How mental load of mental health harms

What do we cook today? Is there anything else in the fridge? Who buys the food when? Oh, toothpaste is also empty – so on the shopping list! Speaking of: When is the next appointment at the orthodontist? We urgently need to make the application to the health insurance company. But the printer cartridge is empty. Maybe I can get them right away if I get the gift for the children’s birthday. How much clock did it go again …?

Always having to think about everything can become a real burden. This invisible pressure has a name: mental load. What is meant is the permanent thinking about organization and care in everyday life – especially in families, but also in couple relationships, in the care of relatives or in the job. It usually remains invisible, but is noticeably present. And it can make you sick in the long run.

Mental Load: What is that anyway?

Mental Load includes all organizational, often unpaid tasks in everyday life that run in the head: coordinating appointments, thinking about birthdays, sorting clothes, planning shopping, organizing care, keeping needs of children or relatives in need of care – and much more. But the many emotional tasks also include. This long -term cognitive work usually runs in the background, is often accepted as a matter of course and less valued.

It is particularly common for women, especially when they have children. For example, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality, 70 percent of women spend at least five hours a day in the childcare of their own children under the age of 12. It is only 28 percent in men. At the same time, 42 percent of men have at least three hours a day for leisure activities, for women it is only 28 percent. This imbalance – also called Gender Care GAP – is mainly due to traditional role models and has direct consequences for mental and physical health. You can see whether you are affected yourself in this Online test find out.

Health effects of mental load

Because a permanently overloaded brain is under stress. If you are constantly responsible and have to keep an overview, you hardly find time for relaxation. Even sleep no longer brings real regeneration because the head continues to work and stays in alarm mode at night. Typical consequences of chronic overload from mental load are persistent exhaustion, irritability, forgetfulness as well as sleep disorders and headaches. Increased blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, tinnitus as well as anxiety, depressive moods or even burnout can result.

There are various strategies to reduce mentally load and to distribute responsibility between the partners or within the family: a mindful handling of mental load begins with open communication at eye level. It is important to talk to each other regularly and to clarify what tasks are pending and who assumes which responsibility – without starting allegations.

It is also helpful to make all the tasks visible. A written overview creates clarity about how much to do and enables a fairer distribution. It is crucial that not only tasks are delegated, but responsibility is really shared – this also includes thinking. A jointly created budget and regular agreements can bring relief here.

At the same time, it is important to take off perfectionism and give tasks even if they are not done exactly as you would do it yourself. Anyone who learns to let go wins space to relieve. It is just as important to recognize personal limits and sometimes say no – because self -care is not a weakness, but a protective mechanism. Support can and should be actively accepted: whether by family members, external help or digital helpers.

Last but not least, your own needs should be taken seriously. Time in itself is not luxury, but essential for mental health. Hobbies, movement, social contacts or just a break – all of these are important resources to stabilize in everyday life. Because mental load is not an individual failure, but a structural problem that can be recognized, named and actively addressed.