When the meeting ends, “I’m fine” is the first thing I say.

Even though the work feels overwhelming at my first job, when a meeting ends, “I’m fine” is still the first thing I say.

Scenes

When the meeting ends, “I’m fine” is the first thing I say. — Even after I get back to my desk when the meeting ends, the work hasn’t let up. But when someone asks if I’m okay, “I’m fine” comes out first.
The work is done, but more gets added — The new hire says in the meeting that they’ve finished their assignment. The team lead nods, then immediately gives them another task.
Afraid I’ll seem like I can’t handle it — The new hire worries that saying the work feels overwhelming will make them seem unable to handle it. So even when asked if they can manage, they say, “I’m fine.”
You can measure the workload — Before blaming your personality for feeling overwhelmed, look at how your tasks and deadlines overlap. Once you can see where they pile up, you can start a more specific conversation.
Tonight, write down just one task that overlaps — Tonight, choose one task still on your mind and write down its name and deadline. Writing it down first may help you see where things overlap.
You can start by changing your answer — Next time someone asks if you’re okay, you could say, “This task has a deadline that overlaps with another, so I need to check the schedule.” Like moving one Go stone, it starts with stating the facts of the work.