Outward Signs Of Mental Fatigue
Beyond your mental or physical state, mental fatigue will also impact your behavior. If left unchecked, it can create rifts in your relationships, both personal and professional.
Mental fatigue places a strain on your social interactions, either causing you to lash out at others or withdraw from those closest to you.
You can also experience a sudden lack of motivation. The worse the mental exhaustion, the more likely you are to call in sick, look for reasons to avoid or miss work, or reject social or work-related commitments.
In the worst cases, your productivity may drop dramatically, and you may not recognize the person youve become.
Dont Be Afraid To Say No
We all have certain work, school, or home responsibilities we cant avoid on top of commitments to friends and family. Trying to do everything or make everyone happy can run you dry.
Saying no can be difficult. You might even want to take on extra responsibilities at work to prove your worth, especially if youre seeking a raise or promotion. And who doesnt feel bad about having to turn down a loved one asking for help?
But remember: Youre just one person. Its simply not possible to support everyone in your life all the time. Support your own needs and practice saying no when you dont feel up to helping out or if youre already burdened with other projects or tasks.
If you regret not being able to help, you can always soften your refusal by saying something like, I wish I could help, but Ive got a lot to deal with right now. Please keep me in mind if you need help in the future.
See your healthcare provider if:
If your symptoms seem more physical than emotional, it may help to start by talking to your primary healthcare provider, who can help you narrow down a possible cause.
If youre dealing with mostly mental health symptoms, consider talking to a therapist or asking your healthcare provider for a referral. Even a few sessions with a mental health professional can help you better understand your mental exhaustion and come up with ways to combat it.
Stress Vs Mental Exhaustion
Nearly everyone experiences stress from time to time its the bodys natural reaction to new, overwhelming, or scary situations.
This biological response results in a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, that help you respond to perceived threats and high-pressure situations that require quick thinking.
Once youve dealt with or removed the stressor, your bodys hormones should go back to typical levels. But chronic or long-term stress can play a role in mental exhaustion.
When you continue to face a challenge or set of challenges that activate your bodys stress response, your cortisol levels remain high. Eventually, too-high cortisol levels can interfere with normal body processes, such as digestion, sleep, and immune system function. In short, if you dont feel well and arent getting enough rest, your brain doesnt have the chance it needs to recharge and reset.
You might feel physically exhausted:
- after an intense workout or other physical activity
- when you get several nights of interrupted or inadequate sleep
- if you have a physically demanding job
- during an illness or while recovering from one
Yet physical and mental exhaustion can also play off each other. So if youre dealing with one, theres a good chance you might also start to notice the other.
And on the flip side, mental exhaustion can affect physical performance, making exercise and other tasks that require endurance feel considerably more physically taxing and demanding.
Recommended Reading: What Causes Extreme Fatigue And Joint Pain
Disconnect At The End Of The Workday
I dont just mean physically disconnecting. If you shut your laptop, but your brain is still working overtime worrying about your to-do list it doesnt count as disconnecting. Your brain needs time to rest and recover every day, but thats easier said than done. Its especially hard when your office is also your home as is the case for so many of us right now.
Thats why Cal Newport, computer science professor and author of Deep Work, thinks that everyone should have a work shutdown ritual a consistent series of tasks that signals to your brain that it can stop thinking about work for the day.
- Update and organize your to-do list. Your brain tends to worry over unfinished tasks, but you can temporarily trick it into thinking youve finished the task by making a plan to finish it. Thats why writing out a to-do list can provide mental relief even when you still have the exact same amount of work left. Doists founder and CEO, Amir, makes it a habit to get to to-do list zero at the end of every day by rescheduling any leftover tasks for later in the week.
And dont forget to take longer, disconnected vacations every once in a while.
What Is Mental Fatigue And What Causes It
Mental fatigue or mental exhaustion is just that, the sense that your brain is running on empty. You cant think clearly. Its a challenge to process even the simplest information. Youre mentally and emotionally drained.
For many individuals, they feel like their mind is in a constant fog.
A few examples of mental fatigue might include:
- Asking someone the same question twice, without realizing it
- Having to review basic information multiple times before grasping it
- Snapping at unsuspecting friends, family, or coworkers over petty irritations
Concentration on any one task is nearly impossible, you have trouble focusing or maintaining focus, and even small things seem impossible.
Mental fatigue can happen to anyone at any time, especially those whove experienced very little rest over a certain period. Stress is a common trigger and the brain fog can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
For many people, rest is the solution to mental fatigue. In other instances, by simply stepping away from the source of stress for a while, you can take back control of your mental state.
For others, however, mental exhaustion may prove debilitating. If not dealt with properly, it can cause serious health issues that go way beyond brain fog.
In extreme cases, mental fatigue may lead to detachment and isolation from others, deep feelings of anger, apathy, or hopelessness.
