I can’t do anything: what is mental exhaustion and how to cope with it

What is mental exhaustion and why does it occur?

This is severe emotional and mental fatigue, which causes a person to be unable to function normally and feel weak and depressed. He has the physical strength to work, devote time to family and hobbies, but he no longer has the enthusiasm and determination. Mental exhaustion can be one of the signs of burnout.

It appears Mental exhaustion causes due to high workload, stress, problems at work and in personal life. Often, mental exhaustion can be a consequence of depression, chronic diseases, and insomnia.

Sometimes this state occurs when everything in a person’s life is basically good, but there are simply too many tasks that require his attention and effort - and there is no time to rest and recover.

Moreover, the person then finds himself in a vicious circle: he does not have enough strength to cope with things, they accumulate, put pressure on him, he tries to get out from under this avalanche of tasks and becomes even more exhausted.

Requests for help Write your story It gets worse and worse every time. I'm a 3rd year student, sometimes it seems to me that I should have died a couple of years ago. It often seems to me that I don’t have much time left to live, that my mind wants to die because it understands that nothing will work out further, that I’m going in circles and the only way to stop suffering is to finally accept the inevitable. Every time it seems to me that the pain is too much and I can’t stand it anymore, but I’m still here, just without any point in enduring all this anymore. Sometimes I cut myself or put out cigarettes on myself, because of this I am ashamed in front of the guy, ashamed in general in front of everyone - instead of me there could be someone good and strong, I would not want to be born. Even walking can be difficult - you want to lie down right on the street and not get up again, just close your eyes and disappear. I am so tired. I’m mortally tired of everything - from the feeling of my body, from the same thoughts and people, from smells, touches, the sight of something... I don’t want to feel anything anymore and think at all. Now I’m just waiting for the moment when I finally decide on the irreparable. Note I drank and quit the antidepressants and was in hospital. I always felt like I was pretending

Alexandra, age: 20 / 12/24/2021
Responses:
Dear! What are you writing? You are only 20 years old. I'm 40. And believe me, I would love to have my 20 years back to avoid mistakes that I would like to correct. You are young. This is such a huge plus)). Don't waste your youth on suffering, they don't deserve it. Live better and appreciate your beauty (when a person is so young, he is always beautiful, although he does not realize it yet). I ask you to take pity on yourself, treat yourself with understanding and love.

Kira, age: 40 / 12/25/2021

Hello. Alexandra, it’s important to resume taking your medications. If those did not help, then let the doctor prescribe other antidepressants. Plus vitamins. You'll be fine, honey. Stay healthy!

Irina, age: 34 / 12/25/2021

Hello, Alexandra! That's right - you are describing severe depression. And the fact that they took antidepressants and were in an intensive care unit is good; they have experience communicating with psychiatrists. Unfortunately, it takes months, or even years, to select the right (working) antidepressant regimen. In the English-language literature they write that, on average, only the 5th prescribed scheme is suitable. I was unlucky - the scheme was chosen only 10 years later. During this time - 3 suicide attempts. I was already completely desperate - I wasn’t even smart enough to commit suicide, but then the therapy regimen suddenly started working, which I noticed only 2 years later, when it stopped worsening and was in a mental hospital. Before this, there were several exacerbations per year, standard hospitalization. Now I live like a practically healthy person (about the same as a person with diabetes) - I take medications and go to psychotherapy. Making new friends and trying new things. I'm not afraid of exacerbations - the scheme holds up. And you hold on, go to a psychiatrist, change your schemes - yours will definitely be found. Good luck!

Lyasine, age: 42 / 12/25/2021

Hello Alexandra. You did the wrong thing by quitting taking antidepressants, you shouldn’t stop taking them suddenly, otherwise withdrawal syndrome may occur, and depression will return with renewed vigor, which is most likely what happened to you at the moment. I also once abruptly stopped drinking dietary supplements and was so overwhelmed that I barely got out. I can imagine what you are going through right now. You now need to seriously think about your health, and not how to leave for another world. Try to find an experienced psychotherapist to select a current medication regimen for you, sometimes this takes months, since all antidepressants have a cumulative effect, and it takes from two weeks to a month for them to start working. But one thing you need to remember is that you are physically healthy, and depression is a mental illness. That everything is fine with you, you are in God’s hands and the Lord will take care of you - this will help you recover, as it once helped me. Death is not a panacea, but the road to hell - eternal suffering of the soul, since the soul cannot be killed. I don’t recommend cutting yourself, as the scars left on the body will remind you of difficult moments in life. Good luck to you.

