Exhausted, what to do against mental fatigue?

More and more people complain about fatigue. A word sometimes “tote” which is no longer only used to designate physical fatigue but also to evoke a certain weariness, a loss of meaning and will or even an intolerance to the contradiction.

What do we call “mental” tired?

Human beings are constantly adapting: cold, warm, hunger, illness, the death of a loved one … However, the acceleration of work pace, production requirements, the instantaneity of social networks that pushes us to reactivity and mental load exhaust us. Fatigue sets in as soon as we can no longer adapt to our environment. “”Like physical fatigue, mental fatigue results in wear of our adaptability. After an overexposure and an overexploitation of our mental capacities to various stimuli but in constant pressure, without rest or silence, our capacities of attention restricted until the impossibility of being able to think, feel and react in an appropriate manner. Sleep is made difficult, the body ends up being affected, and fatigue is generalized“, Explains Isabelle Méténier, psychologist, author of the book” What if it was mental fatigue? “Like physical fatigue, mental fatigue is a symptom, what remains to be seen?

First, determine the cause of your mental fatigue

To get rid of mental fatigue, it is first necessary to determine its origin:

• A too high mental charge: work, children, household chores, timetable management … The fact of duty constantly thinking about everything is exhausting.
• Too tiring work: loss of meaning, lack of means, pressure to be profitable
• Being hypersensitive: perceiving the world differently, with more intensity, analyzing events in a tenfold manner, is exhausting.
• Be updated outside: we all tend to move from one subject to another, to respond to our emails when we were working on something else, to spend time on social networks, to look for online information … These solicitations deconcent and exhaust us.
• Contradictory information: the media convey all kinds of information and their opposite, which is destabilizing.
• Perfectionism: wanting to do too well is mentally exhausting.
• A traumatic event: the fact of reapping over and again an event that traumatized us turns out to be a real vicious circle that harms our mental health.
• Fatigue of empathy: some people tend to take care of the suffering of others and want to solve their problems, which ends up weighing on their own shoulders.
• Eco-anxiety: anxiety linked to ecology is more and more individuals. The effects of air, water and earth pollution can explain mental fatigue.
• Chronic diseases (fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease, diabetes) and neurodegenerative (Parkinson, Alzheimer, multiple sclerosis) also represent major causes of mental fatigue.

Once the cause has been identified, we will have to act in office:

► If your work takes you a lot of energy, do not hesitate to talk about it with your hierarchical superior in order to find solutions, in particular to delegate part of your tasks to one of your colleagues.

► At home: In the event of a large mental load, a discussion with your spouse is essential to better distribute the tasks of everyday.

► It is essential to take time every day for yourself and let go.

► A restful sleep is also essential to find energy and have clear ideas. “”The brain is a full -fledged organ that needs to rest.

“What soothes is accepting that we are human beings”

What soothes is the meaning, the coherence, the silence, the fact of accepting that one is human beings. To get out of it, you have to know how to give up wanting to do everything because it is not possible“, Underlines Isabelle Méténier. Finally, the link between our brain and the quality of our microbiota is no longer to demonstrate, it is recommended to adopt a varied and balanced diet and to practice regular physical activity.

Certain foods are also renowned for their whipping action: citrus, chocolate, dried fruits, fatty fish, spirulina, goji berries, ginseng or even guarana. Consuming it regularly can greatly improve things! On the other hand, if despite these tips, mental fatigue is always present or even that it is amplified over time, it is important to consult a doctor without delay.

Thanks to Isabelle Méténier, psychologist, author of the book and if it was mental fatigue? (Ed. Robert Laffont)