Let me guess…
You scroll through reels on the toilet. You listen to a podcast while you walk. You watch YouTube when doing chores.
You text your friends while brushing your teeth. You reply to emails while making your morning coffee. You shop online while eating lunch.
Is it any wonder you’re overstimulated?
Your mind can’t switch off.
Even when you’re supposed to be resting or at least taking a break, you’re scrolling online, consuming more hacks, more recipes, more highlight reels, more ads, more places to visit, literally just more.
It’s gotten to the point where we can’t handle silence anymore. We fill every spare second with background noise because being alone with our own thoughts feels uncomfortable.
And I’m not writing this from a place of having it all figured out.
I’m writing this to help you feel less alone, because I’m right there with you — overstimulated, restless, and low-key addicted to the dopamine hit my brain gets from scrolling.
I swear, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve opened my phone to check one thing and ended up taking an online quiz about my gut health, browsing Zara for an hour knowing full well I won’t buy anything without trying it on first, and then found myself deep in a Reddit thread about a conspiracy that I’m now fully convinced is real.
Half the time, I’m literally just scrolling and browsing for the sake of it, pretending it’s helping me unwind when really, it’s just making me even more tired and overstimulated.
If you’re relating a little too hard right now, you’re in the right place.
Overstimulation has become so normalised that most of us don’t even realise it’s happening anymore. We just assume that being constantly wired and exhausted is now part of being a 30-something girlie in the 21st century.
But… we all know it’s not normal. So let’s talk about it…
P.S. If you’re new here, hey! I’m Thalia. I help burnt-out girlies unf*ck their life through 1:1 coaching and self-paced tools. Every week(ish), I share content on burnout recovery, self-development, finding joy, and career growth. Subscribe here so you never miss a debrief.
Signs you’re overstimulated.
When you’re burnt out, your mind tricks you into thinking everything matters, including that random influencer’s skincare routine you didn’t ask to see, or those endless Google searches about something you don’t actually need to know.
(I’m literally the queen at this, btw! Today I decided to Google, “Why are there no flies in Bangkok?” and it was thrilling stuff. 🫠)
You tell yourself you’re just unwinding after a long day, but two hours later, you’re still on your phone, still wired, and somehow feeling worse than before.
It’s a catch-22.
The more overwhelmed you feel, the more you reach for your phone as an escape, and the more you scroll, the more overwhelmed you feel.
And when you’re constantly overstimulated, you start neglecting the stuff that keeps you sane, like actual rest, fresh air, good quality sleep, IRL connection, exercise, and meals that aren’t eaten at your desk while scrolling.
You might also notice that:
- You’re constantly exhausted: You sleep, but it never feels like enough
- You never fully switch off: Even when you’re supposed to be resting, you’re still scrolling and consuming
- You can’t handle silence: You fill every quiet moment with background noise
- You’re irritable and on edge: The tiniest inconvenience, like shitty weather or your feed not refreshing quickly enough, can set you off, leaving you feeling more frustrated than usual
- You compare yourself constantly: Everyone online seems more successful or further ahead than you
- You’re always half-present: Even when you’re with people you love, your mind is elsewhere
- Instagram is your biggest escape: Every time life feels too much, you grab your phone to scroll and unwind
- You feel disconnected from real life: Nothing offline feels as stimulating anymore, and even the fun stuff doesn’t hit as it used to
5 reasons why you’re overstimulated, and what to do about it.
Overstimulation doesn’t come from just one thing.
It’s more of a slow burn — a gradual build up of everything all at once, like your phone, your inbox, your todo list, the demands of other people, the hustle, the pressure to have it all figured out by now, the list goes on… until eventually it all becomes too much.
*(screams quietly into the pillow)*
The good news is… It’s fixable — or at the very least, a lot more manageable than it feels right now.
Because after a lot of reflecting (and I mean, A LOT!!) on what was draining me, and my clients, I kept coming back to the same five things.
Here’s what it comes down to…
P.S. I encourage you to save this post (like now!!) so you can come back to it whenever you need to.
1 | Social media
I mean… we have to start here. Social media is the bane of my life.
It is my number 1 burnout trigger. The thing that causes me the most amount of doubt, comparison, and anxiety. (I mean, hands up if you also have social media burnout, because I’m basically a case study at this point.)
I know, I know, social media can be great for business and visibility, especially if you’re building a personal brand. But… I can’t be the only one who finds it so fake and aesthetic now?
Everything from wellness and travel to productivity and work is overly staged. And the irony is that even the people trying to be authentic are still scripting their content.
It’s exhausting AF.
