Mental exhaustion is similar to physical exhaustion, but instead of your muscles, your mind is tired.
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You are prone to mental exhaustion when you focus on a mentally challenging task for a long time or when you are stressed out all the time. Constant work pressure or caring for your children or old parents or a combination of all can make a person mentally exhausted. Mental exhaustion feels like you have no power or control over what is happening in your life, and you feel stuck or trapped in a routine. Disturbed sleep, a lack of energy, and loss of motivation are some signs of mental exhaustion. When these symptoms last for more extended periods, they can permanently damage your health. If you are experiencing the following characteristic signs of mental exhaustion, it is time you slow down and take a break from your routine.
1. Irritability
Even the most minor thing can set you off when you are overwhelmed, stressed, or mentally exhausted. You may find yourself picking a fight, arguing, or snapping at anyone for a trivial reason. However small the trigger, it feels like another factor that has been added to your overwhelming routine. You might lose your patience and temper with people, which can affect your work and personal relationships. This adds to the stress and makes the symptoms worse.
2. Insomnia
Even though you feel exhausted, you will be unable to sleep. When your mind is overloaded, it is almost impossible to organize overwhelming thoughts enough to get sleep. These thoughts are a sign of mental exhaustion and that the brain is too worked up to collect them. This leads to insomnia, making you feel tired, restless, and exhausted the next day. Meditation, deep breathing, or listening to calming music can help.
3. Lack of Motivation
Mental exhaustion takes away the fun and joy you feel while performing certain activities. The hobby or job or the person you enjoy being with becomes a burden. Even thinking about your future or setting goals can seem daunting. And thinking about goals that may take years to get completed may cause you to lose motivation.
4. Dizziness and Lethargy
Mental exhaustion does not directly result in dizziness and lethargy, but the sleep you lose due to exhaustion can be the cause. Sleep deprivation can make you feel highly sluggish the next day, leaving you with no energy to function. When your brain is constantly at work, the parts that are responsible for balance and coordination are also affected, resulting in balancing and coordination problems.
5. Indigestion
Too much mental stress activates your fight or flight response, which is excellent for you to escape danger. But when this response is activated every day due to your work stress or other triggers, blood and energy are redirected from your digestive system, leading to indigestion and bloating. Stress also increases the acid production in the stomach, which kills good gut bacteria needed for digestion.
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