Overwhelmed at work? Signs, causes, and what to do

If you're feeling overwhelmed at work, you're not alone. With tight deadlines, back-to-back meetings, and constant notifications, it's easy to feel like you can't keep up. But pushing through without addressing the root cause can lead to burnout.

The good news? Work doesn't have to feel out of control. In this article, we'll explore why overwhelm happens, how to recognize it, and concrete steps you can take to regain balance.

What does it mean to feel overwhelmed at work?

Feeling overwhelmed at work is a sense of anxiety or stress caused by having too much work, facing tasks beyond your skill level, or lacking the support you need to succeed. It's the feeling that no matter how hard you try, you can't keep up.

Common signs include:

• Mental fog: Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

• Constant worry: Thinking about work even during off-hours

• Physical exhaustion: Feeling drained despite adequate rest

If you feel overwhelmed at work, you're not alone. Research shows that 80% of global knowledge workers report feeling overworked and close to burnout, while 62% feel imposter syndrome. That means the majority of workers feel they have too much on their plates and aren't performing well enough.

Common causes of feeling overwhelmed at work

If you feel overwhelmed at work, there's a reason why. Here are some common causes for this type of work stress:

• Having too much to do and not enough time.

• Having too many deadlines at once.

• Saying "yes" to too many requests.

• Feeling pressure to perform tasks outside your job description.

• Not having the skills or tools you need to do your job well.

• Lack of support from your manager or coworkers.

• Not knowing which tasks are most important.

• Lots of "urgent," last-minute tasks.

• Unclear processes and roles, so you're constantly unsure what to do and who to talk to.

Anatomy of Work Special Report: The unexplored link between impostor syndrome and burnout

Burnout and impostor syndrome have historically been studied as two separate phenomena. In this report, we connect the dots to help leaders slow burnout and increase employee retention.

Get the insights

How to tell if you're feeling overwhelmed at work

Sometimes it's clear when you feel overwhelmed, but other times it can be hard to pinpoint why you're struggling. If you're having a hard time, here are some common signs to look out for:

• Feeling constant anxiety about tasks, meetings, and deadlines.

• Thinking about work all the time, even on evenings and weekends.

• Feeling like you need to work extra hours to catch up.

• Dreading coming into work.

• Feeling pessimistic about the future and your ability to perform tasks.

• Procrastinating on tasks.

• Feeling physically, mentally, or emotionally exhausted.

• Having trouble getting through the day.

• Feeling like you're alone and nobody can help you.

Feeling overwhelmed is hard and can affect all areas of your life. If you're experiencing any of the above feelings, it's important to acknowledge and address your emotions instead of trying to push through. Step back and acknowledge your feelings so you can take action to address the underlying reasons causing you to feel overwhelmed.

When overwhelm becomes burnout

Feeling overwhelmed is usually temporary; with the right strategies, you can regain control. Burnout, however, is a state of chronic exhaustion caused by prolonged, unaddressed stress. Here's how they differ:

Here are some signs that your overwhelm may have progressed to burnout:

• Feeling detached or cynical about your work

• Decreased productivity despite working longer hours

• Physical symptoms like chronic fatigue, insomnia, or frequent illness

• Loss of satisfaction from achievements that used to feel rewarding

• Feeling emotionally drained and unable to cope

If you recognize these signs, it's important to take action. Talk to your manager about adjusting your workload, consider speaking with a mental health professional, and prioritize self-care.

What to do if you feel overwhelmed at work

When you're feeling overwhelmed, it's hard to think clearly or do your best work, and that's totally normal. We can't just flip a switch and make bad feelings go away, but we can step back, look at the full picture, and take concrete steps to improve our work lives. Here's how.

1. Identify the underlying thought you're having

When you feel stressed or anxious about work, there's usually an underlying thought reinforcing those feelings, a belief or story you're telling yourself. This doesn't mean your overwhelm isn't valid. But identifying that thought is key to moving forward with a solution.

For example, you might have one or more of these thoughts in response to your work situation:

• "I'm falling behind at work, and I'll never catch up."

• "I need to say yes to everything, or else I'm a failure."

• "If I miss this deadline, it means I failed."

• "If I don't do a good job, I'll be fired."

• "Asking for help will expose me as a fraud."

