11 Best Ways To Conquer Emotional, Mental, And Physical Exhaustion
Exhaustion
in the simplest of words is to be tired. To exhaust a thing means to use it all
up and it could refer to anything but is commonly used with resources and
abilities. To exhaust oneself is to be drained of will, strength, or the
capacity to continue an activity. If a person is exhausted, it means they have
reached a limit in their mind or body. There are various kinds of exhaustion mentioned below, and they include mental, physical, and emotional
exhaustion:
1. Physical Exhaustion
Physical
exhaustion refers to being stripped of the strength or biological ability to
continue an activity and it is the most common kind of exhaustion experienced
by all age groups of people. The body has a natural limit on every organ or
part and with continual prolonged use, it is possible to reach this limit. An
example is athletes who run track and field or who play for an extended time.
They often start off the game high on adrenaline, which is the hormone that
fosters energy release, and as the game extends and they exert continued energy
and use their muscles, they can use up their body’s store of energy and begin
to experience adrenal exhaustion. At this point, their muscles may tire, and
their body no longer feels encouraged. The major cause of this exhaustion is
physical fatigue, stress, and work. It is the same with blue-collar workers who
use a burst of physical energy at a stretch without giving a window for the
body to recover.
2. Emotional Exhaustion
This
kind of exhaustion has to do with the feelings of a person and is more
psychological. While physical exhaustion has to do with the deficit of
biological ability, emotional exhaustion happens when there is a lack of
willingness to continue a thing due to past emotional experiences and
investments. This could arise from reoccurring clashes in personality with a
partner or feelings of hurt, anger, and regret. This often plays out in romantic
relationships and projects. When a person feels hurt or disconnected, they will
most likely be unwilling or lacking enthusiasm to continue a project and their
supply of adrenaline or creative energy begins to drop. You may be familiar with yourself or someone you know saying that they've cried their last tear over a heartbreak or have no more heartbreaks left in them to invest into an unhealthy, toxic, or draining relationship. This could mean that they have become emotionally exhausted.
3. Mental Exhaustion
This
comes to play when the mind is overwhelmed or influenced more by cortisol, the stress
hormone. Mental exhaustion is like emotional exhaustion but has less to do with
feelings and more to do with hormones and physical circumstances that can
affect the mental capacity for reasoning or judgment at the moment. This often
affects artists who can experience exhaustion in the form of creative or
writer’s block. It is the kind of exhaustion that stems from the repeated failure
of a process, the mental pressure to deliver what one deems good results or a
project. It is important to know that mental exhaustion could be signs of an
underlying mental illness such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress
disorder, or schizophrenia among others. Mental exhaustion stemming from
over-burdening of the mind can only be overcome when you learn how to stop your
mind from racing, gain control of your thoughts, and allow ideas or thoughts to
flow naturally without unrealistic expectations or deadlines.
Image Source: Pixabay
How To Conquer And Overcome Mental,
Emotional, and Physical Exhaustion
Various approaches to successfully managing and overcoming mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion exist. The steps are to identify the core problem,
address them, manage, or resolve them. Although it can feel tough to do this,
it is not as difficult as one thinks it is. The main goal with every kind of
exhaustion is to be aware of and monitor your burnout and recovery risks. Note
the things that get you exhausted and avoid them or manage them, while
continuing habits that foster rest or recovery. Sometimes, rest and recovery
can mean a 15–30-minute break before resuming a stressful activity and regrouping
alone to clear your thoughts and remove life stressors.
Some
examples of conquering or overcoming mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion
are:
1. Create
a plan and daily, weekly, or monthly schedule to break down and complete tasks.
The easiest way to not be overwhelmed is to break things into bits. This
includes projects, art, tasks, and relationship solutions. Create a timeline
and strategy to solve the issue. With that, your mind can feel at ease, less
worried, and less stressed.
2. Don’t
take on more than you can reasonably and effectively handle. Exhaustion is
like the cousin of stress and frustration. Define consistent safe limits for
yourself and stick to them. As an athlete, you should know how much your body
can withstand without breaking down and always strive to stay within that
limit. This is the same in every field. You should prioritize quality over
quantity. Once you wisely and effectively master techniques and skills to overcome
your limitations, bit by bit, you may then supersede your limitations.
3. Get
a good night’s sleep. Sleep helps our body to recover physically and from
stress. It’s like nature’s way of giving us a fresh start. Mental Health
Awareness programs recommend sleep when your mind or body feels overwhelmed.
Without allowing your body to recover and repair itself through sleep, sleep
deprivation can cause you to run the risk of failure, accidents, and injuries.
4. Take
nature walks, by water, flowers, and trees, or place yourself in serene and
calming environments. A natural way to relieve stress and feel less
overwhelmed is nature therapy. It is also a form of mental health therapy.
Image Source: Pixabay
5. Go
on vacations and retreats. If you feel exhausted emotionally in a
relationship, you and your partner may consider going on a retreat away from
stress, work, and kids. This can help you connect at a deeper level with
yourself, and your partner.
6. Create
a safe place and space to manage people, places, and things you allow in your
life. Your safe place and space could be a place where you just rest, or a
soothing hobby, person, or activity that takes you out of your stress and
helps you relax and restore your energy or flow. You sometimes need to think
and draft a plan to manage access. Be mindful of who and what you
allow in your personal life when, where, how, and why. Just like with physical
stress, handle these things in bits and with a plan in mind.
7. Process
your emotions and learn emotional maturity and intelligence. Emotional
intelligence can be built and learned through intentional communication and a
commitment to process and manage emotions and trauma responsibly and
effectively. You can do this through therapy or having genuinely loving and
supportive people around you.
8. Prioritize
and deal with one thought, one issue, one solution, or a few alternatives one
day at a time. Be aware of and assess your immediate and important needs
vs. your short-term gratification desires and wants.
9. Get professional therapy or counseling.
This can help to identify, manage, or resolve issues that cause you to be mentally,
emotionally, and physically exhausted, in the case that therapy or counseling
proffer solutions. If you need to change your diet, thought process, or methods,
this could reveal it. Therapy or counseling can help you to recover and better function
when dealing with mental, emotional, and physical burnout.
10. Diet and Exercise. Physical exercise can
help to stretch and replenish your body while taking your mind off your issues.
Some mental exercises like yoga, meditation, deep breathing, and visualization
may also help relax your mind and body. This may greatly complement the process
of recovery. Diet on the other hand is key when dealing with physical
exhaustion. It can work slowly but surely.
11. Pray. For people who believe in prayer, there's
an old saying: Prayer changes things. When things seem unbearable and like
there's no way out, some people choose to turn to prayer and have faith in
their Higher Power.
Image Source: Pixabay
Conclusion
Ultimately
to address your exhaustion, find or create healthy and positive ways to rest
and recover, manage, re-strategize, approach, and overcome your life issues.
You should also keep your heart and mind open to trying new ideas, techniques,
and skills. Staying open to change and experimenting with various ideas,
techniques, and skills can be an
effective and helpful way to manage or overcome exhaustion.
References
https://www.betterup.com/blog/mental-exhaustion?hs_amp=true
https://greatist.com/health/mental-exhaustion