Hellre en engelsk Brick wall än att gå in i väggen!

K – Hi Mike!
M – Oh … how are you Karina? You seem a bit stressed out.
K – A bit, yes. I got stuck in traffic, have a fully booked agenda and will probably have to continue working from home tonight - again!
M – Sounds like a problem a lot of people express these days. No one seems to have enough time. That’s tough. Do you have a lot of e-mails to read too?
K – Yes, I never seem to have time for them actually, I probably have a few hundred unread still…
M – Than sounds a lot!
K – Yes, people keep telling me I will be walking into the wall. 
M – Walking into the wall?? Not “running into a brick wall”?
K – Well, it doesn’t necessarily have to be brick…
M – Hmm, I wonder if you mean “running into a brick wall”. In Britain, we use this expression meaning you’ve perhaps had an idea and it’s just not possible to get if off the ground. You’ve sort of reached stop and got no support for your proposal – it could for instance be when you have a splendid idea but the boss says no to it. Then you run into the brick wall.  Well, I don’t think you should worry too much about that - that’s not the end of the world, is it?
K – No. I mean more like I am exhausted, I’ve had too much, I can’t think straight. If I really hit the wall that means I would be so stressed up and tired that I will end up sick – some people that hit the wall need several years to recover if it’s really bad. 
M – Oh dear! That’s not good, I think we would perhaps talk about “a nervous breakdown” – when you have too much stress and cannot cope with anything any longer.
K – But “nervous” – that sounds more like I am a nervous person… I am only a bit stressed. So the expression running into a wall is not the same as when we in Sweden say: “Gå in i väggen” or literally translated; Walk – or run - into the wall”.  
M – No. This is a serious subject but - let me say: Tehee…if you are going to walk into a wall, make sure it is a brick one.
K – Haha, but I am not comfortable with saying “I had a nervous breakdown” either. That sounds even more serious in my “Swedish ears” I think.
M – Try saying you feel “overworked” or just “exhausted” instead. The point here is that sometimes, it’s easy to think that words or phrases that sound similar have the same meaning in both languages. To avoid misunderstandings, it is very important that you use the right expression or idiom for the situation you are describing. 
K - Thanks Mike, for explaining that. 
M – My pleasure, I am happy to help. And if you, who are listening to this – and feel like Karina in our dialogue here – that you could benefit from some support in this area, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You’ll find our contact address on the blog page.

A little hint from Mike:
Do not assume that you can use your favourite Swedish expression in English. Unfortunately, it is the nature of all idiomatic expressions in any language that they are almost always used spontaneously without any prior consideration in any given situation. Take a few minutes to collect together  a selection of these, as and when you come across them and note them carefully. You can start with the ones that are used most commonly and work up to the more unusual and subtle expressions. They certainly make your communications more interesting and often more familiar, and sometimes help you to find common ground with your listener. This is a process of constant, ongoing preparation.