Another Word for Stressed

Mild · A little, in the background

pressured

You feel a push to deliver, but it is manageable.

tense

Your body is holding tightness in your jaw or shoulders.

preoccupied

Part of your mind stays on the problem all day.

edgy

A little short-tempered because something is weighing on you.

uptight

Tight and rigid, finding it hard to unwind.

strained

You are working harder than feels comfortable to keep up.

Moderate · Clearly there, hard to ignore

harried

Hurried and harassed by constant demands.

frazzled

Scattered and frayed after too many pulls on you.

burdened

Weighed down by responsibilities you carry alone.

overloaded

More on your plate than you can handle well.

under the gun

Informal: racing against a hard deadline.

wired

Buzzing with tense energy that makes rest hard.

stretched thin

Your time and energy are spread across too many things.

besieged

Pressure is coming from every side at once.

Intense · Strong, taking over

overwhelmed

The pressure has grown bigger than you can hold.

at breaking point

You feel one more thing will make you snap.

frantic

Stress that makes you rush and scramble without thinking.

fried

Informal: stress has burned through your ability to focus.

cracking under pressure

Your usual calm and control are giving way.

maxed out

There is truly no capacity left for anything new.

burned out

Long-term stress has left you depleted and detached.

I'm stressed about money.

I'm preoccupied with money, I check my balance every morning.

Work has me stressed.

Work has me harried, I eat lunch at my desk most days.

I'm stressed about the wedding.

I'm frazzled by the wedding planning, the seating chart alone took a week.

I've been so stressed lately.

I've been fried lately, even small decisions feel heavy.

Exams make me stressed.

Exam week puts me under the gun, three papers due in four days.