How to stop feeling overwhelmed at work

If you’re like a lot of people, work has given you a hard time lately. Your to-do list grows larger every time you get into the office. No matter what you do, you can’t seem to catch a break. Even working longer hours doesn’t help because too much work comes your way.

You feel overwhelmed.

What’s more, those feelings carry over into your personal life. You worry about work so much that you can’t think about anything else.

Thankfully, you can do something about these overwhelmed feelings. Follow the 10 rules in this article to help you deal with tight deadlines and overwhelming work conditions.

Prioritizing mental health to stop feeling overwhelmed at work

Before focusing on the rules for tackling the feeling of being overwhelmed at work, you need to know why these rules are vital.

Feeling overwhelmed takes an enormous toll on your mental health. The larger your task list gets, the more likely you are to experience burnout. This feeling can creep up on you without you even realizing it. Before you know it, your productivity declines, and you start dreading your workdays.

We can look at the issues the COVID-19 pandemic caused to see the effects of being overwhelmed in action. In a 2022 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers looked at turnover potential compared to pandemic-related job stress.

They found that the pandemic created enormous stress, leading to higher employee turnover. In short, people felt overwhelmed by the pressure to the point where they wanted to find other jobs. That’s how powerful these feelings can become.

10 rules to stick by to curb work overwhelm and burnout

Curbing work-related overwhelm requires you to find ways to take care of yourself. You also need to gauge the amount of time required for essential tasks and confront issues that may lead to burnout. These 10 rules can help you to overcome overwhelm.

Rule 1 – Use AI and tools to increase productivity

Artificial intelligence (AI) helps you spend less time on manual tasks so you can focus more on meaningful work.

Take Speechify as a great example of an AI-driven tool. As a text to speech app, Speechify makes it easy to read web content, check emails, and handle research tasks. The app reads written content aloud, allowing you to improve your time management when working on complex projects.

AI automates smaller tasks, giving you enough time to work through your to-do list.

Rule 2 – Focus on your high-priority tasks

What’s the one thing you need to accomplish today?

That task must go right to the top of your to-do list. Splitting your focus between your high-priority job and everything else you need to do leads to you wasting time.

Wrap up the most crucial task before moving on to the next one.

Rule 3 – Set boundaries

Setting boundaries applies to all aspects of your work life. Your limits stop other team members from putting more work on your plate when you’re already overwhelmed. Your boundaries also allow you to guard your time away from work, meaning you create a better work-life balance.

Create clear start and end times for your working day. Stick to these dedicated work hours no matter how strong the temptation to jump onto another task when you’re at home.

Rule 4 – Use deep breathing

Feeling stressed can cause you to panic. You may find yourself growing anxious or even feeling short of breath.

Whenever anxious feelings arise, take a short break and practice deep breathing. Spend a few minutes slowly breathing in and out. You’ll slow your heart rate and get a few moments to decompress and calm down.

Rule 5 – Speak to a co-worker

Sharing your problems with others can help you gain a new perspective. Often, co-workers can guide you through work-related issues that a loved one doesn’t understand.

If you start feeling stressed, take a break with a co-worker. Talk through the challenges you face and you may find a solution that helps you save time.

Rule 6 – Stick to your job description

Scope creep affects more than project management. It can also affect your working life. Every extra task you take on beyond what’s in your job description builds up until you’re a prime candidate for burnout.

The solution is to avoid taking on tasks that aren’t in your job description. Focus on your work rather than helping other people do theirs.

Rule 7 – Remove yourself from social media

Social media creates work issues for several reasons. The influencers you follow may promote a hustle culture that makes you feel like you have to work harder. Plus, social media can lead to procrastination, which can cause you to waste time.

Commit to removing yourself from social media during your work hours.

Rule 8 – Avoid perfectionism

An old saying states, “Perfectionism is the enemy of progress.”

Trying to make everything you do perfect leads to you getting lost in work you don’t need to do. Allow “good enough” to be enough.

Rule 9 – Engage in self-care

Taking care of yourself outside of work is just as important for productivity as it is for your well-being.

Self-care includes any activity you do for yourself. Examples include maintaining a healthy diet, exercising, meditating, and engaging in hobbies.

Rule 10 – Follow a schedule

People often end up overwhelmed because they feel lost during their working days.

Creating a schedule allows you to designate time for the tasks you want to complete. It also gives you a roadmap for the day, meaning you always know what to do next.

Make the most out of your working day by using text to speech to boost your productivity

Enhancing your productivity is one of the keys to tackling overwhelm. Speechify helps by providing a TTS app that reads online text for you. The app is ideal for those with reading difficulties. Plus, it has multiple speed settings, allowing it to read text faster than you can read yourself.

Speechify is available for Android, Windows, iOS, and macOS devices. If you’d like to learn more, try the app for free today.

FAQ

Is it normal to feel overwhelmed at work all the time?

It’s normal to feel overwhelmed at work. However, it’s not normal to feel overwhelmed all the time.

What is feeling overwhelmed a symptom of?

Anxiety and exhaustion are two common symptoms of feeling overwhelmed.

What are some of the causes of feeling overwhelmed at work?

Too much work is the most common cause of feeling overwhelmed at work.

What is the difference between feeling overwhelmed and being stressed?

You may feel stressed about a project you’re currently working on. You’re overwhelmed if you’re so exhausted that it feels like completing that project is impossible.