Overview
Experiencing long term stress can lead to mental exhaustion. You feel overwhelmed and emotionally drained, and your responsibilities and problems seem impossible to overcome. The resultant detachment and apathy can wreak havoc on all aspects of your personal and professional life.
You feel trapped in your situation, as if the power to do anything about it is out of your hands, but you can overcome mental exhaustion with some help.
What is mental exhaustion?
Similar to physical fatigue, however it’s your mind instead of your muscles. It tends to show up when you focus on a mentally tough task for a while. You might also feel this kind of brain drain if you’re always on alert or stressed out. Your job, caring for children or aging parents, the present pandemic and other things can lead to mental exhaustion.
You're Angry or Impatient
Mental fatigue can put you in a bad mood. You may be short-tempered, easily irritated, issuing a lot more lip than usual. It’s harder to control your emotions when you’re mentally tapped out.
You Can't Get Work Done
Mental exhaustion saps your motivation, sure everyone's productivity oscillates but mental exhaustion makes it harder for you to concentrate, easily distracted, struggle to meet deadlines, tasks that are regular moles become 'mountains'.
You Zone Out
If you have an kind of life you often have to move between A & B, mental exhaustion is linked to fatal car wrecks because it affects your reflexes, you slow down, have poor reaction speed to real time events, a mind that wanders at inopportune times, like when you are driving your kids.
You Sleep Poorly
You might think it’d be easier to snooze when your brain is tired. But that’s not always the case. Research shows people who have jobs with a high “cognitive workload” report more symptoms of insomnia than those who don’t have mentally exhausting work. A lack of shut-eye can make mental fatigue worse. Tell your doctor if you can’t sleep or get really tired during the day. Treatment can help. Better sleep is one of the benefits of engaging in physical activity, call your personal trainer and arrange a workout.
You Do Unhealthy Things
Your appetite for your favorite whiskey or high multiplies when you are stressed. Mental fatigue can take an even harder toll on those who already have a substance use disorder. Experts think that’s because drug addiction changes parts of the brain that help you manage stress and control impulsive behavior.
You're Depressed
'I feel numb', some may say. You feel like you have no energy, moving in slow motion. That can make it hard to finish things at work or do daily activities. Tell your doctor if you have really low feelings or a sense of hopelessness, reach out. That can be a sign your depression is more serious.
Do Spend A Lot Of Time Worrying?
Mental fatigue triggers your sympathetic nervous system. That’s your “fight or flight” mode. Anxiety is an alarm that tells you something is wrong. If you’re always mentally exhausted, you might start to feel panicked or worried all the time. That often happens alongside symptoms of depression.
Exercise Feels Harder
Experts aren’t sure why mental fatigue affects physical activity. Some think your tolerance for exercise might go down. So it may seem like you’re putting in more effort than you really are.
Your Eating Habits Change
Your appetite and preferences may change. You may snack more than normal and not pay attention to what you eat. Stress can also make you crave sugary, salty, or fatty foods. Or you may not be hungry at all, which in turn fuels the lethargy and depression.
You Keep Dropping The Ball
It’s impossible for your work to be perfect all the time. But mental fatigue lessens your ability to catch and fix your mistakes quickly or at all. That can cause serious problems in certain activities, such as minding your kids, drive your car or use sharp objects.
You Feel More Pain
Everyone is different, which makes it hard to say how mental fatigue will affect your body. But you might get headaches, sore muscles, back pain, or stomach problems. If you have an ongoing illness, such as fibromyalgia, you may hurt a little bit more than usual.
Take A Break
If you take short breaks during long stretches of mental work you may feel less stressed out. There isn’t an exact amount of rest time that works best for everyone. But you may want to recharge for a few minutes every 1-2 hours.
Some people like to use something called the Pomodoro Technique. Here’s how it works:
Set a timer for 25 minutes.
Focus on one task the whole time.
Take a 5-minute break when the timer goes off.
After the fourth 25-minute block, take a break for 15-30 minutes.
Repeat until your task is done (or your workday is over).
Time to rest and recharge is an important part of treating mental exhaustion. This can mean taking an extended vacation, clearing your schedule for a couple of days, or even just taking a bit of time for yourself each day in the gym with your personal trainer.
Booking your personal trainer at lunch or during the day, taking a walk on your lunch break or having dinner with a friend once a week can do wonders for your stress levels.
Treating or Coping With Mental Exhaustion
There are lifestyle changes and techniques you can use at home to help you cope with stress and alleviate the symptoms of mental exhaustion.
Remove The Stressor
It’s not always possible to eliminate the source of your stress, but it is the best way to treat stress. If you’re overwhelmed by your responsibilities at home or work, consider asking for help with tasks, delegating some of your responsibilities to others or booking your personal trainer.
Enlisting the help of professional services is another way to help lighten your load, such as respite care or a personal support worker if you’re a caregiver for a loved one. Babysitting, cleaning, and running errands are other responsibilities you can outsource.
Exercise
It’s not easy to find the motivation to exercise even on a good day, but exercise has many proven benefits for your physical and emotional health. You don’t need to engage in a complex or high-intensity activity to reap the benefits. There’s evidence that you may feel even more energized if you exercise during your breaks. Try some jumping jacks and stretches for a few minutes each. Or go for a 10-15 minute brisk walk.
Find Ways To Relax
It’s hard to avoid mental exhaustion completely. But you can learn to switch on your body’s natural relaxation response. You can workout with your personal trainer, get a massage. Or you can try meditating, yoga, or something as simple as watching a funny movie. Reach out to friends, family, or a mental health professional if you need more support.
Clear Your Mind
Take a brief meditation break. It’s simple: Sit quietly, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. When you get distracted, just bring your attention back to your breath.
When you’re done, you could feel more positive and patient. That’s just what you need to shift the energy of your day and help you bounce back from stress.
Tiger Athletic
Tiger Athletic is a modern, private, appointment-only gym in Sandton, Johannesburg. We use a rigorous, results-focused methodology, and are passionate about helping you be the healthiest version of yourself, so you can lead a more fulfilling personal and professional life.
We believe for your trainer to be of maximum benefit to you, it should be just you and your coach on the floor during your workout, so our sessions are strictly 1 on 1 just you and your trainer. We do everything we can to ensure your safety, and our service delivery method allows for this by coaching you in seclusion and sanitizing all equipment used after each and every session.
Let’s Workout.
Comentarios