What to Do When You’re Overwhelmed at Work

We work, work, and work and try our best to manage everything–until we can’t. Feeling overwhelmed at work is one of those instances where you’ll only know it when you’re already experiencing it. Deep into multiple tasks, mental and physical fatigue, and anxiety with your responsibilities, feelings of being overwhelmed can slowly creep up without you knowing it.?

As we end Stress Awareness Month, let’s talk about being overwhelmed in the workplace. It’s signs, methods of combatting it, and what we can do to avoid overwhelming others and setting boundaries for ourselves.?

What Feeling Overwhelmed Looks Like?

Feeling overwhelmed at work can manifest in several ways. Some are obvious, some we’re in denial of, and some catching us off guard. Here are a few signs of being overwhelmed that you should look out for:

Non-stop tasks, non-stop anxiety. Do you find yourself with a never-ending list of tasks? A to-do list that keeps adding up coupled with anxious feelings about upcoming deadlines and what your peers and superiors may think. This may even lead to eventual procrastination.

No rest on rest days. Out-of-office hours and weekends are time for you to unwind. But somehow, you find yourself uneasy and having difficulty relaxing while you overthink the work you need to accomplish.

Compromising your health and well-being. You can never deny the physical signs of being overwhelmed. Physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, along with alarming health effects like weight loss and weight gain, constant aches and pains, and an increase in blood pressure.

Drowning in negativity. When it eventually gets worse, pessimism starts infiltrating your mind. Negative thoughts about your ability to accomplish tasks can be very crippling. This could make it hard to get through the day, feeling like nobody can help.

What To Do When You Are Overwhelmed At Work

Now that we’ve recognized the signs, don’t allow yourself to get stuck in a rut and follow these simple solutions to turn your overwhelmed state upside down:

Recognize. Before things tip over for the worst, it’s always best to acknowledge that you are overwhelmed and overworked. This requires deep introspection into the underlying thoughts and feelings that weigh you down and stress you out, and where it’s all coming from.?

Get organized. Nothing clears the mind more than getting organized. First things first: build a schedule and create a to-do list. Prioritize each task according to its importance, break down large tasks into manageable chunks, focus on one thing at a time, and adjust accordingly if you have to.?

Get real. Be honest with the work that you can give your full focus on at the moment. You can’t keep on tackling multiple tasks without accomplishing current ones. If needed, let your workmates know so you can make the necessary adjustments.

Keep the balance. Enjoying your hobbies, spending time with family and friends, watching your favorite TV show, getting pampered in the spa or salon–all of which keep your mind off work and reenergize you to take on the tasks ahead.?

Allow yourself some space. When it all gets too heavy, allow yourself the space to put things to a halt. Talk to someone, allow time to think, or take a break from work if you have to. Although powering your way through a hectic workweek is admirable, forcing things is taxing to the mind and body, and our physical and mental health should always be our top priority.?

Along with applying these methods, an important part of not letting it take over is setting boundaries for yourself in the workplace, and seeing to it that you don’t overwhelm others as well. Being compassionate enough to listen to other's experiences and making them understand that they are not alone can ease feelings of being overwhelmed.?

Knowing how to offer and ask for help can also take the weight off of you and your workmates. Finding ways to lighten the load or help each other out not only keeps each one from being overworked but encourages camaraderie as well. Lastly, setting the right boundaries with tasks within the scope of your role and being clear with each one’s responsibilities keeps the workload within reason, raises productivity, and avoids work-related stress.?

You won’t tip over if you keep things in balance. Do the work as best you can, but always prioritize your mind and body–because there’s way more to life than pulling your hair over meetings and deadlines.