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Home | Psychology of Wellness | Human Flourishing  | Mental Recovery

Mental Recovery

Preventing Mental Exhaustion
BY: T. Franklin Murphy | December 18,  2020 (edited April 2, 2022)
Lady sitting up in bed, looking exhausted. A Flourishing Life Society article on recovering from exhaustion.
Adobe Stock Images
We need mental recovery breaks to rejuvenate our minds and bodies. If we neglect recovery, we weaken immunity and invite mental and physical illness.
We live in a fast paced world. Demands seem to never end. Deadlines at work. Important events. Building relationships. Let’s not leave out staples of wellness such as proper sleep, exercise, and nutritious diets. The thing is everything takes time, borrowing minutes from a packed schedule. Something must give. Often, instead of scheduling mental recovery, we allow our bodies and minds to force rest on us, by collapsing in fatigue. We trade our wellness for unrelenting drives to do more. We must end this madness with purposely planned breaks to rejuvenate the mind, giving our tired brain a break with some much needed mental recovery time.
 
World-class athletes quickly learn that more training doesn’t always improve performance. Eventually, the benefits from over-training begin to level, then performance slows and eventually plunges in exhaustion and injury. The body needs a break. The professional athletes purposely work recovery into their routine, giving their bodies space to recover from the physical demands of high level training.
"Mental Exhaustion can impact your concentration, ability to sleep, relationships, and physical health, among other things. When left unchecked, it can also cause you to struggle with mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression."
Better Help
Resting goes against our culturally inherited puritan vision of work. Success takes hard work. This is a fundamental truth. However, success does not require unrelenting work. No matter how fast, hard, and long we swing the axe, if the blade isn’t sharp enough to cut the hard flesh of the oak tree, the majestic tree won’t fall.
 
Failing to recover from draining demands, going too hard for too long, weakens immunity, dulls mental acuity, and depletes energy reserves. Our exhausted body becomes an open invitation to physical and mental illness. Immunity to environmental nasties declines. Everything we have has already been given. Burnout, depression, and addiction reward the overworked doer. The depleted mind stumbles where self-control and self-regulation once reigned.
"Mental fatigue can put you in a bad mood. You may be short-tempered or irritated, snapping at people more often. It’s harder to control your emotions when you’re mentally tapped out."
WebMD
Certainly, it hurts to pull back. We’re addicted to business. We honor our commitments. We fear others will judge us as undependable and weak. So, we charge forward, promising to rest our weary minds and bodies later. We muse, “I’ll take a mental recovery break next weekend—or, perhaps, the weekend after that. The cruelness of the busy mind is that short occasional breaks fail. They only open space for ruminations about unfinished work. The short recovery is spoiled, and we jump back into the fray.
 
I went through an eight-year stretch of working intense hours at an emotionally demanding job. Compounding the work demands was personal stresses. My normal stability faded. My mental resilience waned under the heavy load. I succumbed to unrealistic fears, worries plagued my nights, and depression invaded the serene vistas of my mind. Insignificant traumas cut deeper, leaving thick scars that refused to heal.

T. Franklin Murphy wrote in article on the diathesis stress model that "predispositions interact with stressful experiences. When life stresses disrupt our psychological equilibrium (or homeostasis), the stressful event may catalyze development of diseases and disorders" (2021).

The lesson is that even if we have a predisposition for certain disorders that a healthy life style and effective practices of regulating stress may prevent their development.
"Anything that drains a person’s emotional resources can cause them to start feeling mentally exhausted." 
Zawn Villines | Medical News Today
We are not machines. We are biological entities with limitations. Unless we honor those limitations, our bodies and minds will suffer. The injuries and illnesses common to exhaustion linger long after recovery is finally granted.

​See Emotional Limitations for more on this topic
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Adaptations for Managing Stress

We manage stress of heavy workloads through a variety of adaptations. Some of these adaptation include short mental recovery escapes throughout the day. Another adaptation may be mental reframing of stresses, making them less impactful. While these adaptations have value, they don’t replace the need for mental and physical rest.
"​Making just small changes in your daily habits can help manage your symptoms and prevent a total emotional burnout."
IDS Med
​Hans Selye, the founder of stress research, warned “only when all of our adaptability is used up will irreversible, general exhaustion and death follow” (Maté, 2011, location 3897). Selye often reminded readers of our finite ability to manage stress. He wrote in his book Stress Without Distress that, “we can squander our adaptability recklessly, or we can learn to make this valuable resource last long, by using it wisely and sparingly, only for things that are worthwhile and cause less distress” (Selye, 1974, page 28).

