How Multitasking Hurts Mental Health. Try This Instead

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• How Multitasking Hurts Mental Health. Try This Instead
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• Mental Health Quote

How Multitasking Hurts Mental Health. Try This Instead

How can something that seems like a good idea hurt our mental health? Many of us multitask and feel good about it; we feel efficient and productive and capable. Yet the agitation and stress we often feel are our brain’s way of telling us that we don’t need to multitask, and we need to stop it altogether.

Studies find that multitasking hurts mental health. Trying to focus on multiple tasks at once can cause:

• Negative emotions
• Impatience, irritability
• Becoming easily upset
• Chronic stress
• Anxiety
• Difficulty focusing, concentrating

You can stop multitasking to improve your mental health. Try these three ideas:

• Set shift. Described by Dr. Paul Hammerness and Margaret in their book Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life, set shifting is ending one task and intentionally shifting gears, placing your full attention on your next task.
• Mindfulness. Mindfulness involves being present. Fully attending to a single task is the opposite of multitasking.
• Recharge. Mindfully engaging in a hobby or something else enjoyable helps the brain become still, focused, and rested.

Our brain performs much better and happier when it focuses on one thing at a time. Shift from multitasking to mindful attentiveness and see what it does for your mental health.

References

Kubu, C. & Machado, A. (2017). Why multitasking is bad for you. Time. Retrieved June 2019 from https://time.com/4737286/multitasking-mental-health-stress-texting-depression/

Skerrett, P.J. (2012). Multitasking: A medical and mental hazard. Harvard Health Publishing: Harvard Health Blog. Retrieved June 2019 from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/multitasking-a-medical-and-mental-hazard-201201074063

Related Articles Dealing with Multitasking and Mental Health

• Do You Feel Forced to Multitask by Your Bipolar Brain?
• Depression and Attention, Concentration Problems
• How to Manage Adult ADHD and Impulsivity
• ADHD Adults Struggle to Focus
• Increase Focus with This One Minute Meditation

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: If you’re a multitasker, how does it impact your own mental health and wellbeing? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, experiences, and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page.

From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Mental Health Stigma Says There's Pride in Silence
• The Importance of Being Anxious
• Coping with a Lack of Support from Others
• Can You Build Self-Esteem Around Toxic People?
• Increasing Antipsychotic Medication Despite Weight Gain Risk
• Reduce Social Anxiety with This Mindfulness Meditation
• Negative Habits and Depression
• Setting Healthy Boundaries After an Abusive Relationship
• When You Have ADHD, Boredom Is Painful
• Mindfulness for Self-Harm: A DBT Skills Video
• Become an Advocate for Eating Disorder Awareness
• Taking Risks Is a Part of Mental Health Recovery
• How Learned Helplessness Causes Anxiety
• Can Medication Noncompliance in Bipolar Ever Be a Good Thing?

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. Is Summer Anxiety a Real Thing?
2. We Understand Mental Illness Better by Reading Literature
3. 3 Steps to Overcome Negative Self-Image

If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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Mental Health Quote

"Physically, I am here. Mentally, I am far, far away."

Read more bipolar quotes.

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That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network (like facebook or stumbleupon) you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week, follow HealthyPlace on Twitter or become a fan of HealthyPlace on Facebook. Also, check out HealthyPlace on Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest, where you can share your mental health pins on our Share Your Mental Health Experiences board.

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