My explore page is constantly full of influencers living in Bali waking up at 5 am for pilates and sipping matcha lattes, or 20-something girlies giving life advice. And look, there’s nothing wrong with any of that. Good on them.
But they all have one thing in common: there’s no substance anymore.
It’s just the same “living my best life” content on repeat, which is so shallow it hurts. And I’ve definitely fallen into this trap myself. (Again, another reason why I’m currently taking a break — so I can get back to creating content that is actually meaningful.)
I’m an absolute sucker for a mindless scroll, but unfortunately, it leaves me feeling numb and overwhelmed all at the same time, hence why I’m constantly overstimulated.
What to do about it
- Unfollow or mute anyone who drains you: Would you hang out with them IRL? If not, it’s time to hit unfollow
- Follow accounts that lift you up: Think faceless quote pages, memes that make you laugh, or creators who genuinely make you feel inspired, not behind
- Make your feed feel like a safe space: If content dumbs you down, makes you compare yourself, or leaves you feeling meh — you don’t need it in your life
- Decide how long you want to scroll for and stick with it: E.g. five intentional mins > an hour of zoning out
- Save the good stuff: If something really lands for you, save it for later so you can come back to it. This makes your scroll feel more like collecting ideas than wasting time
P.S. Wanna know if you’re a doom scroller like me? Take my viral burnout girlie quiz and find out what your biggest burnout trigger actually is.
2 | Oversharing
I guess this is an extension of social media because I feel like this is THE thing to do right now.
When did it become the norm to overshare every single detail of your life online like you’re the main character in a reality tv show?
Everything is content from our skincare routines to the way we make our matcha in the morning, even the books we’re reading on holiday. (Again, no shade, as I’ve definitely been guilty of this too.)
But the oversharing doesn’t stop there. It’s gone way deeper than that — it’s become emotional too.
I mean, last week alone, I saw multiple (staged) videos of women crying into the camera and a post where a woman gave a step-by-step breakdown of how she left her husband.
I get that this content resonates with other women (and hopefully makes them stronger), but when is too much too much?
(Also, why does it sound like I’m entering my Carrie Bradshaw era?)
Everything is documented for the world to see, whether you have 100 followers or 100,000; nothing is private anymore. And if you don’t post regular updates, people assume there’s something wrong — god forbid you’re actually enjoying your life away from the ‘gram.
We’ve gone from suppressing our real emotions from loved ones to revealing them to the world all within a decade. There are no boundaries anymore, and your nervous system is absorbing all of it, whether you like it or not.
And yet somehow we keep scrolling.
What to do about it:
- Remind yourself that vulnerability is still curated: Most of what you’re seeing has been thought about, filmed twice, and edited. It’s not as raw as it looks, and it’s definitely not the full picture
- Notice how you feel after consuming heavy content: If you put your phone down feeling drained, anxious, or vaguely sad — that’s your body telling you something. Start paying attention to it.
- Choose bloom scrolling over doom scrolling: Follow the rules above
- Enter your own offline era: You don’t have to document everything, just enjoy being in the moment
- Go touch some grass: The earth has been around for billions of years and will be here long after any of us, so, in the grand scheme of things, nobody is going to remember what you had for breakfast on a random Tuesday morning — including you
3 | The news (and obviously politics)
Obviously, knowing what TF is going on in the world does matter. (I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d like to know if there’s about to be an economic collapse or world war.)
But there’s a difference between staying informed and being chronically glued to the news, which is designed to keep you anxious and addicted.
Everything is breaking news now.
Every story is urgent, every headline is clickbait, and every platform has a hot take on everything within minutes of it happening. Your algorithm isn’t showing you what’s most important; it’s showing you whatever is most likely to get a reaction out of you, because outrage keeps you engaged and engagement keeps you on the app.
During the covid years, I went through a phase of consuming news basically all day, every day, as I genuinely thought it was the responsible thing to do. But I wasn’t more informed. I was just more stressed, more anxious, and carrying this constant worry about things I had absolutely no control over.
I think we’re well past the point of world peace. Things aren’t suddenly going to get any better.
And let’s face it, consuming every update, every opinion, and every breaking news alert isn’t keeping you in the loop — it’s just overstimulating you into a permanent state of fear.
What to do about it:
- Turn off news notifications: If it’s big enough, you’ll hear about it
- Be picky about your sources: Some keep you in the loop, others just wind you up. You know the difference
- Romanticise your offline life instead: Pay attention to what’s happening right in front of you, like the way your coffee tastes, the light in your living room, or your friend laughing across the table, etc.
