Why You’re Always Overwhelmed | The Psyc...

What if the problem isn’t that you’re lazy… but that modern life is designed to overwhelm you?

In this episode of Psychology, Actually, Dr Marianne Trent is joined by author Lily Silverton to explore the psychology of procrastination, overwhelm, attention, comparison and why so many people struggle to prioritise what actually matters.If you constantly feel behind, overstimulated or exhausted by competing demands, this conversation may really resonate.

⏱️ Timestamps

• 00:00 Netflix says sleep is the competition
• 01:07 Why prioritising matters psychologically
• 01:59 A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention
• 03:10 Even the Romans felt overwhelmed
• 04:32 Why modern companies compete for your focus
• 05:55 The psychology of procrastination
• 08:30 Emotional avoidance and fear of failure
• 09:59 Why “future you” won’t magically change
• 11:47 Breaking tasks down and body doubling
• 15:02 The Eisenhower Matrix explained
• 17:22 Why small tasks feel addictive
• 18:03 Other people’s urgency isn’t always yours
• 19:20 Boundaries, parenting and workload pressure
• 22:10 Comparison, social media and self-worth
• 24:23 When social media becomes self-harm
• 25:21 “Do you actually want their whole life?”
• 28:13 Resetting your algorithm and protecting wellbeing
• 29:28 The Wellbeing Cups exercise
• 31:01 Why Lily wrote Prioritise This
• 33:33 Inner Work and deeper reflections

Links:

📚 Check out Lily's Book, Prioritise This: https://amzn.to/432A2Su

📲 Follow Lily on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/lily_silverton/

🫶 To join my podcast membership to get early access to episodes and / or exclusive weekly content head to: https://the-aspiring-psychologist.captivate.fm/support or to the Apple Podcasts App: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-aspiring-psychologist-podcast/id1605628278 or to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOwjrIP_jatiqlAivJE2mgQ/join

📚 To check out The Clinical Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3jOplx0

📖 To check out The Aspiring Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3CP2N97

💡 To check out or join the aspiring psychologist membership for just £30 per month head to: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/membership

🖥️ Check out my short courses for aspiring psychologists and mental health professionals here: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/online-courses

Ask Marianne your most pressing psychology career question and she will send you a FREE bespoke reply! Grab your free psychology success guide here and fill in the most pressing concern box: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk (scroll to the bottom of the page)

✍️ Get your FREE Supervision Shaping Tool now: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/free-resources

📱Connect socially with Marianne and check out ways to work with her, including the Aspiring Psychologist Book, Clinical Psychologist book and The Aspiring Psychologist Membership on her Link tree: https://linktr.ee/drmariannetrent

💬 To join my free Facebook group and discuss your thoughts on this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aspiringpsychologistcommunity

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Hashtags:

#overwhelm #procrastination #priorities

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Sponsored by WriteUpp AI Scribe

This episode is sponsored by WriteUpp. Their new AI Scribe helps clinicians draft session notes in their preferred format, helping reduce admin and reclaim valuable time. Try it yourself with a free 30-day trial and 30% off your first 6 months using code MARIANNE30 at this link: https://writeupp.com/?refid=142336

Sponsored by WriteUpp AI Scribe

This episode is sponsored by WriteUpp. Their new AI Scribe helps clinicians draft session notes in their preferred format, helping reduce admin and reclaim valuable time. Try it yourself with a free 30-day trial and 30% off your first 6 months using code MARIANNE30 at this link: https://writeupp.com/?refid=142336