When “I’m Sorry” Isn’t Enough: Protecting Your Mental Health at Work

You’ve asked for more help—more staff, more resources, more time—again and again. You’ve presented data, shared reports, explained trade-offs, and documented the risks. Yet the answer often comes back the same: a sympathetic nod, maybe even an “I’m sorry,” but no real relief, no action, no remedy, nor a solution. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many employees live in this cycle, where overwork becomes normalized and requests for support fade into background noise.

As Bridget Schulte describes in Overwhelmed, the modern workplace is built on a culture of “always on” expectations, where too many demands collide with too few supports. The result? Employees are left holding the gap, shouldering the strain, and quietly burning out. The good news is that while you may not be able to change the system overnight, you can use everyday strategies to protect yourself and quietly advocate for healthier norms.

Set Clear Boundaries and Model Sustainability

One of the first steps in resisting overwork is drawing a line between your job and your life. Boundaries may feel selfish, but in reality, they’re acts of professionalism. They show what it takes to deliver consistent, high-quality work. Communicating that you’ll be offline after a certain time, or that you take an actual lunch break, normalizes balance in environments where exhaustion is often celebrated.

Framing boundaries as a way to protect your focus—“to deliver this project well, I’ll be unavailable after 6 but back at 8:30”—turns them into advocacy. You’re making visible what sustainable work requires, not just for you but for anyone in your role.

Prioritize Relentlessly and Share the Load of Decision-Making

When staff is reduced, the workload rarely shrinks. Everything suddenly feels urgent. This is where prioritization becomes not just a survival tactic but a leadership skill. By ranking your tasks and sharing that list with your supervisor—“Here’s what I can complete this week; which should take precedence?”—you shift responsibility for impossible choices back where it belongs.

This isn’t about refusing to work hard; it’s about refusing to silently absorb the impossible. Prioritization opens a door for advocacy, making clear that without more resources or adjustments, something must give. It’s a quiet way of saying: the math doesn’t work.

Practice Strategic “No” Without Burning Bridges

For many people, saying no feels risky. But resistance doesn’t always require refusal—it can mean reframing. Instead of automatically agreeing, offer trade-offs: “I can take this on, but it will delay X. Which should we prioritize?” You’re still collaborative, but you’re naming the cost.

Each time you negotiate instead of absorbing, you’re doing more than protecting your own bandwidth. You’re providing leaders with visibility into how stretched the system is. A strategic “no” isn’t just about guarding your time; it’s about advocating for alignment between expectations and resources.

Document Your Workload to Make the Invisible Visible

One of the most overlooked tools for both self-protection and advocacy is documentation. When you track what you’ve accomplished, what’s pending, and what has been delayed due to staffing, you give shape to the invisible. Sharing updates in check-ins—“Here’s what moved forward, here’s what’s delayed, here’s why”—protects your reputation while offering leaders data they can’t ignore.

Documentation is advocacy disguised as clarity. It helps you demonstrate where bottlenecks really come from and why additional staff, tools, or time aren’t luxuries but necessities.

Lean on Peer Support and Create a Collective Voice

Burnout can make you feel like you’re the only one struggling, but chances are your peers are carrying similar weight. Small conversations—a quick check-in, a shared strategy, or even acknowledgment of stress—build resilience. More importantly, when patterns emerge, they can be surfaced together.

Leaders are less likely to dismiss concerns raised by multiple people. Turning individual exhaustion into a collective narrative is one of the most effective forms of advocacy. You’re not complaining—you’re offering a picture of systemic strain.

Use Organizational Resources to Signal What Matters

Many organizations provide wellness programs or assistance services, but stigma keeps them underused. Choosing to access these resources—and encouraging others to do the same—sends a quiet but powerful message: these supports matter. When utilization rises, leadership takes notice. What feels like a personal choice becomes a cultural signal, one that advocates for more robust systems of care.

Protect Your Non-Work Identity and Push Back Against Overwork Culture

Overwork convinces us that our jobs should define us. But reclaiming your identity outside of work—whether through family, hobbies, volunteering, or rest—pushes back against that narrative. Scheduling personal commitments the same way you schedule meetings reinforces the truth Schulte underscores: people need time for love, play, and restoration to thrive.

When you live that truth openly, you’re advocating for cultural change. You’re demonstrating that productivity isn’t about being “always on”—it’s about working in rhythms that are sustainable for the long term.

Takeaway: Resistance That Protects and Advocates

If you’ve asked for more staff, more resources, or more time and been met only with “I’m sorry,” you still have agency. Boundaries, prioritization, strategic no’s, documentation, peer support, resource use, and protecting your non-work identity all protect your mental health while making systemic strain visible. They are forms of resistance and advocacy rolled into one—professional, transparent, and sustainable. They don’t sabotage your job; they sustain your career, and they slowly but surely nudge workplace culture toward fairness, trust, and balance.