Psychological Exhaustion, When The Drop Is Full

Psychological exhaustion weakens us physically and mentally. It is a dimension that arises as a result of the “too many” : too many decisions, too many intrusive thoughts, too much work, obligations, interruptions, anxieties … At the same time, it is also the reflection of many “few” : little quality time for oneself , few hours of sleep, little inner calm …

We have all experienced this feeling, this wear and tear at all levels. It is important to keep in mind that a fatigued, psychologically exhausted brain works and responds to stimuli in another way. Thus, and as a curious fact, the neuroscientist Matthew Walker was able to demonstrate at the laboratory level that mentally tired people have a more negative perception of their reality and are also much more emotionally sensitive.

On the other hand, an aspect that sometimes leads us to errors is to come to think that this psychological exhaustion is due, in essence, to a fatal accumulation of errors, bad decisions, failures or disappointments. It is not true. Most of the time, tiredness is the direct result of an excessive volume of tasks and activities that we assume without perceiving that they exceed us.

We have all heard that the perception of our reality sometimes depends on how we see the glass, if half full or half empty. However, and in relation to the present topic, we could formulate the question in another way: and you … how much water could you bear if you had that cup in your hand? Sometimes just one more drop is enough to fill the glass and reach the limit of our strength.

Psychological exhaustion, an all too common problem

Carlos feels satisfied with his life, in fact, he couldn’t ask for more. He is a graphic designer, he likes his job, he has a partner he adores and he has just become a father. Everything that surrounds him is satisfactory, there is no major problem in his life; However, every day she finds that it is more difficult for her to make decisions, her mood is more taciturn, she cannot concentrate and she even has trouble falling asleep.

You feel unable to understand what is happening to you. Everything is going well, in fact you should feel happier than ever; however,  in his mind there is a kind of sensor that tells him that “something is wrong, something is wrong. ” If we had an external observer in this story, he could explain several things that would help our protagonist.

One of them is that Carlos has the feeling that too many things are happening at the same time in his life: a promotion, new professional projects and clients to satisfy, a child, a mortgage, the consolidation of a personal stage where he wishes ( it is required) that everything be “perfect” … All this gives way to a constellation where “many few” do a “too much” in their head, endangering their ability to control. His mental exhaustion is evident, as well as exhausting. Let’s see below how mental fatigue impacts us.

Signs and consequences of psychological exhaustion

• Physical fatigue and loss of energy. The feeling of exhaustion sometimes reaches such a level that it is common to get up in the morning with the firm conviction that we will not be able to with our day.

• Insomnia. At first it is common to have sudden awakenings at night, but later we can experience serious difficulties falling asleep.
• Memory loss According to an article published in the journal ” The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology” , psychological exhaustion often produces a cognitive alteration called the “misinformation effect”. It is where we confuse data, where we evoke information incorrectly, mixing images, people, situations …
• Among the physical symptoms it is common to experience palpitations, digestive problems, headaches, loss of hunger or an excessive increase in appetite …
• On an emotional level, it is very characteristic to feel more sensitive, as well as apathetic, irritable and pessimistic.
• Likewise, another common characteristic is anhedonia;, that is, inability to feel pleasure, to enjoy things as much as before, we no longer get excited, life becomes more gray and the world remains suspended in a distant horizon where only we hear his rumor from a distance …

How to cope with psychological exhaustion

Eric Hoffer used to say that the worst fatigue comes from work not done. It is a great truth. Sometimes true exhaustion is made up of everything we want to do and don’t do. For all those daily objectives that we set ourselves and that exceed us, that we do not reach, those that are frustrated because our level of demand is very high or the pressures of the environment, excessive.

In the end it happens, the drop fills the glass and the glass already weighs excessively. That’s when everything gets out of hand. Thus, what we should do in these cases and first of all, is to become aware of what is happening to us. The psychological exhaustion is there and we must prevent the “creature” from getting bigger, darker and more oppressive. Let us therefore reflect on the following dimensions, on those steps that we should put into practice later.

3 permissions you must give yourself to clear the clouds of mental fatigue

• Give yourself permission to meet again. It may seem ironic, but psychological exhaustion tends to imprison us in layers of worries, self-demands, pressures, duties and anxieties to the point of forgetting ourselves. Give yourself permission to meet again and for this, nothing better than enjoying an hour a day where all stimuli are reduced to the maximum (no sounds, no artificial lights …). Let’s find a quiet environment where we limit ourselves to “being and being”.
• Give yourself permission to prioritize. This is certainly an essential point. Remember what is a priority for you, what identifies you, what you love, what makes you happy. The rest will be secondary and will not deserve such an emotional and personal investment on your part.

• Give yourself permission to be less demanding. The day has 24 hours and life, whether we like it or not, has a limited quota. Let’s learn to be realistic, to take advantage of the time without putting pressure on ourselves, high standards or the desire for everything to be perfect. Sometimes it is enough that everything is the same as yesterday, with its humble and calm poise.

To conclude, we know that our reality is increasingly demanding, that sometimes we want to reach everyone and everything; however, it is worth remembering an idea. We are made of skin, meat, heart and psychological tendons that must also be nourished by quality time, rest, calm and leisure. Let’s learn to prioritize ourselves, to take care of ourselves as we deserve….