People Slowly Losing Their Capacity To Take On Extra Work Usually Say 8 Phrases In Casual Conversation
PeopleImages | ShutterstockBurnout creeps in slowly for most people, and the first sign is when extra work, even a mundane office task, becomes too much. People feeling the crunch use words and phrases that reveal their stress to anyone paying attention.
A healthy work-life balance is essential in maintaining well-being, but people who are starting to feel overwhelmed on the job lose the ability to see what is happening. They get stuck in the stress loop. Saying phrases like these in casual conversations can be a warning that it's time to enforce healthier workplace boundaries.
Phrases people say when they are getting overwhelmed by tasks at work:
1. 'I’m in over my head'
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“I’m in over my head” isn’t something you often hear from someone who’s not already stressed. They’re aware of their workload and what they can handle, but that doesn’t always make it easy to turn down another task.
Of course, most people don’t chalk up their burnout to strictly workplace stress. It’s a whole lot of things. Work is usually just the straw that breaks the camel's back, for lack of a better comparison. If someone is losing their capacity to take on more in the workplace, that drowning feeling is going to be expressed whether the stress is solely work-related or a combination of life hitting them hard from all different directions.
2. 'Can you handle this for me?'
Delegation is one of the healthiest ways that someone who can’t take on any more work or responsibility handles their stress. They find people better suited for the job, ask for help, and keep the work that they’re perfectly suited for to themselves.
They’re not passing off work to protect free time. They’re passing on work and shifting it to someone else to protect the quality of what they already have on their plates.
3. 'I’m not sure I’m the right person'
When they can’t handle taking on more obligations or responsibilities, whether consciously or not, they may start deflecting and avoiding. They say “I’m not sure I’m the right person” instead of trying to add more to their to-do list, not because they’re lazy, but because they don’t have much more time or energy left to offer.
They’re not avoiding responsibility. They just have enough to keep them completely busy, if not also completely exhausted.
4. 'I’m balancing too much'
We’re not built to multitask. Our brains often experience more consequences from trying to switch between topics and tasks than benefits, even though we tend to look busier when we’re balancing a million things at once.
However, when someone can’t get through the day without multitasking because of an unsustainable workload, they may start saying things like “I’m balancing too much” when switching between too many projects takes its toll. They feel like they can’t even complete the bare minimum without putting their well-being on the line, so, of course, they’re not interested in taking on anything new.
5. ‘I completely missed that’
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Whether it’s concentration struggles from burnout or a missed deadline that they completely forgot about, people who are already managing an unsustainable workload often say phrases like this. Yes, we can sometimes handle a ton of tasks and stress for a short period, but eventually it takes a cognitive and emotional toll.
We start forgetting things. We miss conversations and zone out during meetings. It’s clear that we become so dysregulated mentally and emotionally that even doing the bare minimum feels impossible.
6. 'Why is this happening to me?'
Burnout or other forms of exhaustion, especially in a professional setting, can make emotional regulation difficult and trigger a range of out-of-character symptoms. Whether it’s breaking down over minor inconveniences or snapping at a coworker, they struggle to take on extra obligations because they’re already at their breaking point.
“Why is this happening to me?” captures the helplessness of this struggle. They can't self-soothe, which leads to catastrophizing.
7. 'I can’t care so much anymore'
Much like depression and other mental health struggles, chronic stress can increase experiences of anhedonia, or a lack of interest and pleasure. A lack of care is how that struggle shows itself in conversations. Even outside the workplace, these people probably also find it difficult to lean on the hobbies and activities that used to offer respite.
Because they're already taking on too much, they start struggling with their workload, and that turns into disregard. They'll do the bare minimum compared to what they would consider a good job, and then the loop of guilt and stress continues.
8. 'I don’t know what to choose'
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Decision fatigue, or decision paralysis, is a sign someone's at the end of the rope, probably because of too much work pressure.
They may be more impulsive and irrational, but more often than not, these people avoid making decisions altogether. They take a very passive approach to decision-making the more exhausted they become, and the more work gets thrown on their plate, even if a big part of their professional role includes making decisions.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
