Ever felt like your head was screaming "No more information!".

If you said yes, apparently you are not alone. Not only the feeling of overload, but also the experience of slow recall of names or maybe phone numbers that you've known quite well ordinarily.

It seems that our old friend "stress" contributes to this but we do ourselves as well.

Sometimes we think that feeling stressed is actually working hard. We crank up the level of stress thereby perpetrating it and it becomes a habit that makes us feel we are doing a good job. However when we can't think clearly and some tasks take twice as long, we get to the screaming point.

There are several approaches to this on the Internet. One article actually labels this as ADT or Attention Deficit Trait. This is different from the Disorder in that we can choose to not overload our brains. Besides the last thing we need is another label!

A couple of tips: How is your work environment? If there is a lot of fear and intimidation this will certainly contribute to your stress. What about all of your to-dos?

Can you remember all your work obligations, your family appointments and everything else you have going on?

Each individual has a different way of managing information. You need to find what works for you and there is one item you don't need to boggle your brain with. It seems that healthy coping involves organization and spontaneity - a combination that is difficult for some to reach.

Maybe with a holiday week-end approaching you can schedule in a healthy brain break.

Yoga, walks, swimming all help with that mental break.  Remember that the effects of long-term stress have long been documented as being hard on your health.

Take care of your mental health and the rest will fall in line.

Comments/questions: barriequappe@yahoo.com