You wake up, check the news, and your chest tightens. Headlines scream about unrest, instability maybe even something terrifyingly close to home. You scroll through the feed: violence, inflation, climate disasters, political chaos. The world feels like it’s cracking under its own weight. Then your calendar pings: “Team Meeting in 15.” Suddenly, you’re expected to switch from panic to productivity, from citizen to spreadsheet.
According to AXA UK’s 2023 Mind Health Report, poor mental health in the workplace cost the UK economy £102 billion in a single year part of a staggering £2.1 trillion lost globally. Over half of UK adults report emotional distress, much of it tied to work itself, where three in four experience symptoms like sleep disruption, stress, and burnout. A recent survey reveals that 9 in 10 workers experienced high stress last year, with young adults (18–24) most likely to take mental health-related absences, least likely to open up to managers, yet most likely to benefit from supportive workplace interventions (Mental Health UK, 2025). The 2025 AXA report goes further: one in three people worldwide suffers from a mental health condition, with job insecurity, financial pressure, political unrest, and media overload among the leading causes. In the UK, only 22% of people report “flourishing” mental health (AXA, 2025). This isn’t just emotional. It’s economic, structural, and urgent. In a world weighed down by crises, how are we supposed to act like business as usual still applies?
Industrial/Organisational (I/O) psychology, the science of human behaviour in the workplace, tells us that productivity doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s shaped by everything around us: our internal states, our environments, and yes, the world beyond our office walls. And yet, much of modern work culture still clings to the illusion that employees can or should compartmentalise. That somehow, when we log in, we leave the rest of ourselves behind.
Cognitive Load in a Heavy World
Industrial psychology introduces the concept of cognitive loadthe mental effort required to process information and complete tasks (Sweller, 1988). Even in stable times, our brains are multitasking machines, constantly balancing work demands with personal concerns. But in a world rattled by crises that cognitive load multiplies. When your brain is already preoccupied with questions like “Will I be safe?” or “Can I afford rent next month?”, your mental bandwidth is under siege. Studies show that chronic exposure to distressing news whether you’re directly affected or not can impair memory, concentration, and decision-making (e.g., Baradell & Klein, 1993; Klein & Barnes, 1994; Klein & Boals, 2001b). Emotional residue sticks. The brain doesn’t simply flip from panic mode to PowerPoint mode.
So we showed up. We log in. We try to function. But mentally, we’re miles away. This is called presenteeism: when employees are physically present at work, but their minds are elsewhere (Hemp, 2004). Unlike absenteeism, it’s invisible but no less costly. It chips away at focus, productivity, and mental health. The result? People burning out silently under the weight of trying to pretend everything is fine when it’s clearly not.
What Can We Do About It?
The world feels unstable and pretending we can work through it like nothing’s wrong isn’t just unrealistic, it’s damaging. Stress, uncertainty, and emotional overload don’t vanish when we open our laptops. The solution isn’t to ignore it, but to adapt how we work within it.
If You’re an Employee
Start by acknowledging that high stress takes a toll on your mental capacity. You can’t force focus when your brain is processing financial strain, safety concerns, or global unrest. Protect your cognitive load. Reduce background stressors where you can limit news exposure during work hours, create small routines, and use headphones or “do not disturb” tools to carve out mental space.
Use micro-breaks step away from the screen, stretch, or take a walk. These short resets can reduce pressure and improve focus. Don’t underestimate their power.
If it feels safe, communicate with your manager. You don’t have to share everything, but even saying, “Today’s been mentally heavy, just a heads-up,” can open a door to flexibility. If your workplace offers mental health resources, use them. They exist for moments like this.
If You’re a Manager or Employer
You set the tone. Normalise conversations around mental strain and be the one to say, “It’s okay not to be okay.” Psychological safety where people feel safe admitting they’re overwhelmed directly impacts retention, creativity, and performance.
Offer flexibility: cognitive load fluctuates, and rigid expectations only add to the strain. Reassess deadlines, allow asynchronous work where possible, and don’t expect “camera-on” energy all the time.
Invest in mental health training for leadership. Most managers aren’t trained to recognise when someone is struggling but they’re often the first to see the signs. Equip them to handle these moments with empathy and action.
Finally, reframe what productivity looks like. Working sustainably should matter more than pushing through burnout. Build structures that allow people to do good work without sacrificing their well-being.
References
- AXA. (2025). AXA Mind Your Health: Mind Health Report 2025. AXA, UK.
- Baradell, J. G., & Klein, K. (1993). Relationship of life stress and body consciousness to hypervigilant decision making. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(2), 267–273.
- Hemp, P. (2004). Presenteeism: At work—but out of it. Harvard Business Review, 82(10), 49–155.
- Klein, K., & Barnes, D. (1994). The relationship of life stress to problem solving: Task complexity and individual differences. Social Cognition, 12(3), 187–204.
- Klein, K., & Boals, A. (2001). The relationship of life events stress and working memory capacity. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 15(5), 565–579.
- Mental Health UK. (2015). The Burnout Report: 2025. https://euc7zxtct58.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/16142505/Mental-Health-UK_The-Burnout-Report-2025.pdf
- Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257–285. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1202_4