We're All Overwhelmed: World Mental Health Day 2025

This year’s World Mental Health Day focuses on how to cope better with the inevitable overwhelm when the world feels too heavy to deal with.

It just feels like there’s a new crisis every day sometimes. It feels like every time your phone pings, there’s more ‘breaking news’ that just pushes you down even further. It’s exhausting.

We're all overwhelmed

When your brain is constantly exposed to relentless negativity, your stress response is triggered over and over. The longer this happens, the more it wears you down - you might start to feel physical symptoms: fatigue, trouble sleeping, digestive issues. You might struggle with focus and motivation, and emotionally, you might start to feel irritable or a little numb. It's a lot. 

At Sewell Wallis, we know how easily overwhelm can sneak up on you, especially for those of us working in fast-paced roles with busy days. So, in support of World Mental Health Day, we’re sharing five small but powerful ways to help manage it, drawn from the Mental Health Foundation’s tips.

1. Set boundaries & stick with them

You can care about the world without absorbing every headline that floats past you. Choose when you engage with the news, and how often – maybe you only check the top headlines, or you only look on a short break at lunch. Turn the notifications off so they can’t interrupt your day. Setting yourself time limits isn’t ignorance; it’s an intentional choice to protect your own mental health.

2. Concentrate on the now

If you’re feeling anxious, you can ground yourself in the present. Think about the things you can hear, see or feel right now. A short walk coupled with a few deep breaths won’t fix all of your stresses, but it will make the anxiety you’re feeling more manageable.

3. Turn your phone off

We’re all guilty of doomscrolling from time to time, but it’s when it becomes the norm that it gets problematic. If this feels familiar to you, maybe think about creating no-phone zones – the dinner table, right before bed, or on your commute might be places you’d benefit from not having a direct window into the world. You’re in control of what you consume and when.

4. Talk to people

Connection can be the best antidote to overwhelm. Just talking about how you’re feeling can lighten the load hugely. And remember, check in with those at work too – we spend a lot of time with these people and sometimes, we can forget that we’re all human under all the work-related things.

5. Let yourself rest

We live in a world that never stops, and where rest is sometimes looked down on. But it’s not selfish. It’s how we ensure we can show up day after day. Rest can be sleep, reading, doing nothing at all – it’s what works for you. Taking the time you need to care for your own well-being means you can continue caring for the people in your life.

Why is this so important?

Good mental health shouldn’t be a luxury, and The Mental Health Foundation’s message this year is clear: everyone deserves it. By taking small, manageable steps to manage overwhelm, we’re making the choice to look after ourselves, which has a knock-on effect of benefitting the people and communities around us.

So today, take some time away from your screen to breathe. Go for a walk outside in the fresh air. Intentionally choose the notifications you see on your phone. This stuff isn’t an immediate fix, but if we’re mindful about our approach, we can slow the overwhelm down.

When we look after our minds and our mental health, we can show up better across the board.