Mental overload, or cognitive overload, occurs when your brain has too much information or too many demands to process.
This can lead to stress, fatigue, difficulty focusing, and emotional distress.
Coping with mental overload involves reaching out for support, practicing self-care, and utilizing coping skills.
Mental overload — also known as cognitive overload — is a common experience that happens to most of us at some point. It’s when your brain is overloaded with too much information or complex tasks that it can’t process. For example, you might face mental overload when you’re trying to keep up with current events or balancing competing deadlines at work.
Experiencing mental overload doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. But you might need to make some adjustments to avoid experiencing burnout. Self-care practices can help. But if your mental overload feels overwhelming, a therapist can provide support.
What mental overload feels like
Mental overload can feel differently for different people. But, in general, it makes you feel like you can’t deal with any more information coming your way.
It can lead to symptoms like:
Feeling more stress than usual or becoming more easily overwhelmed
Being easily distractible or forgetful
Experiencing difficulty focusing and making decisions
Having decreased productivity or worse performance (like dropping grades for students)
Feeling anger, irritability, or resentment
Problem-solving and critical thinking challenges
Having trouble starting and/or finishing tasks
Withdrawing from both demands/activities as well as relationships
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What contributes to mental overdrive
The concept of mental overload is based on the cognitive load theory, which is used often in the field of education and learning. This theory reminds us that the human brain has limits — especially in working memory. We only have a limited amount of working memory that’s available for taking in new information.
In other words, we can only process and retain a certain amount of information at any given time. Research shows that our brains are only capable of processing around 2 to 4 different pieces of information at the same time.
Educators who understand cognitive load theory strive not to give too much new information at once because they know their students won’t really be able to learn or retain it.
But even if you’re not a student, you can be affected by cognitive overload. Some factors that could make you experience mental overload include:
Meeting the demands of a digital working life, like constantly checking emails or needing to keep up with instant messaging platforms
Having to keep up with current events
Experiencing the overload of information that’s available on the internet, including on social media
Increasing demands and responsibilities at work or home
Juggling multiple roles, like parenting, working, or caring for loved ones
Lacking boundaries between work and personal life, especially in remote or hybrid environments
Having unclear expectations from others, whether in personal relationships or at work
In addition to these everyday experiences, living with a mental health or neurodevelopmental condition — like depression or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — could make mental overload worse for some people.
The emotional fallout of brain overload
Experiencing mental overload can affect your emotions. It can involve irritation, frustration, and even anger. This anger can be directed toward both yourself and others. For example, you might feel angry and resentful towards your supervisors for demanding so much of you at work. But you might also become frustrated with yourself for not being able to “handle it.”
Mental overload can also lead to emotional burnout. Burnout can cause you to feel distant or numb from your work. You might feel like there’s no meaning or purpose to what you’re doing. Or you might feel that no matter what you do or how hard you try, it doesn't make a difference.
Some people may also blame themselves for brain overload, which can affect your self-esteem. It’s essential to understand that mental overload has nothing to do with intelligence or capability. It’s simply due to the natural limitations of the human brain, which are outside of our control.
Additionally, if you’re experiencing life stressors, these can place an extra load on your plate making daily tasks overwhelming. For example, if you are moving homes, it may be difficult to find new doctors and register your children for school all at the same time. This workload may be placing too much strain on your brain, making it difficult to complete these tasks.
Working with a mental health professional can help you find ways to achieve balance when periods of mental overload occur.
Healthy ways to cope with mental overload
Mental overload isn’t your fault, but some things you can do to help prevent or minimize it include:
Work on metacognitive skills. Metacognitive skills allow you to reflect on and manage your own thinking and learning abilities. For example, you might know that you’re more likely to retain information when you’ve written it down by hand. Or you might realize that breaking tasks down into smaller steps helps you focus better. Working on strengthening these metacognitive skills may help improve cognitive overload.
Reach out for support. Sometimes, cognitive overload isn’t in your control — you’re simply being given too much information at once. Many educators keep cognitive load in mind when they’re designing classes. But it can help to talk to your teacher or supervisor to brainstorm ideas that might help. It’s possible that you’re just trying to handle too much, and you need to have fewer demands put on you.
Practice self-care. Taking care of your basic needs can also help with mental overload because it can reduce additional unnecessary stress on your brain. For example, getting restful sleep each night is important because sleep deprivation is a major factor that contributes to a decline in cognitive skills.
Create some space. If specific sources of information and/or demands cause mental overload for you, consider taking a break. For example, if the information you get through social media is too much, you might take a social media break. Getting some distance can sometimes help you get back on track.
Talk to a therapist. If mental overload is worsening your mental health, a therapist can help. A therapist can help you practice metacognitive skills and provide a safe space for you to rest your mind. They can also help you with building strategies to manage the demands of life in healthier ways.
One early sign I often see in clients dealing with cognitive overload is difficulty with decision making. Even small, routine choices start to feel overwhelming or exhausting. If you’re able to take some time to recharge and ground yourself before tending to one task, you may be able to complete it with less strain.
Ashley Ayala, LMFT
Clinical reviewer
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Mental overload is normal, and it doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong. But it can feel exhausting. And it could be a sign that you’re under too much pressure. Reaching out for support and practicing self-care can help you manage mental overload. But if it feels like too much to handle on your own, seeking professional support can help. A therapist can teach you coping skills and help you find balance again.
At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best.
Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we're here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.
Saya Des Marais
Saya graduated with her Master in Social Work (MSW) with a concentration in mental health from the University of Southern California in 2010. She formerly worked as a therapist and motivational interviewing trainer in community clinics, public schools, mental health startups, and more.
Her writing has been featured in FORTUNE, GoodRX, PsychCentral, and dozens of mental health apps and therapy websites. Through both her clinical work and her personal OCD diagnosis, she’s learned the importance of making empathetic and accurate mental health content available online.
She lives in Portland, Oregon but you can find her almost just as often in Mexico or in her birthplace, Tokyo.
Ashley Ayala, LMFT
Ashley is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in generational healing and family dynamics. Ashley has worked in schools, clinics, and in private practice. She believes that people’s relationships, including our relationship with ourselves, greatly shape our experiences in life.
Ashley is committed to empowering others to show up authentically and deepen their self understanding. This passion stems from taking a critical lens on her own life story and doing inner healing. One of her favorite quotes is “Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.”
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