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At some point or another, we’ve all likely been affected by some form of mental burnout either in our personal or professional lives.
Feeling like you’ve hit a brick wall. Feeling like you just can’t get out of bed today. Or feeling a dearth of all motivation are just some burnout symptoms.
Burnout is real. And if we don’t take the time to identify the signs along the way, it’s only a matter of time before we experience it.
If you’re feeling overworked, beyond stressed out, and like you’re reaching a breaking point, it’s likely you’re experiencing mental burnout.
Here are 6 possible reasons why you’re feeling mentally exhausted.
6 Reasons Why You’re Mentally Burned Out
1. You’re crippled by your own self-doubt. All of us have struggled with confidence issues at some point in our lives. While it’s normal to doubt ourselves and our abilities from time to time, when you’re constantly doubting yourself, it’s not only self-crippling, but also exhausting. Allowing your doubts to consume your life and every choice you make is a mental drain, and can quickly lead to burnout. Don’t let this happen, and learn to calm your inner critic, rather than letting it take the wheel.
For more tips on bolstering your self esteem, check out this article.
2. You’re a perfectionist. If you’re someone that consistently strives for a perfect result, then you know firsthand just how mentally exhausting it is to be a perfectionist. It’s always an uphill battle, and it’s almost always unwinnable – no matter how hard you try. For the sake of your mental health, stop being so hard on yourself, and realize that perfect simply isn’t attainable.
3. You haven’t defined your boundaries. If you typically say “yes” to others’ requests (without thinking your answer through), you probably struggle with setting your personal boundaries. When you consistently say yes to others demands and put others first instead of yourself, you’re bound to experience burnout. It’s okay to say no to others’ requests; in fact, it’s empowering to learn to say no and to put yourself first. Take some time to identify what your boundaries are, and stick to them.
4. You’re constantly distracted. Do you find it hard to focus and complete tasks? Do you find yourself being pulled in nearly every direction at all hours of the day? If so, you’re probably being influenced by too many distractions. Whether it’s notifications from our social media profiles, new emails pinging our inbox, or the ‘suggested’ videos on YouTube, there will always be distractions that we have to manage. Rather than letting these distractions take charge of your life, work on minimizing them so you can actually focus and accomplish tasks. Turn off the notifications, set your phone to “Do Not Disturb” mode, etc.
5. You’re afraid of being judged. When you incessantly worry about what others will say or think about you, you’re only adding to the mental exhaustion. You’re never going to be able to control others’ opinions, so why should you care this much? No matter what you say or do, people will always have an opinion. Do what you want to do and don’t let others keep you from going after what you want.
6. You worry too much about the future. We all like to daydream about things we wish we had, where we want to go, how we wish things could be, etc. But if you find yourself constantly worrying about every little thing that could potentially happen in the future, you’re only contributing to your own mental burnout. Stop worrying about the future. Tomorrow will always come, but you’ll never get today back.
