How to Recognise When You’re Under Too Much Pressure

Busy periods are part of everyday life.

You might have deadlines at work, family responsibilities, money worries, appointments or simply lots of things that need your attention.

Some pressure can help us focus and get things done.

But how do you know when being busy has turned into being under too much pressure?

Often, the answer is not how much you have to do. It is how that pressure is starting to affect you.

When does pressure become too much?

There is no single point at which pressure becomes stress.

Different people can manage different amounts, and your own capacity can change depending on what else is happening in your life.

You may normally manage a demanding job without difficulty.

But add poor sleep, financial worries, a family problem or caring responsibilities and the same workload may suddenly feel much harder.

Rather than asking:

“Should I be able to cope with this?”

it may be more useful to ask:

“How is everything I’m dealing with affecting me?”

Look for changes from what is normal for you

One of the most useful ways to recognise too much pressure is to notice changes in yourself.

Perhaps you are usually patient but have started becoming irritated by small things.

Maybe you normally make decisions easily but now find yourself putting them off.

You might notice that you are:

working longer but achieving less
making more mistakes
struggling to concentrate
forgetting things
becoming more impatient
avoiding tasks or conversations
finding it difficult to switch off
sleeping badly
withdrawing from other people
losing interest in things you normally enjoy

One difficult day does not necessarily mean you are under too much pressure.

Look for patterns that are continuing or becoming more noticeable.

Are you constantly trying to catch up?

Another warning sign can be the feeling that you are never quite on top of things.

You finish one task and immediately worry about the next.

You work later to catch up, but still feel behind.

You use evenings or weekends to deal with things you did not finish during the week.

Eventually there may be very little time when your mind is not thinking about what needs doing next.

If this sounds familiar, it may be worth looking at the overall demands on you rather than simply trying to work faster.

Have you stopped doing things that normally help?

When people are under pressure, some of the first things to disappear can be the things that help them recharge.

You may stop:

taking proper breaks
seeing friends
exercising
spending time on hobbies
eating regular meals
getting enough sleep
having time to yourself

It can feel sensible to remove these things because you are busy.

But if every part of your day becomes about dealing with responsibilities, you may have fewer opportunities to recover from the pressure.

Are small things starting to feel like big things?

Sometimes a useful warning sign is how you react to relatively ordinary problems.

A delayed train, an unexpected email, somebody asking you a question or discovering that you have forgotten something might suddenly feel enormous.

The small problem may not really be the issue.

It could be a sign that you already have very little capacity left.

Ask yourself:

“Would this normally bother me this much?”

If the answer is no, think about what else you have been dealing with recently.

Try a simple pressure check

Take a moment and ask yourself:

What is demanding most from me at the moment?
How long has this been going on?
Am I getting enough opportunity to recover?
What have I stopped doing because I am too busy?
Am I behaving differently from usual?
Is the pressure affecting my sleep or relationships?
Is there anything I can reduce, postpone, share or ask for help with?

You do not have to wait until you feel completely overwhelmed before making a change.

Recognising your own warning signs earlier may help you act before pressure becomes harder to manage.

When might I need more support?

If pressure is continuing, you are finding it increasingly difficult to cope, or it is significantly affecting your work, relationships, sleep or everyday life, consider seeking additional support.

You could talk to somebody you trust, your GP or another healthcare professional.

Counselling or talking therapies may also help some people explore the pressures they are experiencing and identify ways of managing them.

2.2 – What Are the Signs of Stress?
2.3 – Why Do I Feel Overwhelmed?
2.7 – Practical Ways to Reduce Everyday Stress
2.10 – Creating a Simple Stress Action Plan
11.5 – Identifying Your Stress Triggers

General information only. This is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional healthcare advice.