What causes mental exhaustion?

Mental exhaustion can occur when your brain is overworked without getting the vital rest it needs to recuperate. This can be through too much concentration, stimulation or overthinking for an excessive period. 

Symptoms of mental exhaustion can include

Finding it difficult to concentrate

Lack of enthusiasm for the things you used to enjoy

Feeling depressed and down

Social withdrawal

Feeling irritable and impatient 

Lack of confidence 

Feeling overwhelmed by everyday tasks

Feeling foggy-headed

Disturbed sleep

Why do people who suffer from anxiety often become mentally worn out?

The reason anxiety sufferers often become mentally fatigued is because they spend so much time worrying and obsessing about their condition. Their attention is constantly turned inward towards how they are feeling while at the same time desperately trying to figure a way out of their predicament. 

They may spend hours scouting the internet, reading books, searching through forums or their own mind looking for answers while worrying about the effect it is having on them and those around them. They may also use immense mental energy in an attempt to appear normal to others while trying to keep on top of their commitments.

Unfortunately, due to all this extra brain activity, they begin to feel worse so they worry and obsess even more which only leads to a continued search for solutions. They become more introspective than ever and so enter into a never-ending cycle that only fatigues them further. The irony is that they are creating so much of their suffering by attempting to get out of it. 

The brain is an organ and, just like any limb, will show signs of exhaustion when overused. The suffering you feel is your body’s way of telling you to stop, that this approach is not working. It is like trying to run on a broken leg in an attempt to heal it and wondering why your suffering increases.

A lot of anxiety sufferers hear the phrase allowing/accepting as a way out but don’t always understand the true meaningbehind it. When it comes to mental exhaustion, the obvious answer is to stop trying to feel better so you no longer exhaust yourself and no longer add another layer of suffering on top. This means accepting your current state and no longer tryingto feel any different than you do. This will cut down the brain work immensely and allow your brain to get the rest it so needs to heal itself.

Of course, due to what you have put yourself through previously, you will still feel mentally exhausted for a while,but now you have finally broken the loop you found yourself in. Recovery is something that will come to you in time, therewas never something you had to do to achieve it. Clarity will appear all by itself, the sadness will lift, you will be less irritable, life will feel less overwhelming and you will have the energy and motivation you always wanted. Not through trying to find a solution but through no longer trying to find a solution. 

So much suffering is self-created and recovery comes through seeing this. It comes through knowledge and understanding so we no longer create the suffering we are so desperately trying to escape from. 

Alongside the advice above there are many practical things you can do to cut down on mental exhaustion:

• Spending more time outdoors and less time sitting at home brooding about how you feel

• Cutting down on social media or watching negative stories on the media

• Learning to say no to too many demands at work or outside of it

• Practice self-care and no longer attempt to numb your feelings through overeating, drugs or alcohol

• Letting go of toxic people that drain your energy 

• Prioritise rest and take time outs when needed

• Taking up new hobbies or interests that energise you

• Don’t try and think your way out of how you are feeling, learn to live alongside any discomfort you may be experiencing

As you can see the advice is always about cutting down on introspecting and overthinking, giving your brain the rest thatit needs to recuperate while putting no more demands on it to solve your life or internal state. The brain can then recharge its batteries and regain its clarity. This will enable you to feel more internal peace and move towards regaining your former self so that life feels far more enjoyable and less demanding.

Paul David is the author of At Last a Life.