Feeling drained? Here's how to lighten your mental load

About this episode

Sociologist Leah Ruppanner discusses how to manage the mental load of daily responsibilities.

Did you remember to pick up milk? Or reschedule that dentist appointment? Oh, and pick up cupcakes for the meeting ? The never-ending tending to the never-ending to-do list is known as the mental load. Sociologist Leah Ruppanner explains how to tame the mental load in her new book, Drained: Reduce Your Mental Load to Do Less and Be More. Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit Sign up for our newsletter here. Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at lifekit@npr.org Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

People in this episode

Guest: Leah Ruppanner

Topics covered

• mental load
• parenting
• sociology
• self-care
• time management

Keywords

• mental load
• to-do list
• parenting
• self-care
• sociology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NPR

Books & works: Drained: Reduce Your Mental Load to Do Less and Be More

More episodes of Life Kit: Parenting

• On the fence about parenthood? Listen to this · May 26, 2026 · 26 min
• The dos and don'ts of baby talk · May 19, 2026 · 20 min
• How to be a working parent? Lower your standards · April 13, 2026 · 26 min
• Using AI chatbots can impact your teen's mental health. Here's what to do · April 2, 2026 · 21 min
• Drowning in toys? Here’s how to handle kid clutter · March 26, 2026 · 23 min
• Common mistakes parents make when installing a car seat · March 2, 2026 · 26 min