Feeling Overwhelmed at Work? 8 Things to Do to Cope With It

Do you feel overwhelmed at work? You are not alone. Google Trends shows that more and more people search Google for advance about “what to do when overwhelmed at work”. This article explores the causes of feeling overwhelmed at work and talks about ways to cope with feeling overwhelmed at work.

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Signs that you’re overwhelmed at work

Feeling or being overwhelmed at work usually means a sense of stress and anxiety caused by the workload or difficulties of work, which is normal and common. Below are some common signs.

• Worry about work all the time
• Don’t want to show up to work
• Question your own abilities
• Have dreams or even nightmares about work
• Lose your appetite
• Have difficulty sleeping
• Feel worthless at work
• Feel helpless and hopeless at work
• Feel that time is not enough at work
• Think about the worse of situations
• Even think about quitting your job

Why do you feel overwhelmed at work?

Why am I overwhelmed at work? Finding out the causes or reasons helps you find the right ways to overcome the feeling. There can be several types of causes and reasons.

• Something new: For example, a new job, a new promotion, a new project, etc.
• Overwhelming workload: There can be two situations. The workload is heavy but still reasonable. The workload is so much that it’s unreasonable and ridiculous.
• Tasks beyond your responsibilities: Sometimes you may be assigned tasks that go beyond your job description (and capabilities).
• Difficult tasks: It’s common for us to face difficult tasks at work.
• Failing to prioritize: There are tasks to do and deadlines to meet. Not prioritizing tasks may reduce your efficiency and performance at work.
• Lack of time management: Sometimes, even if the amount of work is reasonable, one may fail to complete it due to poor time management.
• Lack of focus and concentration at work: Staying focused and productive during work hours is important to get things done and meet deadlines.
• Lack of skills: A lack of certain skills can lead employees to have trouble completing certain tasks.
• Lack of support: A lack of support can make it hard to complete certain tasks or make employees feel frustrated.

There are still many other situations where employees can feel overwhelmed and stressed at work. For example, female employees have extra stress to manage during pregnancy.

The feeling of being overwhelmed can be temporary or last long. If the feeling is strong and long term, it may have negative effects on your work performance, health, family life and even more. Therefore, you need to properly deal with it.

What to do when feeling overwhelmed at work: 8 ways

#1 Clam down

Feeling overwhelmed is actually a choice that you make. Now choose to calm down, for a moment at least.

#2 Figure out what makes you feel overwhelmed

Identify the sources of the feeling and then ask yourself a question. Are they in or beyond your control?

#3 Manage your tasks

Your time and actions are what you can control.

The first thing is to make a to-do list. It can include all the tasks at hand, the professional skills that you need to learn or sharpen, and the plan that you need to make for a project and more. Make them as specific as possible.

Now you need to set priorities. You can organize priorities based on the importance and urgency of things. Your time management is closely associated with your tasks and priorities.

If your workload is reasonable, then you can easily complete it during work hours with good task and time manage. This can help you stop feeling overwhelmed if the feeling is caused by too many tasks.

#4 Manage your focus

It’s important that you properly schedule your day for different tasks. It’s also important that you stay focused and concentrated while working. However, it’s easy for us (especially people with ADHD) to get distracted.

Luckily, there are tools and apps to help us better focus. For example, an app called Cisdem Focus can block distracting apps and websites on Mac during the focus time that a user sets. During the focus time, distractions are minimized and focus is boosted. This way, you can make the most of your focus time and improve productivity.

#5 Look at your work habits

Some bad work habits such as procrastination and being disorganized can reduce efficiency and lead to anxiety. If you have such habits, stopping them can help.

#6 Make wise use of your time and take breaks

We naturally get distracted after an amount of time spent focusing on a task. This amount of time is called attention span. Between attention spans, we can take short breaks and relax. This not only helps prevent burnout but also helps restore the energy to refocus. This is actually how the Pomodoro method works.

#7 Communicate, communicate and communicate

What if the source of your being overwhelmed at work is beyond your control? Communicate.

If the amount of work is unreasonable or the tasks given to you are beyond your responsibilities, talk to your manager or boss. Let him or her know that it’s impossible to complete the workload in the given amount of time, or that it’s not your duties to do certain tasks.

If you are suffering from anxiety and burned out, you can also talk to your boss and ask for advices. To make your boss better understand and feel your situation, let him or her know the details, be sincere and don’t complaint.

#8 Ask for support or help

If you lack the support from your company or coworkers to successfully complete a task, just talk to your manager or boss. It’s the normal and right thing to do. Keeping feeling overwhelmed and not telling anyone doesn’t help with the situation at all.

Conclusion

Too many tasks? Not enough time to get things done? These are the most common causes of feeling overwhelmed at work. What are your cause(s) of the feeling? This article lists a few common causes and share tips to help you overcome the feeling by managing your time, tasks and deadlines.