When was the last time you felt overwhelmed? Have you felt overwhelmed in recent years? If your answer is “I don’t know,” “I think so,” or “Possibly,” you are not alone, either. Many of us have trouble recognizing when we are overwhelmed; the signs are just not as obvious as one would think.

woman sitting with hands clasped under chin looking at laptop

That is because the warning signs of being overwhelmed can not only be signs of other health concerns—like depression—but these warning signs can seem…normal.

Being overwhelmed is usually the result of excessive stress and/or emotions. Stress is, in many ways, romanticized in our culture. We must work. We must work out. We must socialize. We must cook dinner. The list goes on. There is so much that we are told to do despite a limited time to do it all. Instead of normalizing shorter to-do lists, mainstream culture and commercials normalize ways to “effortlessly handle stress.”

“Stress is, in many ways, romanticized in our culture. We must work. We must work out. We must socialize...Instead of normalizing shorter to-do lists, mainstream culture and commercials normalize ways to ‘effortlessly handle stress.”

Another way to look at this glamorization of stress overload is by taking a closer look at the term “holiday stress.” There seems to be a magnifying glass on the holiday pressures we face. The Christmas shopping on a budget, the loud social gatherings, the icy holiday traffic—so many apparent seasonal factors can make us feel overwhelmed, and each of these factors is glorified. We are told being able to shop, meet friends, and travel is a luxury.

Although many times it’s true, it can also subliminally reinforce the idea that “holiday stress” can’t actually be that overwhelming, since it’s a beautiful luxury to have so much on your plate. We are told that pressure makes diamonds. Why wouldn’t you want to persevere through stress if it means you’ll become a jewel soon enough?

woman sitting at a coffee shop table looking sad

“We are told that pressure makes diamonds. Why wouldn’t you want to persevere through stress if it means you’ll become a jewel soon enough?”

This is how we ignore the signs of being overwhelmed. It’s because we are taught to embrace stress more than we are taught to de-stress. After all, self-care is still not widely accepted as being realistic for all. Instead, you’re living a so-called “normal,” hectic life, and before you know it, you’re feeling it—constant worry, imposter syndrome, angst, and other signs that you are overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed isn’t entirely avoidable, but recognizing the signs may help you release stress before you break down.

Five Signs That You May Be Overwhelmed

woman in bed with white pillow over her head holding glasses

You Always Want to Be Alone

If you find yourself withdrawing from the people and activities you once loved, you may be feeling overwhelmed. People experiencing severe stress tend to isolate themselves as they may feel embarrassed that they’re having a hard time. They may also believe that even their closest loved ones wouldn’t understand, that alone time is the only way to cope, or they may simply feel a general loss of motivation to do anything at all.

You Can’t Seem to Focus

The inability to focus and concentrate is often a key sign that you are overwhelmed. A lack of focus due to stress results from cortisol—aka the stress hormone—being released into your body and, consequently, weakening your short-term memory. Some refer to this lack of focus as “cognitive fatigue,” whereby your mind just feels tired.

You Are Ignoring Responsibilities

It is not uncommon to ignore tasks and responsibilities when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Most people find it easier to pretend as if certain tasks aren’t a priority or simply do not exist at all. This often helps overwhelmed individuals by giving the illusion that their task list isn’t as long (and therefore, not as stressful).

Your Emotions Change

Irregular emotions are also a sign of being overwhelmed, as stress overload weakens thinking skills, further leading to an overuse of emotions. Things that used to only mildly annoy you now make you feel full-out rage. You may find yourself constantly irritable, or you cry a lot and don’t know why. This emotional imbalance could mean you are experiencing extreme stress and have been for some time.

You Always Feel Sick

Feeling physically sick is never fun. It’s an especially uncomfortable feeling when it’s always happening. Headaches, fatigue, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, aches, and sore throat can all be physical signs of being extremely overwhelmed. And, they can happen frequently during a stressful period.

One physiological reason for stress-induced ailments is a result of—once again—cortisol. When you experience stress for extended periods of time, your body eventually loses cortisol, which in turn weakens your immune system and increases the chances of physical ailments.

In my personal experience, the physical signs came last and are what made me realize I had been overwhelmed for months—or even years—before I recognized it. I always had trouble sleeping, but now I had full-blown insomnia, frequent fast heart palpitations, tingling in my feet, and fatigue, consistently. These symptoms went away when I quit a job that was inducing the majority of my unnecessary stress.

What Can You Do When You’re Overwhelmed?

I’ll be the first to admit: It can be easier to say the remedies of relieving stress than do them. Rest is arguably the best medicine for being overwhelmed. However, adequate rest may not be realistic for the working adult and/or college student. If you are not able to completely halt your life (like most of us), you can instead evaluate your workload and eliminate at least one task, even if it’s just temporary.

“Quitting something for the sake of your health is a beneficial thing. Once you are able to allocate some downtime, you can use it to reflect more thoroughly on what caused you to become overwhelmed in the first place.”

Quitting something for the sake of your health is a beneficial thing. Once you are able to allocate some downtime, you can use it to reflect more thoroughly on what caused you to become overwhelmed in the first place. This level of reflection is best processed by using a journal or speaking with a therapist.

How Can You Prevent A Breakdown?

There are a few ways to prevent a breakdown, even if your stress has already begun.

Be Proactive With Self-Care. Take intentional measures to relax, such as: meditating, taking a bubble bath, sleeping in, journaling, doing a skincare routine, or whatever else calms your mind and body after a long day. Regularly allowing time for rejuvenation is important to keeping your stress levels low.
Exercise. Working out can often lead to increased happiness and decreased stress. You don’t have to go to the gym if you don’t want. You could incorporate daily movement, in the form of a hike, swim, or by doing fun and short YouTube workouts at home!
Be Attentive. While it is easy to ignore our problems in an effort to remain stress-free, pretending our problems or upset feelings don’t exist actually promotes stress. Be mindful of your emotions and what issues are causing the negative ones. Accepting your emotions early on will allow you to process in real time to avoid a burnout later.

Being overwhelmed is not a good feeling. Even worse, being overwhelmed to the extent that you experience a total burnout can be life-changing—some report that recovering from severe stress overload can take as long as three years. It’s important to recognize the signs of being overwhelmed early so that you can avoid this shutdown and live a life uninterrupted by stress.

Will You Know You're Feeling Overwhelmed Before It’s Too Late?