The Mental Load: The Missing Piece in Midlife Health #6

What if the reason you’re not sticking to the healthy habits you know would help isn’t that you’re lazy, undisciplined or lacking willpower?

In this episode, I’m diving into the invisible mental load so many women carry: the remembering, planning, organising, anticipating and emotional holding that often goes completely unaccounted for. We’ll look at why this cognitive load can affect your energy, hormones, gut health, nervous system, brain health and ability to create sustainable habits in midlife.

Because sometimes the issue isn’t that you need to try harder. It’s that your brain is already carrying far too much.

Resources mentioned

Want the mental load spreadsheet? DM me on Instagram and I’ll send it to you.

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References

University of Bath Mental Load Project research on mothers carrying around 71% of household tasks requiring mental effort and approximately 79% of daily cognitive household labour.

Daminger, A. (2019). The Cognitive Dimension of Household Labor. American Sociological Review.

Dean, L., Churchill, B., & Ruppanner, L. (2021). The Mental Load: Building a Deeper Theoretical Understanding of How Cognitive and Emotional Labor Overload Women and Mothers. Community, Work & Family.