Ivan 54, age: 55 / 12/26/2021

Alexandra, I understand that you are feeling very bad right now, and this letter is a cry for help. It doesn't matter whether others think you have a reason to feel this way or not. Antidepressants are a crutch. I certainly cannot call my experience exhaustive, but I am sharing what I know and have seen. As a rule, the task of a crutch is to give you the strength to survive some difficult period or to accumulate strength and get out of the current situation, because without them there is no physical or mental strength. I don't think they need to be taken non-stop and continuously - that's not a solution. I don’t know you and I can only guess, look around you, what is killing you so much in the present. Maybe it’s worth trying to get out of it and look for alternatives or take the first steps in the right direction. Temporarily turn off poking around in your memory and overthinking the negative and look at now and tomorrow. You are much stronger than you think, you can do a lot, including pulling yourself out of external and internal hell. It doesn’t really matter what others say or think. You are saving yourself, and if they care about you, they will support you. The problem is in your studies - take the academic, with a rested head, rethink everything and decide whether you need it further or not. The environment causes a lot of pain, find those who will be close to you and will take care of your feelings. The world is a very big place, you shouldn’t sacrifice yourself for the beloved value of those who don’t care for a penny. Understand that giving up what brings hell into your life does not make you worse and weaker. This caring attitude towards oneself, caring, first of all, about oneself, makes a person stronger, and not masochism. There are many difficulties in life and yes, we often experience pain, but there is also a lot of good on the other side of the scale. Passionate work that brings results is satisfaction, although in any work there are difficulties. If the halves are disproportionate and overwhelming for you, then something wrong is happening. But it is important to remember about balance, about choice and your priorities. Don't look at others, they are different. Some of them may wish you well and sincerely believe that they are advising you the best. Not everyone can understand that only you know what is best for you. Someone is simply looking for an opportunity to assert themselves at someone else's expense. But such people base the whole meaning of life on proving that they are better than others. It's a pitiful sight. They definitely don’t wish you happiness, and well... God be with them, what should you think about them. You've brought yourself to the point of perfectionism... Let go, really. It’s not about being lazy, it’s about understanding that life is a long-distance race, which you can still learn to enjoy, and then you’ll get involved. Don't run out of steam too early, take care of yourself. Questions “why” haunt you - read relevant literature on psychology. Listen and expand the range around you, but find a foothold inside, receiving information from the outside about yourself or not, filter, listen to yourself, how is it for me, is it someone else’s. Only you know who you are and what you are like. Read books on critical thinking. Sometimes it seems that we want to die, but it only seems because we do not see the tomorrow that we can create with our own hands. It will be worth living and seeing. I also felt the same way, but those people who were around didn’t care. They continued to mentally humiliate me and mock me for the state they had brought me to. The point is not to blame them or the world, but to learn to throw it out of your soul. Why do you make yourself feel bad because of those who don't care about you? There are many people who will crush you just for having their point of view, because they are hurt by disagreement and dislike. So where is your love for yourself that you allowed yourself to be brought to this? I rarely write here. I do not know you. I don’t know what the reasons are, but I think there are a lot of things and they have accumulated. Just reboot, yes, medications can help for now. I sincerely wish you to get out of this state, you definitely can.

Ponca, age: 33 / 12/27/2021

Alexandra Good afternoon... I was also on the PND.. I stupidly quit the pills, I thought I could handle it on my own.. no.. withdrawal, withdrawal.. and again the PND, then I decided to be treated honestly and consult with the doctors, it took me a long time to find a medicine, but now I live a full life..husband, job..friends, acquaintances...visited a psychologist..and the priest in the church...you need to tell the doctor and they will pick up a medicine for you..I have been on antidepressants for many years...but this is better than the condition that you describe. .I know this, I went through... and suicide when I quit the pills... and also suicide, against the background of depression, we need a psychologist and a psychiatrist together to work on you, and it also depends on you..., fight for life and don’t give up ..I wish you well...

