It’s no secret: the past few years have been met with a constant stream of stress and anxiety, and the widespread adoption of a now-familiar term: exhausted. An unforeseen pandemic has completely disrupted our habits and transformed our lives. For those lucky enough to continue working, many of us have already done so at home. And while it’s a privilege to work in the comfort and safety of our home office, it doesn’t come without its own set of challenges. Our social lives (and indeed every aspect of our lives) exist only in our smartphones. And when it felt safe enough to do so, the brief trip to the grocery store became the most enjoyable part of our day. All this combined loneliness and social distancing and led to the prevalence of what many of us know well: emotional exhaustion.
While no one can dispute the facts above, burnout has been and is on the rise. A 2019 Gallup Study found that about two-thirds of full-time employees experienced work burnout that year. More, carer and the so-called “Exhausted Mom” not just a widely talked about concept on social media, but a very real condition that dictates society’s harmful expectations that women should be able to “do it all”.
If any of the above apply, you’re not alone. I spoke with Madeline Lucas, LCSW, a therapist and Clinical Content Director at Reality, a mental health experience designed to help users cultivate stronger relationships with themselves. Below, Lucas talks to us about what causes mental exhaustion, shares symptoms someone might be experiencing, and offers six practical tips to help us all recharge.
Featured image of Riley Reed.
What is emotional exhaustion?
A good place to start. While everyday life can leave us feeling tired and exhausted, mental exhaustion defines a specific psychological condition. “Emotional burnout is a state of feeling drained and exhausted: mentally, physically, and emotionally,” says Lucas. “This burnout occurs as a result of living with constant stressors in one’s life, whether at work, personally, socially, etc.”
Our fast-paced world sets the perfect stage for this type of burnout to run its course. Again, a bit of stress and emotional hardship can come up, but mental burnout, according to Lucas, “is not usually caused by some minor inconvenience or life stressor — like a tough day at work or a fight with a partner.”
Instead, Lucas notes that emotional burnout is the result of a traumatized condition that gets worse over time. “Emotional burnout may not be something people notice right now, but is more experienced as a result of an accumulation of more ongoing and long-term stressors.”
Are there people at higher risk of emotional burnout?
Emotional burnout is a unique and personal experience, and no two people react to life and stressors in the same way. “There is no universal rule for what stress looks like on a large scale,” says Lucas. “An individual’s experience of stress, as well as their ability to cope and access to resources, all influence how emotional burnout manifests.”
What are the symptoms of emotional exhaustion?
Emotional distress can be different for everyone, but there are some consistent symptoms that people can experience. “Often,” says Lucas, “someone who feels mentally exhausted experiences a state of despair or helplessness, like they are incapable of making a change in their life or circumstances. “.
Unfortunately, the less than ideal manifestations of emotional exhaustion don’t stop there. Feeling overwhelmed and a state of dissatisfaction or dissatisfaction with your current life maybe common. Again, it’s the feeling of sluggishness, like you don’t have the support, tools, or abilities to improve your situation, that can keep people stuck.
According to Lucas, other symptoms of emotional burnout include:
- general discomfort
- lack of motivation
- socially alienated
- listless
- physically exhausted
- difficulty concentrating or completing tasks
- Anger
“Noticing themselves feeling emotionally drained can impact their mood, emotions, and how they move through the day and interact with others,” says Lucas.
6 tips for treating emotional burnout
Below, Lucas shares her top six strategies for refueling after an emotional drain.
#1 Identify and name stressors that contribute to burnout
Learning specifically about one’s experience of emotional burnout can be authentic and create space to identify possible solutions and changes one can make.
#2 Connect with social support
This can help you feel less alone or isolated in your burnout, not to mention others who can provide guidance on how to manage or get through those particularly grueling moments.
#3 Prioritize healthy daily habits
Examples include sleeping, eating right, drinking enough water, and exercising or being active. Often, these seemingly smaller daily habits are stripped away. But in fact, they help us maintain a certain level of activity during the most difficult times and can reduce stress.
#4 Take a break (even for a few minutes!)
Proving to yourself that if you can look up from your computer for a moment, or open a window and take a deep breath of fresh air, can go a long way — even if it doesn’t seem right now. .
#5 Practice gratitude
While gratitude won’t make our problems go away, identifying a few things we’re grateful for can help balance our view, not to mention studies have shown it to be. increases serotonin (the feel-good chemical) and beats the dopamine (our reward) center.
#6 Breathe
Focusing on the breath (even just one in-breath and one out-breath), can not only calm our nervous system, but can also become a mindfulness practice that brings us back to life. present moment to recharge. Breathing can give us something to focus on when we feel weighed down by life’s constant ups and downs.
