Do You Have Information Anxiety?

Have you noticed yourself frequently checking your social networking platforms' news feeds, notifications, and messages??

Or perhaps you've been swamped with breaking news, updates, and points of view?

These cause mental tiredness, making it difficult to focus on what is genuinely important and prioritize your responsibilities....

Information anxiety, also known as information overload, occurs when a person is bombarded with information that exceeds their ability to filter, analyze, and retain it.

Our brains have a finite metabolic energy source that remains constant no matter how complex the tasks we execute. As a result, our information processing capacity is limited, and when it is exceeded, we feel overwhelmed and anxious.

If you notice any of the following symptoms, you are most certainly suffering from information anxiety:

• Difficulty focusing?on tasks, frequent interruptions, and reduced productivity.
• Inability to absorb information, resulting in misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
• Difficulty prioritizing information, which results in procrastination and indecision.
• Failing to determine the quality or veracity of information?due to the sheer volume encountered.
• Feeling overwhelmed?by the constant influx of information and an inability to effectively manage it.
• Difficulty perceiving the big picture?or drawing logical judgements owing to fragmented information.
• Mental and emotional strain?caused by information overload.

Information overload is caused by the exponential growth of information in recent decades, which may be traced back to the invention of the printing press, the rise of the internet, and advancements in information and communication technologies.?

Among the most prevalent causes of information overload are the huge amount of information available, the multiple ways to consume information, and the difficulty in selecting genuine information.?

Because of this, we are constantly bombarded with information that we cannot process.

Information overload can have a variety of repercussions on our life. It can cause mental fatigue, burnout, tension, and sleep problems.?It can also cause decision paralysis or impulsive decisions, as well as impair our capacity to focus and maintain attention on tasks.?

This decrease in productivity can have ramifications in many aspects of our lives, from professional performance to personal relationships.?

So, how can we protect ourselves from information overload?

Find out in our latest article: How to Combat Information Overload in the 21st Century