Read Also: Anti Fatigue Mats For Wet Areas
Use Rize To Ward Off Mental Fatigue
Mental fatigue slows down cognitive functions as your brain’s energy levels deplete due to prolonged exposure to stress. The effects of mental fatigue can interfere with decision-making, problem-solving, and productivity at work. However, overcoming fatigue is possible if you build good habits like staying active, being mindful, and eating well.
Tracking your time while you work helps you allocate your productive time better. Instead of wasting precious mental energy on low-value tasks, you can channel your peak hours to more useful activities. Rize is a time-tracking app that helps to keep track of the time you spend working, while ensuring that you take regular breaks and give your brain a rest.
Automatically running in the background, Rize app alerts you when itâs time to rest and shares weekly reports showing how you spend productive hours. Are you ready to work better to overcome cognitive overload and mental fatigue? Get started with a free trial of Rize.
Macgill Davis is the Cofounder of Rizeâa smart time tracker that improves focus and helps build better work habits.
Causes Of Mental Exhaustion
Mental fatigue can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime, and in any environment. It can be caused by many different factors, both personal and professional.
Some causes of mental fatigue and exhaustion include:
- Jobs with high levels of stress
- Working extended periods without taking breaks
- Having to make too many decisions, leading to
- Constantly switching between tasks
- Living with a serious illness of having chronic health issues
- Having to care for someone with a serious illness or who has chronic health issues
- Being isolated socially
Bottom line: If you dont pay close attention to your emotional health, social support system, or overall work-life balance, youre more susceptible to mental fatigue.
Read Also: Can Thyroid Problems Cause Fatigue
A Challenging Life Event
An event that completely turns your life upside down can put a great deal of strain on your mental health.
Oftentimes, people experience different types of grief as a result. Normal or uncomplicated grief causes short-term mental fatigue. Complicated grief, like the death of a loved one or a divorce, can bring on mental fatigue that impacts your mental health over a long period.
Other factors contributing to mental fatigue include poor nutrition, lack of sleep, clutter, or compassion and empathy fatigue. Once you identify the causes, start by taking steps to alleviate your symptoms.
Give Yourself Permission To Relax
People often complain about not having enough time, but they sometimes don’t recognize their mental exhaustion. Here are 5 simple tips to recharge mentally that don’t require much of a commitment or the use of energy you don’t have.
1. Spot small opportunities to rest your mind.
Like many people, whenever I have a spare second you’ll find me clicking around on my phone. I like to do this, except when I’m feeling mentally exhausted. If I know I need to rest my mind, I’ll use those little spaces of time to do some “mindfulness lite.” This is usually as simple as just feeling the physical sensation of my body standing, and doing some slow breathing. You can pay attention to any physical sensatione.g., the feeling of your feet making contact with the ground, or the positioning of your hips or shoulders. This is mindfulness for real life and it doesn’t need to be complicated.
2. Reduce excess sensory input, or go mono-sensory.
Take a break from excess light and noise. Spend a few minutes sitting in a dark, silent room and notice how relaxing it is.
Take steps to reduce the excess sensory input you encounter in a typical day. For example, wear headphones on the subway, turn off the TV when you’re not watching it, use night shift mode on your phone, and/or get some blackout curtains. Do whatever will reduce excess, unpleasant sensory input in your life.
3. Give yourself permission to relax.
4. Stop being unrealistic about how much you can get done.
Read Also: Is Fatigue A Sign Of Depression
What Causes Mental Exhaustion
Mental exhaustion is typically caused by prolonged exposure to stress. Whether in your personal and/or professional life, stressors from an increased cognitive load , dealing with an intense personal experience and/or decreased resources , the brain becomes overworked from constantly having to be attentive and can shut down â leaving you feeling drained and overrun.
Here are some examples of what causes mental fatigue:
- Overwhelming workload
- Big life events
- Uncertainty about the future
- Chronic illness or mental health issues
- Overextended commitments
- Societal or global stressors
- Not prioritizing self care
While these are common causes of mental fatigue, it is not an exhaustive list. The reality is, anything that causes you consistent emotional or mental stress can lead to an exhausted brain.
If you think youâre experiencing mental fatigue, take a look back at any recent changes in your life that could be contributing to your stress load. Some questions to ask yourself â have I gone through any major life changes in the past three months? How many responsibilities and commitments have I been fitting onto my plate? Is my current routine sustainable long term? Have I neglected any healthy habits or needs I should be prioritizing?
See Your Doctor If Things Arent Improving
A common mistake among those who are feeling physically or mentally fatigued is assuming they just need a good nights sleep. While that may be true in some cases, many others will find that their fatigue is caused by something more serious than sleep deprivation.
If youre experiencing persistent fatigue, consult with your physician or a medical professional as soon as possible to determine if theres an underlying cause that needs attention.
Don’t Miss: Is Fatigue A Symptom Of Hiv
Is Your Brain Tired Here Are 6 Ways To Treat Mental Fatigue
Feeling drained? Does your brain want to go on an indefinite vacation far away from where you are now? You may be experiencing mental fatigue.
