There’s a healthy and unhealthy way to bring work home. And if you’re like ⅔ of other Americans, you’ve experienced the unhealthy way before.  

It hits you like a wall. The feeling that anchors you to your desk chair, it jolts you aware but frantic all at once. There are so many tasks left to be done in the day and your first cup of coffee is still on your desk, more than half full. That alone is an issue. If you can’t finish your morning coffee, how does anyone expect anything to get done?

The humor of coffee-addicts aside, that anchor jolts a lot of us now and again. It’s the feeling that keeps you at work later than you should be, focused on a project that doesn’t even make sense anymore. Most professionals know the feeling inside and out; far better than they’re willing to admit they do.

Anxiety is an unwelcome guest who stays too long, never shuts out the lights, and puts the milk back in the refrigerator when there’s next to nothing left. For some, it’s a recurring experience that leaves the host exhausted. For others, it comes but once in a great while and does not stay long. Regardless of your visitor’s length of stay or frequency, people are becoming more and more aware of the sensation. That’s not to say people don’t suffer from anxiety, but it is to note that overall, people are beginning to take into account the things that cross their boundaries.

Like work, on the occasion, there’s a deadline. Or a client has an urgent request. Or when your boss is breathing down your neck, again, because wow. The report should have been delivered yesterday at this point.  Being overwhelmed at work happens for a bunch of different reasons, obviously not limited to deadlines and bosses. You could be overwhelmed because there’s a hiring freeze and you can’t finish yesterday’s tasks today.

There are a variety of scenarios you could think up those feelings might apply to, especially in today’s workplace where the traditional boundaries are gone. Some companies allow their employees to work remotely, but if you aren’t disciplined enough – the perk, while it sounds great – you can take a left turn down the path towards burnout because the lines of home and work disappear.

Even though working from the couch in your PJs most days sounds like the dream, many people aren’t surprised to find themselves lonely, bored, overworked, and burnt out when they work from home five days a week.

To those who are burnt out, there’s little need to worry. Especially if you like your job. There’s not much a change of scenery, a break, and a coffee with the nice creamer can’t fix. That said, if it’s one thing time teaches, it’s that a quiet afternoon spent looking out at a different street, or a new coffee shop wall, or just a different part of the room can change how you feel about something if you let it. Being overwhelmed with work is all consuming, especially in the moment.

Whether you are a person who deals with anxiety every single day, or you have phases at work where your task list bogs you down to a point where you feel suffocated, you are not alone. There are several ways to address this issue before it gets to a point where you burn out. First and foremost is recognizing your needs. If you’ve been working 12 hour days for weeks at a time, it’s time to ask for help. Talk to your manager or supervisor and explain what’s been going on. They may be able to help you delegate or speed up a few processes that give you your work/life balance back. If you find that your work from home days turn into work from home nights, set an alarm. Stop the clock, get up, put your computer away, and leave your home, whether its to run an errand or go for a walk. A concrete “The day has ended and I am done working” moment can help redraw your boundary line and remind you that working from home does not mean working for every moment you are at home.

Ultimately, maintaining a work/life balance and dealing with work anxieties boils down to self-awareness. You need to take responsibility for your personal needs, whether it’s asking for help meeting deadlines or shutting down your computer at the end of the day. Work should not feel like a prison. And if it does, it’s time to find your escape hatch.