5 signs you are struggling with workplace pressure

Extreme workplace pressure can be really debilitating, both to our mental health and to our performance at work. For many, we don’t realise we are struggling with pressure until it is too late and the damage is already done. When uncontrolled pressure goes unaddressed, it can snowball into more serious stress related issues, such as burnout and physical illness.

It is tempting to try and deal with stress alone, and cope with challenging projects or large workloads without indicating that we are struggling. However, it is important to remember that identifying and addressing the early signs of pressure overload is in the interest of the employee and the leader.

Here are 5 signs you are struggling with managing pressure and need to prioritise your wellbeing.

You are struggling to say ‘no’

It is very common for people to feel uncomfortable saying ‘no’ at work to colleagues or managers. It is human nature to seek approval. Naturally we want to impress those we work for, so indicating that we can’t take more on can feel as if we are showing weakness or failure.

However, it is important to remember that everyone should have boundaries in place to protect themselves. Telling a manager that you feel you are at capacity for the week and can’t take on another intense task not only protects your mental health, but the quality of the work that you are currently completing and builds trust. This is key to sustainable high performance.

Check in with your manager to let them know if you feel that you have been taking on too much, or people have not been realising that your workload has become too big. Similarly, respect the boundaries of others when they express that they feel swamped with tasks.

You aren’t taking breaks

Often when we are under intense pressure to get things done, it can feel that there are not enough hours in the day to complete everything. This can begin a toxic cycle of skipping lunch, or not taking breaks between demanding tasks to recharge. Often when we are ‘in flow’ of work we are likely to keep pushing ourselves to keep going. 

However, the quality of our processing skills starts to decline if we don’t allow ourselves a period of recovery. Skipping breaks is damaging both to us and to the quality of our work. Ensuring you take enough breaks, including a real lunch break, and short 5 minute breaks to move your body and rehydrate are crucial for performance and wellbeing.

You feel physically unwell 

When we overwork, or become very anxious and overwhelmed, this can show up in our body. The first signs of burnout can be physical. Fatigue, aches, brain fog, or constantly feeling like you’re picking up every bug, can be a sign that we are not taking proper care of ourselves. Even if you think you are coping with pressure, look for the signs in your body, is it trying to tell you that it is struggling?

When feeling like this, identifying the role pressure may be playing in how we feel is important. Speaking to leadership and indicating that we are finding our workload challenging, or feeling overwhelmed is important. Open communication can help ensure work does not become too much, and managers can signpost the support available to help recover and maximise performance and wellbeing in the future. Your wellbeing is in their best interest.

You can’t stop thinking of work outside of working hours

While work takes up a big portion of our lives and thoughts, there must be room for other things that bring us joy and purpose. The hours we have after work and over the weekend should be used to nurture our friendships, families, hobbies and ourselves. This time detached from work is really important to recharge, keep on top of pressure and so avoid stress. Work is important, but it cannot take over everything else.

If you find that you are unable to be present for your loved ones outside of working hours, or cannot focus on doing things that you love because of work, this must be addressed. Work should not be constantly burdening us over the weekend.

To keep a healthy work life balance and relationship with our work we must ensure we are doing everything to keep our free time for ourselves. Resist the urge to check emails or messages from colleagues. Speak to management if you feel you are unable to detach from work, and try to get to the root of what is making you feel like this and what can be done to reduce pressure or help with managing it.

You notice the quality of your work depleting

When we are under pressure or doing too much at once, our work might tell us before we even realise we are not coping. If you notice you keep making little mistakes, or you are getting more feedback than normal, it could be a sign that stress and pressure management needs to be addressed.

Rather than putting yourself down for not performing as highly as usual, recognise that workplace pressure has become performance debilitating and that this needs to be a priority in order to protect your creativity and get back to the top of your game. There is no shame in raising this with a manager and giving feedback as to why you feel like your performance may be suffering.

In closing, pressure overload can sometimes creep up on us when we least expect it. Even when we feel at the top of our game, if we have been taking on too much and going at 100 miles per hour then we will feel the negative effects. Taking steps to identify it early and allow ourselves time to recover and recharge is crucial for nurturing our mental health and facilitating continuous high performance.