Mental fatigue is an all too common feeling these days. Uncertainty, high stress levels, and a demanding lifestyle are making our minds feel downright exhausted. But living in a state of permanent mental fatigue can have consequences on our personal and professional well-being.
Lets explore how mental fatigue affects us, its symptoms, and what we can do to treat it.
Mental Vs Emotional Exhaustion
Generally speaking, mental tends to refer to cognitive skills, like thinking, memory, decision-making, and problem-solving. Emotional, on the other hand, has to do with feelings, including your ability to identify, process, and express them.
You might notice emotional exhaustion when navigating difficult, painful, or unwanted feelings, such as:
- a decline in motivation or productivity
- feeling lethargic or slowed down in movements or responses
- difficulty concentrating, remembering information, putting thoughts together, or completing work correctly
Recommended Reading: Vitamins For Depression And Fatigue
Remedies For Mental Fatigue
We all have a limited amount of happiness chemicals, neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin that make us feel mentally vibrant. Thats why the drug addict cant stay high all the time, eventually draining dopamine stores and coming down hard. Drugs are forms of synthetic energy creation that can create bursts of vitality followed by a crash.
You mightve experienced the sugar high, caffeine rush, or alcohol buzz that at some point subsides into a depleted mental state. Caffeine, for example, blocks your adenosine receptors in the brain, essentially masking your fatigue until it wears off and you feel even more tired.
So if drugs clearly arent the answer, then we are left with more organic means of achieving mental vitality:
1. Sleep
This one is pretty obvious, as everyone knows that sleep is critical for an energetic mind. But few people realize just how important sleep really is.
To maximize your sleep, it helps to keep a regular schedule, rest in a dark and cool room, eliminate external sounds, and avoid screens before bed. Ive written more on tips for getting a good nights sleep here: 5 Sleep Therapy Techniques for Better Overall Health And Wellness
2. Movement
It might seem counter-intuitive that you would want to expend energy through movement in order to have more of it. But exercise is net energy positive, as it trains your body to be ready for more energetic output.
3. Nutrition
4. Meditation
5. Environment
How You Can Cope With Mental And Emotional Exhaustion
Mindful changes in your lifestyle can help you adjust to new situations, prepare for stress and prevent exhaustion, Dr. Dannaram said. He recommends exercise, yoga and getting enough sleep.
Some other strategies can also help:
If youre not getting the relief you need, seek help. And connect with a behavioral health professional if you:
- Feel sad, helpless or hopeless for more than a week or two
- Arent able to keep up with your responsibilities
- Cant sleep well
Recommended Reading: Does Benlysta Help With Fatigue
Learn Time Management Tips
Time management is a big deal for everyone, but especially for entrepreneurs because theres never enough time in a day. The best way to fight physical and mental fatigue? Find ways to manage your time better.
Try these tips:
Brain Fog Vs Mental Fatigue
As with stress, we need to make a difference between mental fatigue and brain fog. These two terms shouldnt be used interchangeably either. So, if youve asked yourself questions like:
- Did I turn off the iron?
- Did I lock the door?
- Where is my car?
youve experienced brain fog. In fact, we all have.
When we are tired, our minds also get sluggish. We cant think clearly nor recall even the simplest things. Therefore, this state of mind is called brain fog. Its a state of cognitive impairment that includes difficulties in concentrating and thinking. Besides that, it is often followed by loss of short-term memory. Brain fog is also one of the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fibromyalgia. That is to say, brain fog occurs as a symptom of mental fatigue, but prolonged fatigue that is present for more than six months. Causes of brain fog differ from case to case. Only when you identify the cause of it will you be able to cure it accordingly. Here are some most common brain fog triggers:
- Various medical conditions,
- Spending too much time on the computer.
Nevertheless, its not all that foggy. What you can do to prevent this from happening is:
- Get enough sleep,
- Take nutrients such as B vitamins, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and ribose .
Recommended Reading: Anti Fatigue Floor Mats Harbor Freight
How To Fight Fatigue And Get Your Energy Back
Fatigue is only vaguely defined, and we all feel fatigued from time to time. But chances are if youre here, you may be dealing with chronic fatigue.
Chronic fatigue is a brutal mix of constantly feeling weak with no energy or motivation. This kind of unrelenting exhaustion is a nearly constant state of weariness that reduces energy and motivation, even sapping your ability to concentrate. Fatigue with this consistency impacts your psychological and emotional well-being.
Unlike temporary or circumstantial fatigue, what makes chronic fatigue so tough is that these feelings dont typically go away with sleep and rest.
Its not clear how many people experience chronic fatigue in the United States given its varied definitions and symptoms. Researchers estimate somewhere between seven and 45 percent of adults are fatigued frequently.
Fatigue is challenging to study because most people dont even know something is wrong. Getting older means your body changes, work or family stresses mean less sleep, and many people just assume that feeling fatigued is part of life.
But chronic fatigue is not normal and could signify a much larger problem.
