9 Counterproductive Habits to Avoid When Feeling Overwhelmed

Do you feel out of sync with your job, life, or both? Is the mountain ahead seeming insurmountable? Does your to-do list overshadow your achievements? Are you feeling overwhelmed?

Related: 11 Strategies for Dealing with Stress

Stress is inevitable, but we often make it worse. As King David noted over 3,000 years ago, “My anxious thoughts multiply within me.” The term “stresscalation” captures this perfectly—stress breeds more stress, creating a combustible cycle. Our behaviors and thoughts fuel higher pressure levels.

Advice on managing stress abounds—from recognizing and preventing it to harnessing it productively. Yet, we often seek solutions while repeating habits that intensify its grip. That's why focusing on what not to do—a via negativa approach—is key to eliminating the negatives.

Related: 9 Ways to Say No to Negativity

Here are nine surefire ways to increase your stress when overwhelmed. Avoid these to turn things around.

1. Think negatively—especially about yourself. It's highly effective.
2. Isolate and amplify negative thoughts when bad things happen. Block any positives from breaking through.
3. When worrying, halt your mental simulation at the worst moment. Like pausing a scary movie right at the climax keeps dread peaking.
4. Live in the future. Humans uniquely preview disasters via our mental flight simulator. Ignore the present—it'll soon be the past anyway. Brilliant!
5. Embrace GMC behavior (Grabbing, Moaning, Complaining). Research shows intensity and duration amplify results.
6. Procrastinate. Why tackle it now when tomorrow works? Skip reporting progress and savor deadline panic's adrenaline rush.
7. Eliminate buffers. Leave exactly on time for appointments—no margin means maximum stress fuel.
8. Panic over missed deadlines. Skip calm responses; yell, blame others, and redistribute pain via anger or scapegoating.
9. Cling to irritability and lightheartedness? Nurture them tightly to escalate stress exponentially.

Armed with these insights, choose wisely. I've found projecting current habits forward reveals stark futures—a powerful deterrent for change.

Related: Use these mental techniques when your brain is overwhelmed

This post originally appeared on LeadershipTraQ.com.