When business pressures keep accumulating, start by making the demands visible. Which commitments are genuinely necessary? Which decisions are waiting? Where do you need support rather than another instruction to work harder?
This guide concerns work planning and leadership conversations. It does not diagnose stress-related symptoms or provide medical or mental-health treatment. If you are concerned about your health, seek qualified healthcare support.
Separate a work problem from a health question
You do not need to diagnose yourself before asking for help. A coaching conversation can explore responsibilities, priorities and working habits; a healthcare professional is the appropriate person to discuss symptoms, assessment and treatment. Do not assume that an unexplained physical or emotional difficulty is simply caused by your workload.
For Canadian readers, Government of Canada support information provides routes to mental-health help. In immediate danger or when urgent medical support is needed, call 9-1-1. If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8. Coaching is not a crisis service.
Make a short pressure inventory
Write down the work situations creating pressure, using specific examples rather than judging yourself. For each, record the commitment, its actual deadline, who depends on it and what is missing.
- A project has a promised delivery date but no agreed scope.
- Two people believe they own the same decision.
- Routine questions arrive after hours because no backup is named.
- New work is being accepted without reviewing existing commitments.
Keep the record proportionate and protect confidential information. You are looking for a useful next conversation, not building another reporting burden.
Sort what you can change, negotiate or escalate
Some changes are within your authority: removing an unnecessary meeting or clarifying when you will review routine messages. Others require agreement, such as moving a deadline or adding support. Some issues need a formal workplace process or specialist advice.
Do not quietly transfer the problem to a colleague. Discuss capacity, responsibilities and consequences with the people affected. If a situation feels unsafe, use an appropriate support route rather than assuming a direct conversation is always suitable.
For example, a hypothetical owner has promised two proposals for Friday while covering an absent colleague. The useful decision is not “be more positive.” It is whether scope, timing or available support can change—and who will communicate that decision.
Agree on one practical adjustment
Choose a change specific enough to review. A team might establish a backup for customer queries, distinguish urgent from routine requests or pause a lower-priority commitment. Write down the owner, the agreed boundary and a review date.
Review both the intended benefit and unintended effects. Are there fewer unresolved handoffs? Are customers receiving clear information? Has someone else inherited an unrealistic workload? Adjust the arrangement when the evidence calls for it.
Our guides to realistic time management, effective delegation and burnout and appropriate support develop these work-design questions.
Do not turn support into another performance target
A leader’s role is not to demand that everyone becomes more resilient. Listen, clarify what can change and follow through on commitments. Respect privacy: people should not have to share a diagnosis in a team meeting to discuss an overloaded schedule.
Work changes are not a substitute for care, and a short call cannot promise relief, restored energy or improved health. If business coaching is appropriate, its role is to support reflection and action on the business issues within scope.
Explore whether business coaching fits
To discuss priorities, responsibilities or a difficult business conversation, book a free 15-minute fit call. This is a conversation about fit, not a treatment or emergency appointment. You may also apply for two weeks of free coaching; applications are reviewed manually and acceptance is not guaranteed.
