Today is World Mental Health Day and I think it is critical that we address Mental Burnout and the importance of self-care to prevent and help individuals who are currently facing this. At one point in time or the other most of us have felt exhausted and pushed to our limits both personally and professionally. Many still view self-care as selfish, rather than necessary until they end up worn-out. Self-care means being intentional and proactive when it comes to the actions that promote well-being, resilience, and overall health. This article focuses on helping to destigmatize self-care, to ensure that more individuals realize just how critical it really is.
What Is Mental Burnout?
Mental burnout occurs when you are constantly in a state of prolonged stress. You feel your brain is tired of dealing with pressures and never-ending responsibilities both personally and professionally. It can also be further aggravated but constantly viewing and listening to negative or tragic content in the news and other forms of media. Additionally, you feel emotionally drained as a result of being swamped by taking on more than you can handle and, thus, unable to meet the constant demands being thrown your way.
Mental burnout manifests itself in both emotional and physical symptoms. Some of the most common emotional symptoms include anxiety, low resilience, procrastinating, lethargy and depression. On the physical side it commonly shows up as trouble sleeping, repeated illnesses caused by a weak immune system, lack of energy and feeling tired or poor eating habits
What Causes Mental Burnout?
Feeling mentally exhausted happens when external stressors drain our emotional resources, leaving us feeling debilitated and worn out.
Possible causes:
- Chronic stress: chronic exposure to stress can exhaust the mind and body because they’re in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight
- Burnout: this is when we work too much for too long with no breaks or time to relax, especially with emotionally demanding jobs or leadership roles
- Mental health conditions: certain conditions, like depression, spur on mental fatigue as a symptom or as a side effect of some of their medications
- Physical injuries: the pain, drugs, and the after-effects of the injury all bring on deep feelings of mental exhaustion
- Living with an illness: chronic health conditions, like fibromyalgia, arthritis, or asthma that cause daily bouts of pain can be a trigger for prolonged emotional and mental fatigue
10 Self-Care Tips to Reset Your Brain and Stop Mental Burnout
Mental health experts tend to compare our minds to a large cup and our daily stressors to water. We can deal with some water, even on a daily basis. Yet, there’s so much water that the glass can hold before it starts spilling over. This is when we start feeling the effect of mental exhaustion, which makes it difficult to process new information or make informed decisions.
While burnout can feel never-ending, there are several things you can do to empty the glass and reset your brain. It is up to you to prioritize and find which is convenient and beneficial to you. Here are some effective options for self- care to deal with and avoid burnout.
- No matter how busy you are, schedule time to relax during your day.
- Spending time outdoors around nature has been proven to boost cognitive functions.
- Take a few minutes each day to journal your thoughts and feelings.
- Listen to non-verbal tunes, such as classical or jazz music to help promote relaxation.
- Get your daily dose of good, quality sleep of 7–9 hours each night.
- Exercise 3–5 times a week, preferably without screens, to reduce anxiety effectively.
- Make a habit of taking notes to help boost memory and consolidate information.
- Pick up an old hobby or learn a new skill to boost well-being and ease stress.
- Come to terms with the things you can’t control and embrace the things you can.
- Practice mindfulness meditation to help you become aware of your emotions.
We are all so busy answering to the demands of work and family that we often neglect to take care of ourselves. Learning to stop mental burnout with self-care has been proven time and again to be the best solution for long term success. The good news, it is never too late! Burnout may seem impossible to overcome when you have reached that stage. Start by taking small actionable steps towards incorporating self-care in your daily lives. Stay consistent, hold yourself accountable or get an accountability partner, but most importantly set your well-being as a priority. Remember self-care is not selfish, it is VITAL!