How to Reduce Mental Load: 8 Simple Ways to Stop Overthinking and Feel Less Overwhelmed

These are small changes that reduced how much mental energy I was using every day. If you feel overwhelmed, scattered, or stuck in overthinking, this is what helped.

What Is Mental Load and Why It Leads to Overthinking

Mental exhaustion is not usually about big problems. It comes from an accumulation of small decisions, tasks, and reminders you are holding in your head. Over time, that builds into stress and overthinking.

8 Simple Ways to Reduce Mental Load in Daily Life

1. Roomba

I love clean floors and hated the task of sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming. When things felt messy, my mind felt messy too. Automating it removed a decision, a task, and a layer of background stress. Clean floors make it easier for me to move, stretch, even get into yoga. It is about reducing friction in your environment so you can do the things that matter to you.

Buying a Roomba was tough, because it felt like a “frivolous” purchase as an Asian immigrant. Spending money on ourselves can feel hard when our families had to be so careful. I talk more about this here: Why it Feels so Hard to Spend Money on Yourself as an Asian Immigrant or Second Generation Adult.

2. Google Calendar

I have basically offloaded my brain into my calendar. I used to rely on a paper agenda, but it came with limitations and a low level anxiety about forgetting things.

Now I don’t have to hold any of that mentally. I’m not recommending this as a productivity hack for us to do more. We’re probably have more than enough things as is. It’s more about having fewer things to spend our limited attention and energy on. I’m at the point where I set reminders years in advance, and have set annual recurring tasks.

3. Buying Less Things

I used to spend a lot of time researching purchases. Comparing, optimizing, trying to find the best option. At some point, I realized how much time and energy that was taking. And when I bought the “thing,” it became another thing I have to maintain.

Now I default to not buying unless I really need something. It reduced a lot of decision fatigue and it avoids buyer’s remorse.

4. Forgiving My Past Spending

We all have money regrets and moments of buyer’s remorse. Some of it comes from a scarcity mindset passed down to us from our upbringing. Some of it comes from chasing a quick dopamine hit.

It is easy to get stuck overthinking these decisions. Learning to forgive myself for past spending has been part of becoming more compassionate with myself. That self-compassion makes it easier to move forward instead of staying stuck in the past.

5. Giving Up White T-Shirts

I used to wear white t-shirts. But every time I did, I was on edge, making sure I don’t spill anything on it or stain it. That level of vigilance and stress over a shirt is no way to live life.

So I opted to stop wearing white. It is a small change, but it removed a constant undercurrent of tension I did not need. Not going to lie though, I miss how I look in it. But it’s just not worth it to me.

6. Less Screen Time

When I spend too much time on screens, my brain feels scattered and it gives me tight shoulders. Reducing it improves my focus and changes how I feel in my body. I feel more present and happier overall.

7. Lockbox for My Phone

Phones and apps are designed to be addictive. I noticed myself scrolling during bedtime the most. And I have a tendency to grab for my phone when I wake up in the middle of the night. This has really affected my sleep.

Putting my phone in a lockbox created a clear boundary. It improved my sleep, and avoided the micro decisions I had to make all the time that increases my mental load. It made it into an easy routine with clear boundaries: lock the phone away before I sleep, put the key away, and unlock the phone to turn off the morning alarm.

8. Dishwasher

I grew up in an Asian household where the dishwasher was never used. It was storage for plastic containers.

As an adult, it took time to shift into actually using it, but it has been freeing. It saves time and energy, and challenges the belief that life always has to be difficult.

Now I can use that time for other things, like reading or enjoying slower moments.

Closing Reflection

None of these changes are dramatic on their own. But together, they reduce the number of decisions, distractions, and small stressors you carry every day.

We live in a world that demands a lot of our time and energy. Instead of doing more, we simply want to be intentional deciding where to spend our time and energy.

What is one small thing in your life that is quietly draining your mental energy?

Still Struggling with Overthinking?

If your mind feels constantly busy, overwhelmed, or hard to shut off, there is usually a deeper pattern underneath it.

I break this down more here:
Why You Overthink (And How to Actually Stop)

It will help you understand what is driving overthinking and how to start changing your relationship with your thoughts.

Hi, I’m Harry, a psychotherapist in Toronto. I work with 1.5 and second generation Asian Canadians navigating trauma, identity, and emotional patterns shaped by family and culture.

If you want a simple way to support your mental health, you can join my 1-Minute Mental Health Task, where I share a small practice every week to help you build more calm, connection, and well-being in your daily life.