- Practice gratitude: Intentionally look for 3 things that are going right instead of focusing on what’s falling apart
- Reconnect with what truly matters: What do you actually stand for? Who do you want to be in this world? When you know that, you don’t need to consume every opinion because you already have your own
4 | Consumerism
There’s way too much choice these days.
And I’m not just saying that because I live in Bangkok and there are literally hundreds of malls, markets, and street food stalls on every corner — it’s overwhelming AF.
The thing is, it’s not just physical shopping that’s the problem. We’re also constantly being sold things online, and I don’t think we fully understand how much decision fatigue that creates.
New skincare products, new supplements, new kitchen gadgets, new self-help books that will apparently change your life, fashion hauls, affiliate codes, flash sales, limited drops — it’s all engineered to make you feel like you’re missing out if you don’t have the next viral product. (Let’s never forget about the Labubu.)
And even when you’re not actively shopping, you’re still absorbing it.
Every time you get shown an ad or scroll past a new product, your brain is working overtime in the background trying to figure out whether it’s something you need.
These micro-decisions all add up, and by 4 pm your brain is so depleted that you can’t even choose what to have for dinner — let alone make any big life choices.
What to do about it:
- Unsubscribe from marketing emails: If you haven’t bought from them in 6 months, then you’ll live without their sales in your inbox
- Implement a 48-hour rule: See something you want? Wait 48 hours before buying it
- Audit what you’re consuming, not just what you’re buying: Mute or unfollow accounts that consistently make you feel like your life needs upgrading
- Buy less, but better: One thing you actually love beats ten things you don’t need every single time
- Remind yourself that the algorithm knows you too well: You’re being sold to constantly — just noticing it makes you less susceptible to it
5 | Hustle culture
Somewhere along the way to our 30s, being busy became the norm and something to aspire to.
I lived this for years. I said yes to everything, overdelivered constantly just to prove myself, filled every gap in my schedule with something productive, and literally believed that being busy was a flex.
I romanticised the grind for way too long because I honestly believed this was what having an ambitious career meant.
Turns out, I was just burnt out.
We all know how the story ends, so I won’t bore you with the details, but what I have noticed is that hustle culture isn’t just embedded in the workplace. It’s also seeped into the wellness industry, especially the self-development space.
We’re constantly told to strive to be our best selves. We push harder at the gym, overhaul our diets, optimise our morning routines, and track every habit under the sun, all in the name of personal growth — as if who we are right now isn’t already enough.
There’s this endless pressure to do more, be more, experience more.
It’s no wonder we’re exhausted all the time. We’re not just burnt out in our jobs; we’re burnt out in all aspects of life, and the overstimulation that comes from that is relentless.
Because it’s not just your inbox that you can’t switch off from — it’s your own mind constantly telling you you’re not doing enough.
What to do about it:
- Define what success looks like to you: Because if you’re chasing someone else’s version of it, you’ll never feel like you’re doing enough — and that’s exhausting AF
- Align with your core values: A lot of your overwhelm comes from doing things that don’t actually matter to you. When what you do aligns with who you are, life feels lighter
- Rewire your beliefs around rest: Rest is not a reward you earn after a productive day. It’s a basic human need.
- Work slower and smarter: A packed schedule isn’t the same as a productive one. Do less, but do it properly
- Start honouring your own boundaries: If you don’t protect your time and energy, nobody else will
Final thoughts
A few years ago, when I was deep in burnout (and I mean, deep!!), I’d grab my phone every time things got overwhelming and scroll on Instagram for hours.
The wild part was I stopped doing things that actually felt good — exercise, reading, replying to my besties, calling my mum, taking myself out on a solo date — just to scroll instead.
Who knows why? Probably because zoning out felt safer than actually dealing with real life. Classic doom scroller move.
What really changed things for me wasn’t another digital detox or a hack that told me to leave my phone in another room. It was realising that I was using my phone to fill a void that came from not knowing what actually mattered to me anymore.
And this is where it gets interesting.
We think burnout happens because we’re stretched to our limit. But really, it’s because we’ve lost our spark and are living vicariously through people we follow online.
When you don’t know what you value in life, everything feels like a non-negotiable. You say yes to things that drain you, chase the “shoulds” instead of actual goals, commit to things you don’t actually care about, and then scroll to escape from a life that doesn’t excite you anymore.
No wonder we’re overstimulated.
Honestly, at this point, the most radical thing we can probably do is put our phones down, step outside, touch some grass, and just exist for a bit without needing to be constantly online.
You’ve got this.
Thalia xx
