Have you ever felt like you had done nothing at the end of the day, but you felt very tired, even a little anxious and depressed? Do you often get caught up in endless thoughts, dwelling on the past and worrying about the future? Are you always concerned about what others think, trying to please or rebel against others, but ignoring your own feelings and needs?
If your answer is yes, then you may be experiencing a phenomenon called:Mental exhaustion
Mental internal friction refers to the continuous self-fighting phenomenon experienced by individuals within the body and mind due to attention bias, thinking distress, and conflict between feelings and reason. To put it simply, it's your brain that is secretly draining your energy, leaving you feeling tired and unhappy.
There are many manifestations of mental exhaustion, such as:
Overthinking: You are always thinking about the same thing over and over again, trying to figure out all the possibilities and outcomes, but there is no action or solution.
Procrastination: You always put things off until the last minute or don't do them at all because you feel like you're not doing it well, or you're afraid of failure.
Self-doubt: You are always dissatisfied with your abilities, worth, image, etc., and feel that you are not good enough and do not deserve happiness.
Interpersonal pressure: You are always concerned about what others think, want to conform to other people's expectations, or rebel against the control of others, but ignore your own feelings and needs.
Mental exhaustion not only depletes your energy, but it can also affect your health, happiness, and growth. Specifically, mental exhaustion can bring the following harms:
Physical health: Mental exhaustion can cause your body to be in a state of chronic stress, secreting too much cortisol and adrenaline, which can affect your immune system, endocrine system, cardiovascular system, etc., increasing the risk of disease.
Mental health: Mental exhaustion can cause your mood to be in a low and negative state, prone to anxiety, depression, fear, anger and other mood disorders, and even lead to suicidal thoughts.
Social Relationships: Mental internal friction will cause your interpersonal relationships to be in a state of tension and conflict, you may become withdrawn, sensitive, suspicious, low self-esteem, etc., and it will be difficult to establish good communication and trust with others, affecting your family, friendship and love.
Personal growth: Mental exhaustion will cause your studies and work to be in a state of inefficiency and uninterestingness, you may lack motivation, creativity, concentration, etc., and it will be difficult to complete tasks and goals, affecting your grades, income, and career development.
Mental exhaustion is a very common phenomenon, but it is not an unchangeable fate. With some scientific and effective methods, you can gradually get rid of mental exhaustion and regain your energy and happiness. Here are some suggestions:
Mindfulness Practice: Mindfulness is a state of being consciously aware, living in the present moment, and not making judgments. With mindfulness practice, you can suppress the default pattern network in your brain, which is the main cause of mental exhaustion. You can learn and practice mindfulness techniques through some audios, ** or books to make yourself more focused, calm, and clear.
Emotion management: Emotion management refers to regulating and expressing one's emotions to adapt to different environments and needs. With emotion management, you can reduce and release your negative emotions and increase and maintain your positive emotions. You can regulate your emotions and make yourself more comfortable and happy through methods such as journaling, confiding, exercising, meditating, etc.
Self-recognition: Self-recognition refers to accepting and liking oneself, including one's strengths and weaknesses. Through self-recognition, you can boost your self-confidence and self-esteem and reduce your self-doubt and self-criticism. You can improve your self-recognition and make yourself more comfortable and self-loving through methods such as positive self-talk, affirming your achievements, appreciating your own traits, etc.
Interpersonal communication: Interpersonal communication refers to communicating and interacting with others to achieve mutual understanding and satisfaction. Through interpersonal communication, you can build and maintain your social support and reduce your loneliness and stress. You can improve your relationships and make yourself more intimate and harmonious through methods such as proactive connection, listening and understanding, expressing feelings, asking for help, etc.