overwhelmed

To feel overwhelmed is to have too much on your plate and not know how to deal with it all. It's like drowning in a sea of tasks, worries, or emotions.

When we talk about being overwhelmed, usually we're talking about feeling completely swamped by a situation or problem that seems impossible to handle. For example, imagine you've just landed a new job, but your boss is breathing down your neck, and the work piles up faster than you can do it. Or maybe you've taken on too many projects at once and can't seem to keep track of any of them. Being overwhelmed might also come from external sources, like dealing with a stressful situation at home or feeling anxious about an upcoming event. It's not always easy to put your finger on what's causing the overwhelm, but it usually feels like everything is piling up against you and you're running out of steam.