Responding To Cognitive Overload

Responding to Cognitive Overload

Once you recognize that you're overloaded, the next step is to respond instead of pushing through. This is possible even in busy moments, which may be contributing to the reason you're feeling overwhelmed.

Notice, but don't judge
(discussed in the Pause Tip: What Is Mindfulness in Midlife)

It is helpful for me to note the emotion and sort it from the feeling. I may be angry, but I am notorious for being frustrated with myself or disappointed in myself. I can pick that apart and get to the why, but I have the power to stop myself from going down the judging and self-sabotaging rabbit hole. For me, naming the experience helps create some distance from it.

Support the Brain by focusing on what works right now.

Reduce the input by doing one thing at a time.
Close some of the screens on the computer. If you need to finish something at work, maybe you really can afford to turn off the email notifications for 20 minutes if they are distracting. Give yourself enough uninterrupted time to finish what is in front of you.

Pick one thing. Ask yourself, What actually needs my attention right now? Finish that before moving to the next thing.

Alter the demand, but not the end goal.
If you're too mentally tired to tackle the complicated task, do the part you can do now. Save the higher-level thinking for when you have more capacity. (And you will have more capacity another time.)

Use the time you have.
If you have 10 minutes, use 10 minutes. If you need to stop and come back to it, that's a strategy rather than failure.

Don't force yourself to power through cognitive overload. Instead, make small adjustments.