Karina, age: 40 / 12/27/2021

Hello! No, you're not pretending. Judging by what you write, there was a depressive episode, and now, unfortunately, a relapse. The degree of severity can only be assessed by a psychiatrist. Perhaps you can manage without hospitalization. To not give up!!! Even recurrent depression is treatable. Just push a little bit - you have to pull yourself out, the chances are 100%.

Augusta, age: 41 / 12/27/2021

Hello. Resume treatment. How to pretend? Deliberately deprive yourself of joys and a normal life? This is false conscience. Sin disguises itself as virtue. It is difficult to directly tell a person “kill, steal, cheat.” Therefore, debauchery calls itself love, a bribe - a gift and gratitude, abortion - obedience and conscience. And this is poison in a candy wrapper. Continue to heal. Go to church, confession and communion heal the soul and alleviate bodily illnesses. You shouldn't die like that, it won't really bring you any relief. There is no need to throw away life, years and days are given to a person for a reason, but for good deeds and happiness.

Wild Angel, age: 22 / 01/05/2022

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How to Tell if You're Mentally Exhausted

There are several signs of Mental exhaustion symptoms:

• You get tired quickly.
• You get irritated easily.
• Any little thing can upset you.
• You start to be late often and don’t get anything done.
• You can’t take on the next task for a long time, you’re stalling for time.
• You constantly feel depressed.
• Even simple things are difficult and cause fear and panic.
• You suffer from insomnia or, conversely, sleep a lot.
• You are pessimistic about the future.
• You avoid responsibility and find it difficult to make decisions.
• You find it difficult to concentrate.

Symptoms of apathy

In order not to miss the moment and seek help in a timely manner, get acquainted with the symptoms of apathy.

• inhibition of movements visible to others;
• causeless boredom - nothing that was previously close to the heart makes you happy;
• indifferent attitude towards oneself, towards others, towards the world;
• there is no desire to make plans for the future and dream;
• there is no desire to do something - laziness, don’t want anything;
• constant desire to be alone;
• speech becomes monotonous and inexpressive;
• complete lack of initiative, new ideas;
• normal activity is replaced by isolation.

How to overcome mental exhaustion

The most obvious and at the same time the most difficult decision is to take a break and rest. Put some things aside and delegate the rest, write a vacation application, get a good night’s sleep, change your surroundings at least for a couple of days. But this is not always possible. Therefore, psychologists recommend 4 Things to Do When Your Brain Is Tired a few more actions that can alleviate your condition a little.

“Turn off” some of your senses

Large sensory load: light, sound, conversations, tactile sensations - can be very exhausting. Try to exclude some irritants and spend at least a few minutes in silence and darkness. Buy blackout curtains for your room, turn off the TV when you're not watching it, don't leave music or the radio playing in the background, wear headphones when riding the subway.

This is not a radical solution to the problem, but this approach can at least slightly reduce overall fatigue and irritability.

Make fewer decisions

Put off life-changing decisions for at least a couple of weeks, try to reduce smaller ones: eat the same dish for lunch every day, order the same type of coffee, take the same route to work, prepare several sets of clothes in advance so that you can I didn't have to choose what to wear in the morning.

Having to make even such small decisions can be very draining, and taking a break will give you some strength.

Look at the plants

Researchers from the University of Melbourne conducted a small experiment. Participants were asked to look out the window at a nearby rooftop on which a small garden was laid out. Tests showed40-second green roof views sustain attention: The role of micro-breaks in attention restoration that even after 40-second observations, participants became more focused and made fewer mistakes in their studies throughout the day. Keith Lee, the author of the experiment, believes that contemplating nature helps us focus and maintain a working mood.

Look out the window from time to time, especially if there is a picturesque view from there, go for a walk in the yard or in a nearby park.

What needs to be done?

