We all know that feeling of exhaustion that just doesn’t go away. No matter how much you sleep, you still wake up feeling the weight of a hundred unfinished tasks, whether it’s replying to a pile of emails in your inbox, booking that appointment you’ve been putting off, or cleaning out the cupboard in your spare room. This is the mental load: the cognitive and emotional labour of managing your own life .. and that of others if you have a family. Learn how to make the mental load more manageable with these five tips:
- Observe your life as it is right now: Many people struggling with stress have normalised it to the point where they no longer register it as a problem. But if left unchecked, chronic stress has a way of expressing itself physically, through things like tension headaches, disrupted sleep, digestive issues or disproportionate irritability.
Taking stock of the stress you’re carrying isn’t about catastrophising or feeling victimised. It’s about being honest with yourself about how you’re functioning across the key areas of your life in terms of sleep quality, energy levels, concentration, relationships and your general sense of enjoyment. If most of those are off balance, this is worth paying attention to.
- Build the basics first: Even just a 20-minute walk outside, for example, can have a significant impact on your mood and anxiety. Consistent sleep patterns also make a big difference, where you go to bed and wake up at similar times each day. This consistency helps you regulate your circadian rhythms that govern your mood and cognitive function. Eating healthily and limiting alcohol also play an important role in your overall mental outlook.
Part of these basics is also managing how exposed you are to information and over-stimulation. Compulsive scrolling and checking work messages out of working hours can severely impact an already overactive nervous system. Create boundaries around how you use technology, for example by putting your phone away two hours before bed and not checking messages the minute you wake up.
- Make space for the things that restore you: Resilience is as much about reducing what depletes you as it is engaging in the activities and habits that replenish you. For some people that means spending time in nature or getting physical exercise. For others, it’s doing a creative activity, spending time with loved ones or having quiet time at home. Whatever activity it is for you, make a point of scheduling it into your week rather than seeing it as a reward once everything else is done. This isn’t being self-indulgent, it’s recognising that juggling modern life and the mental load requires periods of both rest and rejuvenation.
- Ask for help if you need it: While mental health struggles are far more acceptable to talk about these days, there’s still reluctance in many communities to acknowledge that mental health support is a legitimate health need. If you are struggling with the mental load and it’s affecting your overall wellbeing, getting the right support is crucial. If you belong to a medical aid, you may be able to get the support you need as part of your plan’s built-in benefits.
- Prioritise connection: A recent study of over 200 000 adults from 22 countries found that greater contentment with friendships and higher relationship satisfaction were consistently associated with better self-rated mental and physical health. If you live an extremely busy life, this can subtly crowd out time you have for the people who mean the most to you. While this isn’t usually a conscious choice, maintaining these connections is crucial to being able to manage the mental load.
Take the time to make small but consistent plans to connect: meet for a regular coffee with a friend, phone a family member you haven’t spoken to in a while, or enjoy a shared meal with someone who’s known you for decades.
Content by Fedhealth Medical Scheme.
For more on lifestyle, visit Get It Magazine.
