An unsustainable workload feels like a personal failing long before it looks like a staffing problem — and it usually isn't yours to absorb alone. The most useful next step is a specific conversation about priorities, with your list in hand.
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 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 one person who can actually take things off your plate — a prioritized list makes the ask concrete.
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: Free, confidential support while the load is heavy — including short-term counseling.
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: When the workload has started following you home — sleep, dread, health — support for you comes first.
This page is general guidance to help you decide what fits — not professional advice.