" is often not so much due to "iron" willpower but to the consistent development of routines. The development of routines plays a significant role in stress avoidance and is therefore part of good stress management.

The Principle of Small Steps

Self-organization expert John Allen recommends, in such a case, breaking down the task into small steps, writing them on a list, and working through them. If it still doesn't work, or if work stalls at a point, the steps must be made even smaller, or it must be considered whether I may need aids and then divide them into small steps again. The approach in small steps is not only useful for the one-time completion of a task. It's also useful when learning new skills. This is related to the nature of our brain. The short-term memory can only retain between three and a maximum of seven things at once. Only when these are securely stored in long-term memory can the new knowledge be used as a foundation to build upon. There's an interesting experiment from the USA: A group of volunteer students who were to learn to play golf were divided into groups. Group 1 began practicing by hitting the ball into the hole from a distance of 20 cm. Each practice session consisted of 50 shots, and after each session, the distance was increased by 20 cm. A comparison group practiced under the same conditions, except that the distance for each session was determined randomly, and another group proceeded in reverse order of distances, starting with a large distance that was decreased. In comparison, the first group was not only the most successful in terms of accuracy, but the students were also more resistant to external distractions while playing.