Feeling this way is heavy, and you don't have to have it figured out before you ask for help. The practical question is who to talk to first — here is what each person can actually do for you.
Sometimes the right move is a person, not an app. Open a card to see what each one can actually do for you — and what to know before you go.
What they can actually do for you
Can evaluate what stress is doing to your body and sleep, treat what is treatable, and write the documentation that protected leave and accommodations often require.
What to know before you go
Your employer is not entitled to your diagnosis — paperwork for leave or accommodations usually needs functional limits, not medical details. You choose what to share at work.
For this situation: Start here when your sleep, appetite, or health has changed — and when you may need documentation for time away.
What they can actually do for you
Can help you untangle what is situational from what runs deeper, build ways of coping that fit you, and be a steady place to think out loud that has nothing to do with your job.
What to know before you go
Therapy is confidential and separate from work, with narrow legal exceptions like risk of harm. Cost varies — your health plan or EAP often covers some sessions.
For this situation: Start here when the load is more mental than physical and you want ongoing support.
What they can actually do for you
Can set you up with short-term counseling, referrals, and sometimes legal or financial consultations — free, through a benefit many employers already pay for.
What to know before you go
EAPs are run by outside providers and sessions are confidential — employers see usage counts, not names. Sessions are limited; ask what happens when they run out.
For this situation: Often the fastest free first step — many EAPs book a counselor within days.
What they can actually do for you
Can change what is actually on your plate — deadlines, workload, priorities — and is usually the fastest route to fixing a problem inside your team. Can also speak up for you in rooms you are not in.
What to know before you go
Managers are not required to keep what you share confidential, and many are expected to pass anything that sounds legal or medical to HR. Decide what you want them to do with what you tell them before you share it.
For this situation: The person who can actually change your workload — you decide how much to share.
What they can actually do for you
Can fix process problems — pay errors, benefits enrollment, policy questions — and is required to act on some kinds of reports, like harassment or discrimination. Can walk you through your formal options.
What to know before you go
HR also works for the company. What you disclose may be documented or shared, and some disclosures start a formal process you cannot undo. Know what is protected before you disclose.
For this situation: Relevant when you want formal accommodations or protected leave paperwork.