Mental load symptoms and solutions

What is “mental load”?

The concept of “ mental load ” was born in the 70s by the French sociologist Monique Haicault during her research on women’s work and the division of tasks between the two sexes. Indeed, at that time, women had an “invisible” workload , that of the entire organization and planning of domestic activities . The mental load defines, according to her, the weight linked to this important management and organization . This includes the anticipation of needs and the management of unforeseen events.

Indeed, when the brain receives a large amount of information , it exhausts the body, it is like an overheating of the brain . The brain can no longer manage the excessive flow of information, there is a saturation , which exhausts all the body's energy reserves.

This mental work of constant planning and anticipation , whether at a professional or personal level, makes it difficult to mentally disconnect , which leads to constant mental stress . This mental work, being invisible , is often underestimated.

Symptoms of mental load

Symptoms of mental stress can affect health at the physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral levels.

In terms of physical symptoms, the mental load puts daily pressure, which leads to constant fatigue . In addition, the fact of not having a mental disconnection even at home, worsens the phenomenon. In addition, as symptoms of the mental load, we observe muscular tension in the shoulders and neck, and numerous headaches caused by an accumulation of stress and anxiety. The excessive and constant mental load prevents people from having restful sleep and promotes insomnia and sleep disorders .

In terms of emotional symptoms, people with a high mental load feel overwhelmed and never complete their tasks. In addition, this continuous pressure strongly affects emotions and promotes irritability and frequent mood swings . Furthermore, as a result of this high mental load, people can develop a feeling of guilt , of not completing their tasks and of the expectations of others, which can very quickly lead to a major loss of self-confidence .

At the level of cognitive symptoms, mental overload leads to certain difficulties in concentration , in particular memory disorders . In fact, we observe in a person overwhelmed by the tasks to be accomplished, frequent forgetfulness. These people have difficulty disconnecting completely , in fact when they are at work, they think about their family responsibilities and likewise, when they are at home, they think about their professional responsibilities. In addition, these same people tend to procrastinate and postpone their tasks and projects until later, which amplifies their mental load.

Even invisible mental stress has real symptoms at the physical, emotional, and cognitive levels. It's important to recognize these symptoms in order to find solutions to manage this mental stress.

The causes of mental load

Mental load is complex and its causes are multiple.

First, there are social factors that can cause mental overload, such as gender stereotypes and the unequal distribution of domestic tasks , as well as strong social pressure at both the professional and personal levels. These social causes push people, especially women, to take on multiple roles and tasks at the same time, which increases the mental load.

The brain is also overloaded by personal factors such as having high expectations of oneself . Being a perfectionist means setting difficult and sometimes even impossible goals, which amplifies the constant pressure and mental load. When people cannot or do not want to delegate , they end up being totally overwhelmed by their responsibilities. And being a multitasker can be seen as a quality in someone, when in reality, these excessive tasks worsen the mental load of the person.

Environmental factors also increase mental stress. A competitive work environment where people are constantly evaluated creates constant pressure on all employees, for example, at a professional level. Family responsibilities such as education, household management, and children's health significantly increase mental stress. One must constantly face challenges that require careful planning. Finally, the pressure to maintain economic balance and manage finances is also a cause of mental stress.

The consequences of mental load

The main consequences of mental load affect mental health, social relationships and professional performance. Indeed, mental overload, through its constant pressure, has a strong impact on the development of depressive disorders , burnouts , conflicts and loneliness in social and family relationships. Furthermore, mental load lowers productivity and creativity, because the brain is always occupied by too large a flow of information. And finally, people affected by this overload have difficulty maintaining a balance between their professional and personal lives.

Some solutions for managing your mental health

Mental load is increasingly recognized for its harmful effects on health, so we have some solutions to relieve this overload.

To begin with, you can establish management strategies such as prioritizing tasks . Indeed, it is important to classify tasks according to their urgency, for example, and you should not hesitate to delegate ! You can also practice relaxation and meditation during your breaks to calm your stress and your mind, in particular through breathing exercises . In addition, practicing regular physical activity will allow you to regulate your stress hormones and help you manage it better.

There are also strategies related to communication, in fact, communicating and talking with your loved ones, colleagues, or family in an honest and open way about the distribution of tasks , allows you to relieve yourself of a burden, for example, you can tell a colleague that you will not have time to carry out such and such a task, he can even help you! Then learning to say a clear “no”, and to really set limits , will allow you to manage your workload and therefore lighten your mental load.

Finally, there are many resources available to reduce mental overload, such as task planning apps like Trello, Todoist, and Asana. These task management apps allow you to centralize tasks in a single application, to gain clarity and reduce forgetfulness. In addition, you can join support groups or participate in workshops to learn how to better manage stress and prioritize your life.

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By combining these strategies, you will have all the tools to relieve yourself of this mental overload, and to improve your overall quality of life.