These past few months have been extremely eventful, to say the least. The stay-at-home orders issued due to the COVID-19 pandemic have made us more glued to our screens than ever, and while helping us continue with our daily lives, this increased access to technology can also be very harmful to our mental health.
** Before continuing, I would like to shed light on the issues going on in the world today. From human rights protests to humanitarian crises, 2020 has been a year of change — for better or worse. There are many ways that we can ease the pain of people suffering around us, especially those of us with the privilege and opportunity to do so. So please, take the first step and learn about what is happening in the world today. Hopefully, together, we can make a difference.
Learn more here: https://issuesintheworld.carrd.co
While it's incredibly important to make sure that we help make the lives of everyone around us better, we must also make sure that we don't burn ourselves out in the process. Our world is constantly changing, with new tragedies and conspiracies surfacing each day. According to Professor and Cognitive Neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin, Ph.D., said, "I’ve read estimates there were 30 exabytes of information 10 years ago and today, there’s 300 exabytes of information.” Our minds aren't able to pay attention to so many things at once, and if we try to, we will begin to lose focus, exercise poor judgement, and lose track of time. To prevent this from happening, there are steps we can take to ensure that we don't experience information overload.
Clear your mind — From the moment we wake up, there so many questions, concerns, and unresolved issues floating around in our heads, taking up space in our minds that could be otherwise used to store more important information. So first thing in the morning, when you still have all that post-sleep energy, make sure to unload whatever is on your mind to ensure a fresh, energized start to your day.
Get rid of unnecessary distractions — The amount of time that we spend daily, on average, getting sucked into the world of social media and mobile games is surprisingly high. This contributes heavily to our information overload, and sometimes, it's okay to just turn it all off. Making sure that you stay on track and focused can help you keep a clear head, and deleting Instagram and Candy Crush will actually make you feel much better.
Practice good time management — Working efficiently can help save you a lot of time and effort. By clumping together tasks that are similar and finishing them together, one-by-one, you can keep your attention on one thing at a time. This can stop you from exhausting your mental resources so quickly in the day, giving you more energy for other activities.
Limit multitasking — With multitasking comes indecision. When we try to put our attention into multiple things at once, we spend too much time switching between tasks and disorienting ourselves rather than actually getting work done. Sometimes, juggling two or more things at once can result in information meant to be stored in one part of your brain being sent to another area in your mind, like the one meant for comprehending new skills and ideas. This can be avoided, though, by just focusing on one thing at a time.
Take some me-time — Probably the most important step in preventing information overload, taking breaks gives our mind the chance to reset and "freshen up." Taking a nap, going on a walk, listening to a new album, and practicing other hobbies can help boost your productivity and stimulate more creativity. Just taking some time to do what you truly want to do and letting your thoughts flow freely in daydreams can greatly benefit your mental health.
Hopefully, these tips help you stay calm when absorbing the information around you in the future. It's so important to stay up to date with everything happening in world, participate in engaging discussions, and contribute to causes that could change people's lives for the better, but before doing so, we should always make sure that we are mentally up for the task.
If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. You can reach Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 (U.S.) or 877-330-6366 (Canada) and The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386.
Stay safe everyone!
Written by: Kruthi Gollapudi, Publicist of FMHO
Sources:
Shin, Laura. “10 Steps To Conquering Information Overload.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 14 Nov. 2014, www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2014/11/14/10-steps-to-conquering-information-overload/.
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