The Mental Strain of Leadership and How to Handle It Mindfully

Congratulations. You’re the boss, and from the coffee mug on your desk, it looks like you’ve recently been deemed the best in the world. But now it seems that the stress is starting to catch up with you. Heavy lies the crown, type of thing.

That’s a regrettably common occurrence. The mental strain of leadership that flows naturally from the fact that you are in charge of other people. Not only do you need to manage a lot more information but your choices are also directly connected with other people’s well-being.

It’s tough being in the driver’s seat. How do you manage all of that new stress? In this article, we take a look at how to deal with the strain of leadership in a healthy and productive way.

Decision Fatigue

At the chemical level, decision fatigue relates to the depletion of glucose and neurotransmitters in the brain. Basically, there’s a limited number of decisions you can make in a day–at least at the highest level. This actually ties back to broader concepts of human capacity. Your prefrontal cortex, which handles executive functions like decision-making, requires significant glucose and oxygen to function optimally.

Yes, we technically can work for most of our waking hours, but at what point does it become a question of diminishing returns? Is there a limit to deep focus? There is, incidentally. Most people put that number at around four hours. When you continuously make decisions, you’re using up neural resources like dopamine and norepinephrine that help maintain attention and motivation.

Decision making is a little different because it is hard to objectively quantify the size of a choice and how much of a bite it takes out of your daily capacity. For example, how much of your daily decision-making capacity goes into what you eat for breakfast, or what you wear to work?

The answer to that question isn’t zero. Actually, that’s why billionaires do that “grey t-shirt and jeans” thing, or whatever variation thereof they spin into their personal brand. It’s not (only) a way of drawing attention. It’s to maximize the amount of cognitive energy they have by reducing the glucose and neurotransmitter depletion that would occur with unnecessary decisions about clothing.

Now, everyone makes choices, but when you are in a leadership position, you are doing it more often. Eventually, that strain can catch up with you in surprising ways. You might feel anxious or burned out. You might even experience physical symptoms like headaches or muscle strain.

Imposter Syndrome

There’s a story Neil Gaiman–admittedly now a besmirched name– used to tell about a convention he went to years ago for highly accomplished individuals. This was a high-profile event, and he felt uncomfortable with the prestige of the other guests.

In the story, Gaiman finds himself talking with someone who shares his first name. The other Neil said something like, “I feel so uncomfortable here. All of these people built things. I just went where they sent me.” To which Gaiman replied, “Well, yes. But you were the first man to walk on the moon. That has to count for something.”

The point of this story? No matter how big you get, a little bit of impostor syndrome is natural. It may even reflect a healthy modesty.

Imposter syndrome is the persistent feeling of self-doubt despite evidence of success, where individuals believe they’re frauds who don’t deserve their achievements. It typically manifests as anxiety about being “exposed” as incompetent, attributing success to luck rather than ability, and dismissing positive feedback. This psychological pattern affects even highly accomplished people, as illustrated by Neil Armstrong’s self-deprecating comments despite his historic achievement.

However, if imposter syndrome is leading you to doubt your decision-making or work less efficiently, it becomes a problem. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt. You’re there for a reason. Allow yourself to feel confident.

What Can Be Done?

What can be done? Mindfulness practices are all about rooting yourself in the moment. This alone can’t cure all mental health problems, but it will go a longer way than you might be thinking.

There are a couple of reasons. On a strictly practical level, keeping yourself present frees you from many of your greatest anxieties. Stress in the modern world rarely stems from something that is actually happening.

Think about it–when you are most worried, is it because of a situation you are currently in? Is it the feeling of sitting at your desk, signing off on disbursements? Probably not.

In most cases, your suffering stems from past/future orientation. That’s to say that you are worried about something that has already happened or something that will happen in the future.

A degree of this is healthy and natural. It helps you plan for the future and coordinate complicated processes–both important leadership traits.

However, if stress is showing up during moments where it is neither productive nor helpful, you need to find a way to manage it.

Mindfulness behaviors will keep you focused on what you are doing. Many of the habits associated with mindfulness are also just good for your mental health.

Meditation, exercise, and time outside. These are all behaviors that physically reduce the cortisol in your brain–very literally diminishing the amount of stress in your body.

Mindfulness behaviors can improve your mental well-being and help you find more success at work. All of that said, you shouldn’t assume that yoga in the park is the only option left to you. Seeking help with stress or anxiety is fully acceptable and often the best thing you can do for your long-term health and well-being. You don’t need to be on the verge of a personal disaster to seek help.

Occasional sessions with a counselor are an increasingly common and very effective way to navigate the stress of modern life. With digital therapy options now available, it is easier than ever to find help in a format that is easy and convenient.