Information Overload
Have you ever picked up your phone to check one notification and found yourself, 30 minutes later, scrolling through a mix of breaking news, social media updates and endless streams of content? You're not alone. Many of us consume more information in a single day than previous generations encountered in weeks. While staying connected can have benefits, the constant flow of news and social media can leave us feeling overwhelmed, anxious and mentally drained. As information becomes increasingly unavoidable, it's worth asking: how much is too much, and what effect is it having on our mental health?
If the news and other media feel overwhelming, we might be experiencing information overload. This happens when we take in too much information in one go, and instead of being able to process it, we can be left feeling anxious, confused and mentally exhausted.
Signs you may be experiencing Information Overload
Information overload doesn't always feel obvious. It can gradually build up as we consume increasing amounts of news, social media content, emails, messages and online information throughout the day. Some common signs include:
- Feeling mentally exhausted or overwhelmed, even when you haven't been physically active.
- Difficulty concentrating or staying focused on tasks.
- Constantly checking news websites, social media feeds or notifications.
- Feeling anxious, stressed or unsettled after spending time online.
- Struggling to make decisions because there is too much information to process.
- Trouble retaining information or remembering what you've read.
- Feeling pressured to stay up to date with every news story or online trend.
- Experiencing disrupted sleep, particularly after consuming news or social media before bed.
- Finding it difficult to switch off or take breaks from digital devices.
- Feeling emotionally drained by exposure to distressing news, debates or online discussions.
When does it become a Problem?
Staying informed and connected is an important part of modern life, but information overload can become problematic when it begins to negatively affect our wellbeing, relationships or ability to function day to day.
It may be time to reassess your information consumption if:
- News or social media regularly leaves you feeling anxious, fearful or hopeless.
- You find yourself doomscrolling, spending long periods consuming negative or distressing content.
- Your productivity or performance at work is affected by constant interruptions and notifications.
- You struggle to relax without checking your phone or digital devices.
- Information consumption interferes with sleep, exercise, hobbies or time with family and friends.
- You feel constantly "on alert" or unable to mentally switch off.
- You notice persistent feelings of stress, irritability or emotional exhaustion.
While information itself isn't harmful, our brains are not designed to process an endless stream of updates and information around the clock. Recognising the signs of overload can help us establish healthier digital habits, set boundaries around news and social media use, and create space for rest, reflection and meaningful offline experiences.
Recognising when we feel overwhelmed is the first step we need to change it.
Things you can do when things feel out of control
Accept that you can’t know everything
In today’s busy world, it’s easy to feel like we need to keep up with everything and read every headline, but that’s impossible. Be gentle with yourself and remind yourself that you don’t need to be informed on everything to be a caring person. Focus instead on what really matters to you.
Create boundaries around information
Remember that it’s okay to say no, switch off, limit screen time and take a break from conversations and pieces of media that leave us feeling drained and overwhelmed.
Many of the things we see and hear in the media around us are out of our control. When we feel overwhelmed, we should ask ourselves:
Is there anything I can do about this?
If the answer is no, then we should move past it and focus instead on what we can control.
Focusing on What We Can Control
Our daily routines
Prioritising good quality sleep, good nutrition and taking regular breaks are daily tasks that we should prioritise. Try our Improving Your Sleep online workshop for tips on how to improve your sleep quality.
Looking after ourselves
Part of being resilient is knowing how to look after ourselves. Making sure we take care of our rest time, hobbies, time outdoors, mindfulness and connecting with loved ones are small ways we can take care of our wellbeing. Have a go at our Mindful Living course , a self-directed course which allows you to bring mindfulness and meditation into daily life.
The people we spend time with
Surrounding ourselves with positive, uplifting, encouraging people can have a positive impact on our wellbeing.
Tips for Media Consumption
📲 Personalise your feed. By liking and sharing videos and other media that you are interested in, our feeds can be curated to only show posts that we want to see. We have the opportunity to block posts and words that related to topics which we don’t want to hear about.
⏰️ Set healthy boundaries. Try setting in app timers so you don’t lose time scrolling or adjust your screen time settings to a reasonable limit.
📴 Turn off notifications when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Take control of when you choose to interact with media.
👥 Prioritise in-person interactions. Spending time with family, friends or even colleagues can help us feel connected in ways that digital communication often can’t.
Norfolk and Waveney Talking Therapies Support
Our free online workshops are here to help you
Whether it’s focusing on making improvements to your Sleep , or support with Anxiety each of our workshops we share evidence-based techniques that all contribute to building resilience, and can provide a moment of calm in a busy world.
You can view our full range of online Workshops here
We also offer
1:1 Support: anyone in Norfolk and Waveney aged 16 or over can self-refer here or by calling 0300 123 1503
