So I am going through a period of mental fatigue. My body is not tired, I am. You probably know what I mean. Sometimes you just get drained, exhausted and it causes you to be super unmotivated. However, I have made a commitment and I am keeping it. This means that I spent some time this morning thinking about how to overcome mental exhaustion. Here are some pointers that I collected during my thought process and I am trying to implement.
- Recognize that I am mentally exhausted and be ok with that. This was hard, but I had to deal with reality. I am mentally wiped out. I am unproductive, in fact I might even be counter productive. I need to become aware that this is the case and decide to be proactive about dealing with it.
- Put on my 365 list the requirement to rest and be deliberate about it. Actually rest. Take the time to do so. Check that off at the end of the day with some pride.
- Reduce input. If you are sitting quietly, that should not be “phone time.” It should be sit quietly time. Stop the sensory overload. When is the last time you took a break during the day for 15 minutes and just sat quietly. That is a great way to reduce the strain. Another thought that I tried was to take a few of my phone calls today blind folded. I reduced my input to one – audio only. No sight, just sound. It was really interesting how less fatiguing the phone calls were!
- Reduce the load for 3 days. Deliberately rearrange things so that your load is reduced for three days in a row. The outcome would be much better than three days of forcing yourself through the agony of fatigue. Prioritize the most important for a few days and focus on one thing until you start to get your mental energy back.
Anyway, mental fatigue is very real. You cannot ignore it. You have to become aware of it and then deal with it before it becomes so overwhelming you are unable to keep up with your good habits.
Guy Reams (332)
365 Member
