I was so happy when the research came out differentiating the types of tasks (anticipation, planning, monitoring). I often think about how defining mental load does need our own next steps to ask of “how does one define which parts of one’s mental load are actually detrimental?” Is it part calming to feel like you are steering the ship? Is it overwhelming when it hits a specific or relative threshold? And my lingering question is always, what am I missing here - is it the lack of something seemingly unrelated that makes mental load heavy, or is it the objective load? perhaps it’s what I call the recovery time between stress cycles - for some that’s short and other long, for some it’s being in the forest, and others long chats with an old friend or both and more. What is it exactly that makes a load heavy?
These are great questions! "What is it EXACTLY that makes a load heavy?" 💯
This line of thinking makes me consider how individual this stressor is. What is heavy for one person is not heavy for another. What is "calming" and what is "overwhelm" also plays into individual interpretations, personality types, context, etc.
Is "recovery time" between stress cycles reliant on spinning plates going into autopilot? If so, how do we achieve that?
Molly I’m pretty sure you and I would have a blast if we were ever sitting next to each other at a dinner party because I inevitably turn every conversation to these topics as well! 🤣 Love this plate spinning analogy, the mental load literally makes me dizzy at times there’s just so much to anticipate, research, decide, implement and monitor! 😵💫Thank you so much for diving into this topic, can’t wait to read the series with Haley’s insight too.
I was so happy when the research came out differentiating the types of tasks (anticipation, planning, monitoring). I often think about how defining mental load does need our own next steps to ask of “how does one define which parts of one’s mental load are actually detrimental?” Is it part calming to feel like you are steering the ship? Is it overwhelming when it hits a specific or relative threshold? And my lingering question is always, what am I missing here - is it the lack of something seemingly unrelated that makes mental load heavy, or is it the objective load? perhaps it’s what I call the recovery time between stress cycles - for some that’s short and other long, for some it’s being in the forest, and others long chats with an old friend or both and more. What is it exactly that makes a load heavy?
These are great questions! "What is it EXACTLY that makes a load heavy?" 💯
This line of thinking makes me consider how individual this stressor is. What is heavy for one person is not heavy for another. What is "calming" and what is "overwhelm" also plays into individual interpretations, personality types, context, etc.
Is "recovery time" between stress cycles reliant on spinning plates going into autopilot? If so, how do we achieve that?
Ooooh, I have so many more questions, Thara!
Molly I’m pretty sure you and I would have a blast if we were ever sitting next to each other at a dinner party because I inevitably turn every conversation to these topics as well! 🤣 Love this plate spinning analogy, the mental load literally makes me dizzy at times there’s just so much to anticipate, research, decide, implement and monitor! 😵💫Thank you so much for diving into this topic, can’t wait to read the series with Haley’s insight too.
Ha! It would be the kind of party where we would start talking and look up and hour later and realize we cleared out the whole room 😂
Oh for sure!! 🤣