In today’s stressful world, we all feel overwhelmed at times. But simple actions can help you refresh your mind and calm your brain.
These interesting and unsettling times are bringing with them arise in mental health worries. Everyone has had their lives upended, by the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic fallout from that, the current political and social climate and the daily onslaught of disturbing news that has us all longing for far less interesting times.
After months of this mayhem, many of us are feeling mentally exhausted. And with no end in sight, it is critically important that we all learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental exhaustion, take steps to recharge ourselves and prevent it from evolving into a more serious mental health condition.
What Is Mental Exhaustion?
Mental exhaustion is not a clinical diagnosis, it is a colloquial term for a condition that can be called any number of things, including:
Burnout
Stressed out
Overwhelmed
Mental fatigue
Emotionally drained
Long-term stress is like hitting a mental wall. Your mind is not operating effectively. It’s similar to a computer with 30 windows open – it gets frozen in place.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms?
Feeling any of the above descriptions can be a sign you are mentally exhausted and can also include:
Panic attacks
Intrusive thoughts
Feeling numb
Feeling hopeless
Unable to make decisions
Not living life to the full
The brain is like any other muscle that is overworked. It feels sore from trying to manage so many different questions – about the economy, my job, how to parent, civil unrest. There is an endless potential for computing, a numbness to it.
Some physical symptoms may be present when feeling mentally exhausted:
Tension headaches
Stomach distress
Fatigue
Sleep changes
Anger or impatience
Withdrawal from social connections
Overuse of alcohol or drugs
Tips for Dealing with Mental Exhaustion
The following suggestions may help to combat these feelings of mental exhaustion:
- Simplify tasks. If you are feeling overwhelmed, break tasks into smaller pieces, and acknowledge each accomplishment. Whether it’s caring for your home, your kids, your work duties, schooling your kids while working, try to segment each into more manageable pieces.
- Recognize and limit your stressors. If the news becomes too much to bear, limit your media exposure. Watch TV or go on social media just 30 minutes a day, then turn it off. If certain friends or family members trigger you, limit exposure to them as well.
- Ask for help. If you feel like your plate is too full, don’t be afraid to ask your kids and your spouse or partner to pitch in with household chores or a co-worker to lend a hand with a work project.
- Build in breaks. When working from home, it’s easy to find yourself working all the time. Build in frequent breaks and do something relaxing, whether it’s a walk around the block, a short stint on a hobby or just sitting with your eyes closed for 15 minutes. Eat lunch in the kitchen, not at your desk.
- Create boundaries. If you haven’t already, create a separate space for a work office, and establish boundaries so that you have separate time and space for specific things like work, home, family and yourself.
- Care for you. Find ways to exercise, relax and improve your sleep. Learn to say no when asked to do too much. Assign yourself at least a half-hour every day to spend on one life-affirming thing for you: reading, walking in nature, cooking, playing with your dog, watching a comedy on Netflix, whatever it is that reminds you that life is good.
- Acknowledge what you can control and what you cannot. You can’t affect the overall COVID-19 situation in your city, but you can reduce your personal risk. Learn to accept that you don’t know what the future holds – and that’s OK, because you do know how to manage yourself.
- Learn mindfulness techniques. When your mind is racing, stop and make note of it. That, in essence, is mindfulness. Become an observer of your mind. The mind is like a monkey swinging from branch to branch. Practice directing your mind to a certain branch and anchor it there. It’s like playing a game with a child – you can redirect your mind to anything of value in our life. Then you are not always problem-solving and spinning your wheels.
- Remember that abnormal is the new normal. We all need to set new standards for what we think is normal. Mental exhaustion comes from feeling overwhelmed. Focusing on the present moment and the joy in a given day is more important than ever.