Have you ever felt tired and sluggish despite being healthy???

“I stay healthy, I follow routine, I do regular exercise, still I feel tired and drained most of the time”...This is the case with most of our generation these days.

What I feel that tiredness happens not because of our physical condition. It relates to our mental state.

When we neglect our mental well-being, it can bring us exhaustion as much as physical fatigue. 

So, this time, I’ll discuss about 5 things that can bring mental exhaustion so that you can be aware of them and avoid them in the future.

1. Being in a toxic environment

A toxic environment is characterized by constant negativity, hostility, and lack of support. And it can be found in any setting: our workplace or in our family. But, according to my experience it’s more common in the workplace.

When we are in a toxic environment, we will always feel stressed out. These unrealistic deadlines, unrealistic expectations, discouragement, and micromanagement can make us constantly stay on guard, meaning that we will always be on a fight-or-flight response. This condition can trigger a lot of cortisol, which is known as a stress hormone. When our brain is constantly inducing stress, our anxiety level will gradually build up and take a toll on our mental and physical health.

I experienced physical symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, stomach-aches, and worse, heart disease and obesity. And definitely if you are encountering with all these physical problems you are most likely becoming depressed if you stay long in this environment.

So, if you are in an environment of toxicity, it’s essential to take some steps back and stay away for a while. Set strong boundaries with them; let them know what you will and will not tolerate. If you can, get away from this environment — consider changing jobs, or even living situations.

Remember, your overall health and well-being matter more than anything else. So, take steps to protect yourself and find a way to get out.

2. Having a cluttered space

Many people don’t realize this, but their surroundings and space can contribute greatly to their physical and mental wellness.

Our brain seeks order and simplicity, and having a messy place can create cognitive overload, which means our brain will have to work harder to process all the visual information. Moreover, staying in a cluttered space can also sap our motivation and willpower. That’s because clutter can create a sense of overwhelm, making it seem like there’s too much to do.

Some people say it’s just a myth or something like that, but it’s actually proven by science. Last week while delivering my lecture in college I came across a study published in the journal Applied Ergonomics stating that people who work in cluttered offices are less productive than those who work in clean and organized offices.

So, if you are having a bit of a messy room, consider cleaning and tidying a bit. You don’t have to put in 1–2 hours — say to yourself…

• ·       I’ll clean my desk for 5 min, or
• ·       I’ll tidy up my room for 10 min.

After your environment is a bit more organized than before, you will notice some slight differences. You will feel clear-headed, more focused, and more productive.

3. Procrastination

When we procrastinate, most of the time, we put away our most important tasks. And we all know that those tasks need to be done, but we delay them for some reason. This can lead to feelings of shame, guilt, and anxiety. And as we keep on putting off the work, our self-esteem drops down, and we may feel like we’re not capable of completing tasks or we’re not good enough. And all of this can build up and smack us with waves of stress, leaving us feeling drained and tired.

Unlike the two things above, we can sense the source of stress as soon as we know we are procrastinating. So, whenever I try to put off any task, Generally……I

·       take a deep breath.

·       tell myself, “Ok, now I’m gonna go to my workplace and work on my task for 5–10 min”

It might sound weird, but when we are procrastinating, we just have to start taking that first step to it. Once we start, it’s much easier to keep on going.

4. Ruminating

Ruminating is like building a toxic environment in your own head. When we rehash old memories of embarrassing moments and regrets, we are doing nothing but beating ourselves up for the things we have done. And it doesn’t lead to any solution to our current problems.

Constantly ruminating produces no result and only leaves us emotionally drained and exhausted, so it’s better not to relive in the past and focus on the present.

Try to practice meditation or deep breathing so that you will know when you are ruminating and draw back your attention to the present.

5. Trying to control everything

This is something I feel guilty about — I tend to overthink nonsense things that I have no control over from time to time. But I believe I’m not alone in this; everyone could do this habitually if they are unaware of it.

Trying to control everything in life is like putting unnecessary burdens on yourself. That perfectionistic desire will never be achieved because it’s entirely impossible to control every single aspect of our lives to our preference. There’ll always be something that’s outside of our control — this is life.

When I find myself doing this, I must remind myself…

I’m not even sure whether I’ll be living in this world till the next year, the next month, or even tomorrow! — so, this act is useless and futile.

I must accept this harsh truth, let go of the things I have no control over, and get on with my life.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to stop taking care of yourself or you have to like them. It simply means you need to accept that there are some things in life that you cannot control so that you can put your attention on what you can do and handle now.

Once you learn how to let go, you’ll find yourself feeling more free, and your mental health will improve significantly.

Life is not always full of exciting moments and adventures. There’ll be times when you feel low and uninspired. And during those times, it’s important to remember that not every day is a bad day, and things can be improved. Be kind to yourself, conversate with your loved ones and family members, and don’t forget to do the things that you love doing.

As always, thanks for reading till the very end, and I’ll see you next time.