To begin with, you should increase the attention from family and friends towards a mentally ill person. Overcoming the feeling of devastation on your own will be quite difficult, but not impossible. This will require enormous willpower and endurance. In this case, you should be guided by a special provision. Who would you really like to be - a weak-willed and weak creature or a person who knows how to love, rejoice and simply live? If you choose the second option, you will need to follow a list of fairly simple but emergency measures:

• Start complaining. Yes, yes, that's not a typo! Go to the mirror and express everything that is boiling in your soul. Such actions, like nothing else, will help you look at the problem from the outside. If you feel painfully offended, then you are on the right track. All that remains is to find a person to whom you can cry into your vest.
• Trust people. Yes, it can be quite difficult, but you should take a closer look at your surroundings and find people there who you can really trust. Surely you will be able to find a person in whose presence you can fearlessly express everything that is on your soul.
• Find the reason for this condition. Introspection will benefit you. Think about what led you to feel empty. Perhaps a loved one or work? This problem will have to be eliminated by saying goodbye to the culprit of all troubles or finding a favorite activity.
• Stir up your emotions. In this case, it is especially important to get rid of the indifference that has made you look at the world with an empty gaze all this time. It is worth achieving a huge release of adrenaline into the blood. Extreme sports can help with this. Ride a motorcycle or read a dramatic book. There are quite a lot of options, it’s impossible to count them all.

If you feel nothing but emptiness, then you should definitely fill it with something important and interesting. There are many methods in psychology that describe how to do this in detail. We will only touch on the main points.

“Everything comes easy”

People often spin a similar thought in their heads, but it has absolutely nothing to do with reality. If a person has low expectations from life, then he will never work hard. A person limited by such a belief will wait until money and success come into his hands. This, of course, will not happen, and apathy against the background of spiritual devastation will not be long in coming.

People who believe that everything in life should come on its own sooner or later will find it extremely difficult to tune in to a serious work process and get out among the people. This kind of thinking will first lead to a loss of motivation, and then to the collapse of all hopes and dreams. Ultimately, sooner or later you will feel spiritual devastation.

How to start feeling again?

To restore emotionality, sensuality and joy of life, it is necessary to understand what is difficult for a person to come to terms with and accept. What functions did the broken relationship serve for him? What internal cockroaches is he afraid to face now? Psychotherapy can be of great help with this.

Forum for free psychological help

But a series of nice, deep sobs can also help, in which all the pain and drama of the events that happened will be expressed. It is very important not to be afraid to face the pain that is happening inside. This is the only way to free yourself from it and clear the way for new emotions.

Do not deny yourself the pleasure and roar properly, regardless of whether you are a woman or a man stern in his brutality. You have to cry so that you are thoroughly shaken and shaken. Then something without which life cannot be complete will return to you again.

It is important to admit that you loved this person and you are now very sad, sad and hurt that the relationship is over. You need to let it all out of yourself, otherwise it will gnaw from the inside. And timely, sincere tears will be an invaluable assistant to you in this situation.

Author: Dmitry Malin - clinical psychologist

"All or nothing!"

This attitude also harms a person, since he refuses a bunch of opportunities that are supposedly not worthy of attention. In fact, all this time you have been refusing successful work that could lead you to a bright future. Over time, you may be able to realize your mistake, but this may end with you losing all desire to live.

Remember that in order to rise in life, you need to overcome many obstacles and injustices. No one has ever managed to climb a mountain in one jump. Only the most worthy become the heads of large companies or successful businessmen.

If you continue to consider intermediate steps unworthy of your attention, then you will never be able to achieve your desired goal. Perhaps someday you will receive a tempting offer of your life, but will you then have the proper motivation to cope with all the responsibilities? Most likely no. After all, such thinking will sooner or later lead to an all-consuming spiritual emptiness, which will discourage all desires in order to achieve success in life.

Hobbies

Still repeating to yourself the words “I don’t want to feel anything anymore?” The time has come to do something unusual and interesting! Think about how often you have dreamed about what you would do in life when money no longer mattered to you. Why not try to get involved in something new?

If you did not have such desires, then simply agree to all the offers that you receive. Become like the main character in the movie Always Say Yes. If you have long wanted to take care of your body, then why not join a gym or dance? You can always refuse if you don't like it. Entice yourself with something new that will not just remain in time, but will change your life for the better, which will really fill the emptiness in your soul.