How to Cope When You are Overwhelmed at Work

We’ve all been there—that moment of terror where you’d drop out of school instead of writing another paper. Or even consider being a stay-at-home girl/boyfriend and then get up and go on another stressful day at work. It’s completely normal to get stressed out at work or school.

However, even though it is normal, it’s never fun. In fact, being stressed out when you are overwhelmed is terrible for your job performance and life. Do not fear! There are ways to deal with stress and prevent being overwhelmed at work.

Recognize What is Making You Stressed and Overwhelmed

Is there a deadline fast approaching, a non-ending amount of paperwork, or even a snotty co-worker? Being able to understand why you’re feeling the way you are will help you prevent and deal

with stress. When you’re overwhelmed, your work performance drops significantly, making you even more stressed. Unless changes can be implemented, the cycle continues.

You can conquer the problem by figuring out the root of the problem. Here are some ways you can figure out what is making you stressed.

1. Discovering What Makes You Feel Calm: When you finally get paid, do you sigh with relief? Or is it that moment you send that very important email? By looking at what makes you happy, you can see that anything that prevents that happiness is stress. For example, people who are stressed about money tend to feel relieved when they get paid.

2. Your Diet: Did you know what you eat can affect your emotions? The “You are What You Eat” idiom is more literal than we thought. Diets with high doses of fats, sugars, and caffeine are linked to creating stress in the body.

Fast foods and preservatives lack the natural vitamins your body needs to keep you balanced. Caffeine interacts with neurotransmitters, stimulating the brain. Stress creates anxiety, and stimulation from caffeine can further anxiety and sometimes even cause insomnia.

3. Your Network: Are you getting enough social interaction? According to Psychology Today, new evidence proves that when humans do not meet their need for social relationships, they frequently deteriorate mentally and sometimes physically. It is much easier to fall into stress when you don’t have a support system. Different attitudes and perspectives on your situation allow you to see a less overwhelming sight of your predicament, relieving some of your stress.

Preventing Stress and Being Overwhelmed at Work

The best way to avoid stress at work is to prevent it. Although not easy, preventing being overwhelmed at work is possible. Your job naturally causes stress because you have little control over what happens at the workplace.

In recent years, stories of layoffs and unemployment have made workplace stress the norm. Fear of being replaced compels workers to take on more projects and assignments.

However, this causes the feeling of being overwhelmed. No matter what, a happy worker is a better worker. Preventing feeling overwhelmed in the workplace will make you more productive. Now that you know how to pinpoint what creates stress, here are some tips on preventing it.

1. Manage Your Time: This may mean waking up earlier so you’re not scared of being late to work, scheduling out your assignments in to-do lists, or even saying no to new projects. By not procrastinating, you’ll prevent the anxiety and stress caused by it.

If you don’t think you can handle a new project at work, it’s okay. As long as you are polite, most employers are very understanding and would rather you complete your work accurately than be spread too thin. If your employers have a problem, you may need to find a new job.

2. Get Plenty of Sleep: Sleep is essential to lead a happy and healthy life, unfortunately nearly a

a quarter of Americans report that they do not get enough sleep. Sleep keeps your mind sharp, leading to a better focus in the workplace. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults (18-64) average eight hours of sleep. Finding a comfortable bedtime routine, sticking to a regular sleep schedule (even on the weekends), and avoiding sleep killers like alcohol and caffeine will regulate and let you get a better night’s rest working out.

3. Be Mentally and Physically Active: As previously mentioned, socially interacting with others prevents personal stress. The same goes for spending time working out and staying active. Being active produces more endorphins, leading to all those awesome, amazing feelings our brains make.

It can also be a good distraction (if that exists) to your anxiety. Don’t forget to interact with others as well socially. You could kill two birds with one stone by going to the gym or taking a yoga class with friends!

Fixing Stress and Being Overwhelmed at Work

It’s happened…you’re about to rip your hair out because you feel overwhelmed. It’s okay; for one, being stressed at work is completely normal, but it still isn’t healthy. When you are stressed, you react differently to social situations.

Depending on your job type, this could greatly alter your work and workspace. Whether in the moment (a presentation or meeting) or over time (a deadline or project load), managing stress and the sense of being overwhelmed by taking a few steps is possible.

1. Communication: When two parties are able to understand each other, it alleviates stress. Sharing your feelings about a certain project, explaining personal problems, or a conflict with another co-worker to your boss or HR is a great way to make your first step in fixing your stress at work.

Another way is to be assertive when you communicate. If you tend to be more passive, you’re likely to place yourself in an overwhelmed state. When you are assertive about what you can and cannot do, you fix your stress and resentment.

2. Dealing with Stress in the Moment: If you’re suddenly feeling overwhelmed right before a big meeting or something of that matter, sometimes the best thing to do is take a deep breath. Experts say deep breathing and meditation relieve stress almost instantly.

For those who are more visually perceptive, just looking at a serene picture like a beach scene will lower stress levels and feeling overwhelmed. You can always strike your best “Power Pose” before that critical presentation. According to this study, 2 minutes in one of these poses will relieve stress and make you more confident at work. 

3. Dealing with Stress Over an Extended Period: If you’re constantly overwhelmed at work, you must take more direct measures to stop the cycle. Your first step is to alter the situation that overwhelms you. If it’s a paper or deadline, then finish it. If it’s a person, then engage in a conversation about their behavior.

If you cannot alter the situation, then you must adapt. By reframing your problem with a more positive attitude, looking at the overall picture to better understand, and resisting perfectionism, your sense of being overwhelmed will diminish.

Extra Tip: Everyone deals with stress differently, however if you go to alcohol or drugs to relieve stress you may have a severe problem. To learn more about the correlation of stress and drug and alcohol abuse, click here.

Do you have a tip to beat feeling overwhelmed at work or school? Comment below!

References: HelpGuide, Stress.org, Psychology Today