How To Tell Your Boss You’re Overwhelmed

In a fast-paced and competitive world, you might notice yourself getting caught up in the hustle of work. Tight deadlines and increased workloads may cause workers to feel overwhelmed and lose sight of the value of maintaining a personal life away from work. 

The feeling of being overworked may have severe implications for mental health if proactive steps aren’t taken to maintain a healthy work-life balance. It may be helpful to recognize when overwhelming feelings happen and how to bring up these feelings to your boss if you’re experiencing them and need a change at work. 

How to tell your boss you’re overwhelmed

It can be critical to be honest with your boss when you are feeling overwhelmed and struggling to manage your workload. Being honest may allow your boss to work with you and help resolve the situation while potentially preventing further stress and work-related confusion related to the amount of work assigned to you. 

Ignoring the problem or denying that one exists may lead to prolonged frustration, anxiety, and decreased productivity. Below are a few considerations to keep in mind when communicating overwhelming feelings or stress to your boss or coworkers. 

Be honest with yourself

First, it may be helpful to admit to yourself that you’re experiencing a problem. Try to trust your feelings and gut instinct, as unnatural as it may seem in a work environment. Your boss or manager is in a position designed to bring out the best in employees, and even though they may have an influence over your income and position at your job, it may be worthwhile to be upfront about how you feel and to speak up for yourself.

Some professionals in the workplace may be hesitant to admit that they feel overwhelmed by their workload, as they may fear that doing so could have negative repercussions, such as being viewed as incompetent or unproductive. This fear of admitting a need for help, compounded by cultural expectations and stereotypes, may make it difficult to speak up about being overburdened. 

In some cases, workers hesitate to ask for help because they believe it is their responsibility to figure out solutions independently. Such thinking may lead to further stress, exhaustion, and confusion regarding the situation. For this reason, it can be vital to communicate any challenges with workloads early on so that solutions can be identified and implemented as soon as possible. 

It can be normal to be afraid or ashamed to bring up difficulties. However, doing so can lead to more transparency in the workplace. You might also face the possibility of not being the only person experiencing burnout. In this case, an honest discussion could increase productivity for the entire team. Try viewing this conversation as a tool for finding a stronger and healthier way forward together.

Have a conversation with a friend, therapist, or family member

Take time for yourself

Side effects of burnout at work may include a foggy mind and a distorted perspective of reality. Before you rush to have a discussion with your boss, consider giving yourself time to rest and sit with your feelings or thoughts about the situation. Taking a day or so off from work to rest your body and mind may go a long way in enabling you to think about the situation more clearly. If you don’t have much time, consider a few minutes to an hour each day, giving yourself time to breathe and focus just on your own energy. 

During your self-care time, consider your feelings and thoughts about your current position, mental and physical health, and where you are in your career. Have you been unhappy with your job for a long time, and this new workload is now making you realize this more clearly? Are you experiencing communication breakdowns among colleagues? Do you believe your team members aren’t pulling their weight, and you’re picking up the slack? Asking yourself introspective questions may help you gain clarity about your true feelings. 

Clearly and calmly explain your experience

To set the stage for an honest and productive discussion, it may be helpful to state how much consideration you have put into approaching this conversation, using phrases like, “I am bringing up these issues with you because I value my position here,” or “I am bringing this up because I believe it is important for the company’s health.”

Attempt to find a balance between explaining the specific symptoms you may be experiencing without being too personal with the details. Avoid saying generic phrases during the talk, such as, “I feel overworked” or “I feel overwhelmed.” Instead, explain why you are experiencing these thoughts and what has changed since you began having them. Reflect upon how you can help your boss understand what has changed that is making you feel this way or offer some ways you think the situation may be able to be remedied. 

Overall, focus on being honest about your feelings while empathizing with your manager and the team’s responsibilities. Also, weigh the pros and cons of sharing any mental health conditions you may experience and if these may be contributing to your difficulties. More and more companies are offering employees access to online therapy or other mental health resources as part of a benefits package or employment incentive.

Acknowledge the effect on others

Addressing an overload may require a shift in priorities and delegation of tasks in the workplace. Without appropriately addressing an unmanageable workload, workers may be unable to complete high-priority tasks or meet deadlines. It may be essential to acknowledge that you want to ensure the business runs smoothly and that the quality of work does not diminish due to your being overburdened. 

If this situation remains unaddressed, it could generate resentment among other employees who are asked to shoulder extra duties due to an overextended workload. This potential issue further highlights the benefit of notifying your boss when you feel overwhelmed so they can alter expectations or redistribute tasks accordingly. 

Support options 

In some cases, workplace overwhelm or stress can be challenging to cope with. If you’re unsure where to turn, you might benefit from speaking to a therapist. However, some workers may avoid in-person therapy due to time constraints, financial challenges, and other barriers. In these cases, online therapy may be more accessible and cost-effective. 

Online therapy through platforms like BetterHelp may help individuals experiencing work burnout, anxiety, or similar symptoms of a mental health condition or life challenge receive compassionate, professional guidance. Through an online platform, you can choose a session time that works for you and select between phone, video, or live chat sessions with your therapist. 

Researchers have also looked at the efficacy of online cognitive-behavioral therapy for reducing stress levels in healthcare workers during the pandemic. In the study, their team discovered that online-delivered therapy could effectively reduce stress, anxiety, and immediate levels of perceived stress in the workplace. This study demonstrates the potential for online therapy to help individuals have access to a safe space to discuss their workplace challenges and the root causes that may be contributing to their mental health.