Once in a while, it can be helpful to check in with yourself and ask, “Am I carrying a load that is too big for one person?”

We may overload ourselves when we add to what we are carrying without letting go of anything else.

Here are different ways we can overload ourselves:

Mental overloading can look like adding cognitive and mental tasks when one’s mind already feels full. We can often get overwhelmed with tracking responsibilities and schedules while also continuously anticipating, executing, and planning all that needs to get done.

This cognitive exertion can also involve constantly carrying and adjusting mental lists while moving through everyday life. Mental overloading involves the depletion of cognitive energy and abilities and can lead to mental exhaustion.

Time overloading can lead to physical exhaustion and involves adding responsibilities to an already packed schedule. Time overloading can involve juggling responsibilities and stretching oneself thin.

This can look like a person trying to stretch their 24-hour day to hold more. For example, over-filling one’s schedule or pushing the limits of how much one can get done in a certain timeframe.

Emotional overloading can look like being overwhelmed by the emotions of others, being overwhelmed by one’s own feelings, or experiencing depleted emotional states.

This can involve shouldering, where an individual takes on or carries other people’s stress, responsibilities, emotions, or problems. Metaphorically, shouldering can feel like carrying or bearing the emotional weight of other people.

Overloading teaches us what our limits are.

If you feel like you are overloading yourself right now, you are being shown your limits.

Take a deep breath, and start to unload or let go with one small adjustment at a time.

Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders.

Ami Kunimura, Ph.D. is the founder of the Self-Care Institute. She holds a Ph.D. in Mind-Body Medicine and is a board-certified music therapist. Ami provides support for individuals and organizations worldwide with burnout prevention, burnout recovery, stress management, and sustainable self-care. Learn more about Ami here.