Info overload causes stress

We are soaking in 23 words per second thanks to the increasing exposure from different media, states a University of San Diego study. This information overload can have a detrimental effect on the brain, it says.

Psychologist R. Manoj, DreamH Foundation says he gets about 30 such stress cases a month. “People are continuously exposed to information. After a point, our mind can’t handle the excess information and many people fall into a depression.”

He cites the case of a Class 10 student, who performed poorly in class. “After probing, I realised the child never got a break and was constantly exposed to information because of which his concentration levels were poor. I then advised the parents to allow the child to take frequent breaks during and enjoy outdoor activities so he can get some mental rest.”

There are others like IIT professor Shreesh Chaudhary who disbelieve this theory. “If people know how to handle the information then the overload doesn’t matter. It is only when people don’t know what to do with information pouring in that stress happens.”

Says Dr Manoj, “At the end of the day, Time management, a ‘things to do’ list and organising one’s expected inputs on a day-to-day basis will make a big difference.”