7 tips to get rid of your mental load
Let's start by defining what a mental load or burden is.
The mental load is defined when the brain exhausts the body. That is to say that the brain receives a large amount of information from morning to night, whether it is media, solicitations of all kinds, social networks for a large majority of individuals.
The mental load can translate into a feeling of obligation to perform all the time, or a feeling of frustration, or a constant worry, which causes a permanent mental pressure.
A concept made less taboo thanks to the cartoonist Emma on "the mental load of women". She talks about the "mental load" that still rests too much on women and would be at the origin of the inequalities in the distribution of domestic tasks. The author describes it as the fact of always having to think about everything, both the next tasks to be done for the house (shopping list, children's vaccine, washing machine, etc...) and asking your spouse to do them.
If you feel concerned, you think of your "to-do list" as a constant source of constraints, obligations, routine ....
In the long run, these consequences are deleterious to your health, a permanent pressure of the mind leads to: chronic stress, insomnia, somatic pain, aggressiveness, depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, etc...
Here are 7 keys to detach from it and tame it with a new eye :
Key 1 : Press the ''Pause'' button
I invite you to zoom out, get out of the tunnel and take a step back.
What do you need? What are your desires, your needs?
What do you choose to do for yourself?
Key 2 : Knowing how to say NO
Our brain will make us feel guilty for taking pleasure, it is a question of accepting that there are certain things that will not be done today. Accepting to give up doing certain things that have been on our "to-do list" for months and that are not a priority and can be delegated.
Key 3 : Delegate
This involves setting a number of priority things to do during the day and asking for help when possible.
Key 4 : Letting go
Accept that life is not perfect, nor your schedule. Accept imperfection.
What will really happen if you don't do this or that task?
Ex: If I don't put the dishes away tonight? If I don't do the washing machine today?
Key 5 : Have something to take notes on
Instead of ruminating, write down what's weighing on you and cluttering up your brain, whether it's in a notebook, a post it or your phone.
Key 6 : Stay in the present moment as much as possible
Take full advantage, be 100% present to what you are doing, with who you are.
Ex: I go for a walk without my phone, I do my shopping without my phone.
Key 7 : Reintegrate pleasure
Enjoy daily life, don't do things in auto pilot mode.
Prioritize what you like best on your list.
Getting out of this mental load is not simple, it is a conscious reflection of a life choice, of a daily discernment. And this choice is yours!
Ask yourself the right questions about what is mentally burdening you ?
