Cognitive Overload - Why It's Normal, and What You Ca

Whether you're a professional coach with a client, or a leader coaching people in your orbit, when they feel overwhelmed and describes their “head spinning,” they’re often in a state of cognitive overload—a physiological and psychological reaction to too much information, emotion, or uncertainty at once. Over time, if they begin grounding themselves in their awareness, capability, and resourcefulness, this not only reduces the sensation of spinning but can reshape their brain’s stress response through neuroplasticity.

🔄 What Happens Neurologically?

1. Initial Overwhelm:

   • The amygdala detects perceived threat or overload, activating the sympathetic nervous system ("fight, flight, freeze").

   • The prefrontal cortex, responsible for rational thinking and regulation, gets temporarily "hijacked."

2. Introducing Awareness:

   • Grounding practices re-engage the prefrontal cortex.

   • Awareness shifts energy from reaction to observation (meta-cognition), reducing amygdala activation.

3. Building Capability and Resourcefulness:

   • With repetition, the brain forms new pathways linking stressful stimuli to calm responses instead of panic.

   • This is known as self-directed neuroplasticity: the brain rewires through conscious attention, practice, and reflection.

🧠 Neuroprocess Shift Over Time

🧘‍♀️ Resources to Support the Process

Books:

• “The Wise Heart” by Jack Kornfield – blends mindfulness and neurobiology.

• “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk – on trauma, regulation, and rewiring.

• “Buddha’s Brain” by Rick Hanson – explains how mindfulness changes the brain.

Coaching Practices:

• Name It to Tame It – Labeling feelings helps calm the amygdala (Dan Siegel).

• 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding – Uses senses to anchor the body in the present.

• Cognitive Reframing – Regularly identifying capability in challenging situations.

Articles & Research:

• Harvard Health: Neuroplasticity and Mindfulness

• Greater Good Science Center – practical tools and science-backed insights.