Overcoming mental exhaustion: causes, symptoms, and how to cope

Getting out of bed after a good night’s sleep feels impossible sometimes, you might be suffering from mental exhaustion. The constant tiredness that comes with this mental exhaustion can make it feel impossible to overcome. You’re not alone – nearly 75% of workers have reported similar feelings since the start of the pandemic.

Reduce screen time

Take a digital detox – even if for a few minutes at a time – can give you a break from being on call

Do something new

It’s worth the effort to get out of your comfort zone.

• Trying new things can give you a boost of energy, especially if it’s something you’ve always wanted to do.
• If the new activity is challenging or complex, you may even slip into flow – the antidote to burnout.

Side effects of being mentally exhausted

Difficulties in relationships

• Decreased performance at work
• Inability to follow complex ideas or resolve challenges
• Feelings of disconnection and isolation
• Depression or anxiety
• Missed opportunities
• Lack of follow-through with important projects, decreased satisfaction across all areas of life and decreased physical health

Take care of yourself

Cortisol is known as the stress hormone, but it doesn’t actually make you stressed

Work-life balance

Try reducing the amount of time you spend on things that make you unhappy

Depression versus mental exhaustion

Depression is a mood disorder characterized by a persistent low mood. People that are mentally exhausted often feel depressed, and those that are depressed feel mentally drained.

Burnout versus mental exhaustion

Burnout is the most similar to mental exhaustion. They share a significant number of symptoms, and both are caused by long-term stress.

• Mental fatigue shares many symptoms with burnout, depression, stress, and physical exhaustion. Because of that, we can use some of the same techniques to overcome it.

Chronic Stress

The most common form of mental exhaustion

• Chronic stress keeps your brain and body on high alert all the time, and wears away at your well-being.
• It can also lead to empathy or compassion fatigue, as it can be difficult to muster an emotional response to the constant strain.

Emotional symptoms related to mental exhaustion

Feeling a lack of interest in normal activities

Clear your space

Physical clutter often takes up mental space as well

• Each item that’s in the way, broken, or waiting to go out represents an unfinished task
• Tackle the mess to give yourself some breathing room and a sense of peace
• Feel accomplished and build momentum towards the rest of your to-do list

Eliminate the Stressor

If you can eliminate the root cause of your mental tiredness, do it.

Physical symptoms related to mental exhaustion

Fatigue or exhaustion, even after a full night’s rest

What causes mental exhaustion?

Stressors increase a person’s cognitive load or reduce their resources

• Many stressors involve both reduced resources and increased load
• For example, completing a challenging project with many moving parts and tradeoffs would require a high level of project management skills and political savvy
• Constantly changing time zones would leave you feeling jet-lagged (reduced resources)
• Work travel to an unfamiliar country where you don’t speak the language amps up the cognitive load

Physical versus mental exhaustion

Physical fatigue is caused by stress on the body, not mental.

Poor self-care

It’s easy to get busy or feel down, and neglecting self care can affect your resilience in the face of stressful situations.

• If you have a chronic illness, it is important to be especially diligent about taking care of yourself to avoid brain fog.

Work Stress

Stress at work can arise from a values mismatch, difficulty managing tasks and priorities, or a high-demand, risk-oriented job.

Overcoming mental exhaustion

It takes effort and awareness to change the patterns that lead to feeling mentally tired.

• The good news is that you don’t have to tackle it all at once to start feeling better.
• You just need to recognize the signs and recognize the behaviors that are causing your mental exhaustion and change those.

Find positive ways to distract yourself

Focus on positive methods of distraction

Stress versus mental exhaustion

Stress is a term that refers to anything that temporarily taxes a person’s mental, physical, and emotional resources.

Get outside

Spend some time outdoors. Exposure to sunlight is important in regulating serotonin, vitamin D, and your circadian rhythm.

• If you don’t have time during work, see if you can take a meeting at the park or go over your notes at an outdoor cafe.

Uncertainty

The human stress response was designed to work efficiently in the face of short-term stress. It’s a much less effective response to a constant, nagging feeling of uncertainty.

Juggling multiple commitments

Balancing an intensive school or training program, a second job, or a freelance business can leave you feeling like you’re never “off.”

When should you go to a wellness specialist?

If you experience any of the following, you should contact a specialist right away: Depression thoughts and plans of harming yourself or others Uncontrollable crying Several absences from work Being in danger of losing your job Inability to take care of your children or loved ones Lack of attention to personal hygiene These are all indicators that your mental health condition may be more serious than mental exhaustion.

Can you be exhausted mentally?

After a long period of stress or time of intense emotions, mental exhaustion is bound to happen

What is mental exhaustion?

Mental exhaustion is a feeling of extreme tiredness, characterized by other feelings including apathy, cynicism, and irritability.

What does mental exhaustion feel like?

Mental exhaustion symptoms can range from tiredness when you wake up in the morning, to a deep sense of apathy about work, friendship, and life

Talk to a coach or therapist

Get an outside perspective

• Helps you see where you can reduce your stress
• Provide helpful tips on improving your self-care and work-life balance
• Coaching or therapist can help you navigate career changes or changes in your career

Behavioral symptoms related to mental exhaustion

Inability to sit still, difficulty relaxing

Focus on what you can control

Make a list of every possible solution to a problem, no matter how outlandish or unlikely it may seem. You may find that more help is available than you thought.

Family issues

Being a caregiver for young children, sick relatives, or aging parents can be mentally taxing

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