5 tips to lighten your mental load and learn to relax | Network News

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:

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.

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.

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.