When Work Stress Starts Feeling Unmanageable
Trapped in Overwhelm is a short, science-informed guide for professionals who feel constantly behind, mentally overloaded, or close to burnout — and want to pause before things escalate.
It’s designed for moments when stress has started to take over thinking, motivation, or decision-making, and “just pushing through” no longer works.
Rather than offering quick fixes or productivity hacks, this guide focuses on small, realistic steps that help you regain some control when everything feels like too much — so you can think again and decide what comes next.
What this guide helps you do
Inside Trapped in Overwhelm, you’ll find five simple, practical shifts designed for moments of overload — when clarity is low and energy is limited.
Specifically, the guide helps you:
Take a first step when you feel stuck or frozen, even if motivation is low
Interrupt spiraling thoughts and worst-case predictions before they fully take over
Lower internal pressure when expectations have quietly become unsustainable
Regain perspective when everything feels urgent or equally important
Step out of comparison and reconnect with what you actually need right now
Each shift is explained briefly and paired with a small action you can try immediately — without preparation, special tools, or extra time.
The goal isn’t to solve stress, fix your work situation, or make everything feel better.
It’s to help you regain enough agency and mental space to move again.
What this guide is — and what it isn’t
This guide is:
A calm starting point when stress feels overwhelming
Practical and grounded in how the stress system works
Designed for real-world constraints and limited capacity
This guide is not:
A full stress-management program
A productivity system
A replacement for therapy, medical care, or organizational change
Think of it as a first foothold — not a solution.
Optional supporting material
To support reflection and follow-through, the guide also includes a printable checklist to keep the five shifts visible and easy to return to. it is optional. Use it if you feel it helps.
Why this approach is different
Your brain isn’t failing — it’s responding to sustained load.
When stress accumulates, the nervous system prioritizes survival over clarity. Motivation drops, thinking narrows, and even small tasks can feel overwhelming.
The shifts in this guide are grounded in cognitive neuroscience and stress physiology. They’re not meant to eliminate stress, but to interrupt escalation, reduce overload, and restore just enough stability to think and act again.
These principles are used by professionals in healthcare, education, technology, management, and other high-pressure fields — not to push harder, but to regain orientation when stress starts to take over.
A first step — not a solution
You don’t need to fix everything today.
This guide is meant to help you pause, stabilize, and see more clearly — so you can decide what makes sense next for you.
Choose one small action.
Notice what changes.
Use that clarity to decide what comes next — whether that’s adjusting how you work, seeking deeper support, or simply doing nothing for now.
About the author
Written by Dr. Erwin van den Burg
Neuroscientist & Workplace Stress Specialist
PhD in Neurophysiology
Research background in stress, anxiety, and brain function
Founder of StressInsight, a science-based platform helping individuals and organizations understand and reduce chronic stress
Experience supporting professionals facing mental overload, persistent pressure, and loss of control at work
Download Trapped in Overwhelm
A calm starting point when stress feels persistent.
Nothing to fix. Nothing to optimize.
Just something small you can try when everything feels like too much.