2. Look at the full picture

It's normal to have negative thoughts sometimes. But remember that those thoughts aren't always the truth, and there are probably other parts to the story you're not considering. Step back and consider the full picture.

Start by writing down answers to the following questions. The goal is to expand your perspective and consider both the positives and negatives of your situation.

• What's the evidence that my underlying thought is true? Not true?

• Is there an alternative explanation?

• What's the worst that could happen? How would I cope? What's the best that could happen? What's the most realistic outcome?

• What should I do about it?

• If my best friend were in the same situation, what would I tell them?

Example

Here's a real-life example of how someone might answer each of these questions.

Underlying thought: I'm falling behind at work, and I'll never catch up.

What's the evidence that the automatic thought is true? Not true?

Evidence for:

• I missed a deadline today.

• I have two project proposals due on Friday.

• I've never written a project proposal before, and I don't know how.

• I don't have time to get things done because of all my meetings.

Evidence against:

• The last deadline I missed was over two months ago.

• My coworkers have missed deadlines before, and it was fine.

• I've been successful at work in the past, even if I sometimes felt overwhelmed.

• In the past, I've learned new skills at work.

• I can ask for help with my project proposals.

• I can ask my manager to help me delegate and prioritize tasks.

• I can move or cancel some of my non-essential meetings this week.

• I haven't received any negative feedback on my performance.

Is there an alternative explanation?

Maybe I'm putting more pressure on myself than I should. I want to do everything perfectly, which might be keeping me from seeing that I'm actually doing a good job.

What's the worst that could happen? How would I cope? What's the best that could happen? What's the most realistic outcome?

The worst case: I keep falling behind, and I eventually get fired.

How you would cope: I've been able to find a new job before, and I could do it again.

The best-case scenario: After this week, my workload lightens, and I can easily catch up.

The most realistic outcome: It will take me a while to feel comfortable in my role because I need to learn new skills and ask for help. But I will eventually feel more confident in my abilities.

What should I do about it?

• Let my manager know I'm feeling overwhelmed. Ask her if I can push a couple of deadlines in order to catch up and learn the skills I need.

• Ask for help with my project proposals.

• Prioritize my tasks and tackle the most important ones first.

• Delegate any tasks that I can.

• Move or cancel some of my non-essential meetings this week.

If my best friend was in the same situation, what would I tell them?

It might take a long time, and you'll need to ask for help, but you're capable of catching up and learning the skills you need to feel confident at work.

Anatomy of Work Special Report: The unexplored link between impostor syndrome and burnout

Burnout and impostor syndrome have historically been studied as two separate phenomena. In this report, we connect the dots to help leaders slow burnout and increase employee retention.

Get the insights

3. Take action

Now that you've analyzed your feelings and considered the big picture, it's time to take action. You've already listed out the next steps in the "What should I do about it?" question above; now you just need to follow through.

The actions you take will depend on your particular work situation. But if you're stuck on what to do next, here are some common solutions:

• Talk to your manager: When you're feeling overwhelmed, communication is key. Have a conversation with your manager and be honest about your workload. Managers are there to help, and chances are they've felt the same way before.

• Ask for help or delegate: Research shows that asking for help at work remains a significant challenge for many employees. According to PwC's 2025 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey, workers who feel overwhelmed are 30% less motivated, underscoring the critical importance of creating workplace cultures where seeking support is normalized and encouraged. When delegating, provide plenty of context and give your teammate credit.

• Prioritize: Prioritization is the best way to ensure you tackle the most important tasks first. Try creating an Eisenhower Matrix to divide tasks into four boxes: high-priority tasks you'll do first, tasks you'll schedule for later, tasks you'll delegate, and tasks you can delete.

• Break up larger tasks: If you're intimidated by a big project, try breaking it up into smaller tasks. Creating more accessible short-term goals helps you get started, fight perfectionism, and achieve quick wins.

• Start saying "no": If saying yes to too many requests leaves you feeling overwhelmed, it's time to start saying no. Pushing back on stakeholder requests can be hard, but it's often critical to maintain a reasonable workload.

• Adjust deadlines: Everyone misses deadlines sometimes. When you miss a due date, the most important thing is to reschedule it to a realistic completion date.

• Set boundaries: When you feel overwhelmed, it's tempting to work longer hours to catch up. However, that can quickly lead to burnout. Set boundaries to ensure your work life doesn't infringe on your personal life.