Key Flourishing Life Concept :

Strategies to Combat Mental Fatigue and Prevent Burnout:

Regular Self-Care:

Wellness basics are essential to resilience and recovery. If we want to be well, we must live well. We must take care of our physical, mental and spiritual needs.

(Exercise, a healthy diet, plenty of sleep, and purpose)


See Wellness Basics for more on this topic

Change Environment:

Often mental exhaustion is tied to employment or stressful social situations. Making minor or major changes is often necessary to combat exhaustion at the source.
​
(Apply for a different position, new job, or engaging assignment. Set new boundaries with an intrusive mother, end a toxic relationship.)


See Supportive Environments for more on this topic

Practice Mindfulness:

Mindfulness practices have scientific backing and can be done anywhere. Incorporating regular mindfulness exercises can ease mental fatigue symptoms.

(Mindful breathing, meditation, yoga)


​See Mindful Breathing and Mindfulness for more on this topic

Consult with Physician:

Anxiety and Stress have biological causes. By addressing the biological functions, we can restore balance.

(Discuss your stress with your physician, consider staring or adjusting medication)

Therapy:

We often can't think ourselves out of mental health issues.  A qualified therapist may help you work through the stress.

(Set up an on-line appointment, research therapists in your area)
​Our minds and bodies need to regularly close for repairs. We must moderate our schedules for sharpening the axe. Recovery is an individual practice. Our bodies respond uniquely to different practices. We must tinker with hobbies, exercises, and meditations to find our own recovery niche. Once found, use it often to provide the mental recovery necessary to stand strong and confident against life’s many demands.
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T. Franklin Murphy
T. Franklin Murphy
Wellness. Writer. Researcher.
​T. Franklin Murphy has a degree in psychology. He tirelessly researches scientific findings that contribute to wellness. In 2010, he began publishing his findings.

References:

Maté, G. (2011). When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection. Wiley; 1st edition

Murphy, T. Franklin (2021) Diathesis Stress Model. Flourishing Life Society. Published 9-7-21. Accessed 3-12-2022.
 
Selye, H. (1974) Stress Without Distress. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1st edition

Index:

Flourishing in Life
  • Personal Development
  • Mindfulness
  • Addiction Recovery
  • Wellness 
Psychology of Wellness
  • Emotions​
  • Personality
  • Defense Mechanisms
Flourishing Relationships
  • Intimate
  • Parent/Child
  • Society
Health and Fitness
Flourishing Topics
​Books to Flourish
Psychological Definitions
Research
About Flourishing Life
Psychology of Wellness Banner link to Flourishing Life Society articles

Articles on Rejuvenation:


Your Immune System Is Aging. Here’s How to Rejuvenate It.
10 Tips For Reversing Your Psychological Age
5 Effective Ways to Clear Your Mind
Reflection, Recovery, and Rejuvenation after COVID-19

​Other Flourishing Life Society articles of interest on this topic:

A Flourishing Life Society link. Overactive Mind
Mental Fatigue and Emotional Responses A Flourishing Life Society article link
FLS Link. Burnout: We can deplete energy through emotions, mental and physical exertions. When we push too hard, for too long, we burn out. Recovery requires a lifestyle change.
Allostasis. A Psychology Definition. A Psychology Vocabulary article link
Flourishing Life Society Link. Self-care or Selfish Care: We need to care for ourselves. We have limited strength to interact with others and the world. We must be cautious to not use self-care as an excuse to abandon the world. With rejuvenated strength, we can engage and attune to others.
Wellness: It's All About Balance. Discovering Wellness by Living a Balanced Life. A Flourishing Life Society article
Flourishing Life Society Link. Ego Depletion. The strength model of self-control
Emotional Life. A Flourishing Life Society article image link
Life is not a pretty little bundle of joys. We have pleasures and sorrows.
Being Productive. Flourishing with Productivity. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Life has its challenges. Often the weight of demands drags us down. We need healthy escapes to rejuvenate and lighten our load.
We are pulled into harmful routines by emotion. We feel and then we react. Unfortunately, our reaction isn't always helpful. We need space to think and then act more appropriately.
Small moments in life can pull our minds from careless wandering, creating rejuvenating moments of flow, full of purpose and wonder.
Healthy Sleep Habits to Boost Your Mental Well-Being. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Mental Recovery:  A Flourishing Life Society Article Link
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