By Amanda Brown
Workplace stress, burnout and overwhelm are among the most Googled terms of 2026. These highly searched terms send a clear signal: that despite our best efforts to improve psychosocial safety at work, stress and overwhelm continue to be real, felt experiences for many of us.
So how can we begin to navigate the challenges we face at work? And why do we experience these things in the first place?
Why does stress happen?
There’s no simple answer. The reasons we experience stress, overwhelm and burnout are complex, and can come from the workplace, our own personal patterns, and/or the interaction of these two factors. On the workplace side, the biggest factors that contribute to burnout and overwhelm are excessive workload, lack of control, poor recognition, unclear expectations, and fractured team relationships. On the personal side, traits like perfectionism, difficulty setting limits, and high self-expectations can amplify stressors already around us.
Burnout tends to build gradually, starting with emotional exhaustion, then tipping into cynicism. That is a belief that nothing you do makes a difference. Overwhelm is more immediate and happens when demands outpace your capacity (real or perceived) to cope. Left unaddressed, overwhelm can lead to burnout.
So, what can you do?
Start with what you can control! Since we can’t always change the workplace or others around us, a powerful place to start is with ourselves. The first step? Noticing.
If you’re feeling stressed at work, great, you’ve noticed. Don’t ignore it and hope it will go away. Pay closer attention. What specifically is affecting you? Is it the volume of work, a particular relationship, a sense of unfairness, or a feeling that you’re in the wrong place?
Once you’ve named the issue, ask yourself: Can I change this? If yes, what’s one small step towards that change? If you can’t change it, can you change the way you think about it? It’s not about pretending things are fine but examining whether the meaning you’re attaching to a situation is hurting or helping you. This might look like asking yourself, is this task as urgent as it feels? Is the expectation coming from the organisation, or from myself?
Don’t go it alone!
Raising concerns, clarifying expectations and setting limits with your direct manager are important professional skills that are required to protect your energy for everything else in your life that matters to you. Communicating your limits early, before you’re already running on empty, tends to be far more effective. Think of it as preventive maintenance.
Then, the usual self-management – which includes proactively looking after your wellbeing – is not an optional extra. Good wellbeing is foundational and even more important during workplace challenges. That means prioritising what you know is good for you; getting enough sleep, movement, social connection and genuine time away from work (physical and cognitive) are all important. Wellbeing is often the first thing to suffer, so re-prioritise wellbeing over work to focus on maintaining and rebuilding health.
But what if the problem is other people?
One of the most draining aspects of work life is the interpersonal environment. Workplace bullying is one of the most serious challenges within that, and its effects can extend to clinical levels of anxiety, depression and distress.
If you’re experiencing bullying at work: remind yourself, it is not a reflection on your competence or worth. Where it’s safe to do so, calmly naming unacceptable behaviour can interrupt its pattern. Build your support network and connect with trusted colleagues. If the pattern doesn’t stop after you’ve tried to address it, document everything, including dates, times, what was said or done, and any witnesses. Report it formally to your manager or HR with specific detail about the behaviour and the impact on your work and wellbeing. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, reach out to a mental health professional for confidential support.
Ask the big question
Sometimes stress and burnout signal something more fundamental: a misalignment between your values and those of the organisation you’re in. If you find yourself repeatedly exhausted, disengaged, or compromising on what matters to you, it’s worth asking honestly whether this is the right fit.
Looking for workplaces that demonstrate genuine commitment to psychosocial safety, reflected not just in policy but in leadership behaviour and how conflict is handled, is a valid and reasonable career consideration. Work should not cost you your health.
Workplace stress, overwhelm and burnout are not signs of weakness. They’re signals worth listening to and acting on.