• Focus on one thing at a time: It's tempting to multitask in the hopes of getting more done. But multitasking actually wastes more time than it saves. Instead, set aside distraction-free time blocks to focus on a single task.

4. Give yourself some grace

When you feel overwhelmed, it's often a sign you need to pause and focus on yourself. Your physical and mental health should always come first, so take the time you need to recharge and reset.

Take a break, take some deep breaths, go outside, or talk to a friend. Remember that even if you still feel overwhelmed after going through these steps, that doesn't mean you're not handling the situation well. won't always feel as overwhelmed as you do right now.

Advice for managers: What to do if your direct report feels overwhelmed

As a manager, it can be disappointing to discover a direct report feels overwhelmed. You might wonder if there's even anything you can do about it. But as their manager, you're actually in the best position to help.

Here's what you can do:

Listen

It's hard for someone to admit they're overwhelmed, so listen actively to your employee's concerns. Avoid interrupting, listen without judgment, and model positive nonverbal behavior like maintaining eye contact and nodding your head. Once your employee finishes speaking, paraphrase what you heard back to them to confirm you understood.

Be compassionate

It's common to feel alone when you're overwhelmed, especially if you're working from home. In fact, research suggests that 41% of workers feel more isolated when working remotely.

To make your employee feel less alone, affirm their perspective. If you're comfortable, share that you've struggled before, too. The goal isn't hyper-productivity at the expense of well-being; it's supporting them so they can feel engaged and empowered.

Keep these principles in mind:

• Take it seriously: If someone says they're overwhelmed, don't dismiss it as laziness

• Avoid comparisons: Every employee's capacity and output is different

• Focus on solutions: Give them the tools and support they need to succeed

Offer help

As a manager, there are many ways you can help your employee get a handle on their workload. This includes prioritizing tasks, adjusting your employees' workload so they don't have so much on their plate, and saying no to cross-functional partners on their behalf.

Sometimes you can't fully clear your employee's plate due to critical deliverables. In those cases, explore other options:

• Deprioritize lower-value tasks: Identify work that can wait or be removed entirely

• Redistribute work: See if other collaborators can chip in to lighten the load

• Audit meetings: Replace in-person syncs with asynchronous updates where possible

• Support skill development: Offer to teach them yourself or connect them with learning resources

Make responsibilities clear

Clear responsibilities ensure your employee doesn't need to waste time figuring out who should do what. They help your direct report stay within the scope of their role, avoiding extra work that can lead to overwhelm and burnout.

For example, at Asana, we give team members clearly defined areas of responsibility (AoRs). Each AoR lists out specifically what that person is responsible for, plus it's documented and clearly accessible to everyone at the company.

Give feedback

When employees are overwhelmed, they often feel like they're failing or doing a poor job. To combat this, draw attention to their strengths by offering positive feedback. Share how their unique contributions benefit the team and list out specific achievements as concrete evidence.

Sometimes, overwhelmed employees may actually be performing poorly at work. This can be for a million and one reasons, including:

1. They're stressed out about doing a bad job, which makes them perform even worse.

2. They don't have the necessary tools and skillset to perform well, or the support they need to improve.

3. Basically anything else: concerns in their personal life, health issues, and more.

If necessary, work with your employee to create a performance improvement plan (PIP) to create actionable steps, goals, and support metrics to help them get back on track.

Check in regularly

It can take time for employees to recover and get back on track when they feel overwhelmed, so set aside time in your weekly or bi-weekly 1:1 meeting to check in. Ask how your employee is feeling about their workload, how their projects are going, and what you can do to help. If they're still struggling, continue to work with them to adjust their workload, prioritize their tasks, and improve their time management.

Simplify your work with project management software

Project management software like Asana can help your team simplify their collaboration, organize work, and feel less overwhelmed. Instead of switching between multiple apps throughout your workday, you can store everything and communicate with your team in one central place.

When you have visibility into all your tasks, deadlines, and priorities in one place, it's easier to manage your workload and focus on what matters most. Ready to feel less overwhelmed? Get started with Asana today.

Anatomy of Work Special Report: The unexplored link between impostor syndrome and burnout

Burnout and impostor syndrome have historically been studied as two separate phenomena. In this report, we connect the dots to help leaders slow burnout and increase employee retention.

Get the insights

Frequently asked questions about feeling overwhelmed at work