Feeling overwhelmed at work? Here’s how to handle it effectively.

Running a successful business isn’t just about finding a great idea or hiring a great team to surround yourself with; it’s also about staying motivated and making sure you don’t feel too overwhelmed. Keep in mind, however, that recognizing that you are overwhelmed is not a sign of weakness but of great self-awareness.

It’s a skill to step back from a project and say, “I’m overwhelmed and need more help on this project or time to regroup.” As a founder and business owner at ButterflyMX, I’ve learned that how you proceed after this recognition is critical to not letting your overwhelm turn into burnout.

Related: Overwhelmed? These 10 techniques can help you cope with unpleasant feelings.

First signs of overwhelm

To avoid becoming overwhelmed and turning into burnout, you must first be able to detect it. This is difficult because many early signs of overwhelm are subtle and can be mistaken for typical workplace stress. However, keeping an eye on the indicators to see if they become persistent over time is a good way to realize the overload early.

Here are some key indicators that you are feeling overwhelmed by work:

• Endless feelings of anxiety related to projects, meetings and deadlines.

• Constantly working long hours that significantly disrupt your work-life balance.

• Feeling a continuous decline in job satisfaction despite the results achieved.

• A focus on previously routine tasks and deadlines considered exhausting and tiring.

• You feel like you’re facing challenges you can’t handle rather than challenging yourself in a healthy way.

Overall, when your focus at work shifts from the solutions you’re finding to the problems you’re tackling, you’re probably reaching a tipping point. It is therefore important to tackle this problem head on before it becomes unmanageable.

What fuels the state of overwhelm?

You’ve determined that you may be overwhelmed, which could easily turn into burnout at work. What’s next? Determining what is fueling your overwhelmed feelings could point you toward a solution.

So, what fuels the state of overwhelm?

There are a number of reasons why you may feel overwhelmed by work. The pressure to grow and climb the corporate ladder, the desire to be a vital member of your team, or simply the desire to please your boss and colleagues are all common reasons why people feel overwhelmed. Noticing that you’ve been feeling some or all of these things along with key indicators of overwhelm may mean it’s time for you to set more professional boundaries.

Related: 7 Tips to Avoid Burnout While Growing a Business

Establish professional boundaries

When you respond to feelings of overwhelm, you don’t need to abandon all your responsibilities to avoid burnout. Instead, you can reevaluate your task management style to establish stronger professional boundaries. When you do this, look at how you prioritize projects, how you delegate tasks, and how you and your team members manage your time. You may think you do all of these things well, but until you take a step back and really examine how you handle your tasks, you’re unlikely to reduce your frustrations.

But what exactly does establishing professional boundaries involve? This varies from pro to pro, but most of the time it starts with the same few things.

First, outline and clearly communicate when projects need to be completed, so you and your team are on the same page regarding deadlines.

Second, delegate tasks to your direct reports and ask them to delegate to their teams. Not only does delegating tasks immediately lighten your workload, but it also gives your direct reports a chance to challenge themselves by doing a task outside of their comfort zone. Just be sure to check in on their progress and offer helpful feedback on their work.

Third, establish professional boundaries to avoid being overwhelmed, including project prioritization. Do you have two projects due in the same week and don’t know which one to start with? Consider which project will interest the largest group of people. If one project is a due report that must be completed before a larger project can move forward, and the other project is a draft that won’t be released for several days or even weeks, start with the report. And if you ever need to push back a deadline to prioritize a more urgent project, let those who will be affected know well in advance to avoid surprises.

Related: 7 Ways to Reduce Stress When You’re Overwhelmed and Need to Prioritize

Recover from feeling overwhelmed

Once you’ve addressed the feeling of being overwhelmed head-on, you need to apply long-term solutions to ensure that the same persistent threat of burnout doesn’t plague your future. But how can you do it?

Recognizing areas of imbalance at work is important, but the steps you take to achieve stability are even more important. Maintaining a healthy balance between professional challenges, workloads and professional relationships is crucial to becoming a successful long-term worker.

Remember, knowing that you feel overwhelmed and are taking steps to improve is not an admission of defeat. It’s a sign of self-awareness and dedication to the greater good of your company.