3 Ways To Manage Mental Exhaustion & Overwhelm

Without the roots, these flowers will not thrive, in fact they will wither and die.

As our brain cells become overwhelmed through the stresses of day-to-day life and unhelpful lifestyle choices, this too will happen. Connections are lost or become altered and cells may die — we call this shrinkage, atrophy.

In fact shrinkage of brain regions is seen in the dementias, depression and so on. Importantly, brain cells are not readily replaced, especially as we get older; unlike the healing we see from injury to the rest of the body.

So let’s get back on track and be more optimistic, what can we do to nurture our brain and keep it in good shape?

Notice stress

If you do not notice you are stressed you will continue to spiral, blood pressure stays increased and the ability to be rational decreases. Productivity goes down and procrastination goes up.

Just check in with yourself at different times of the day and ask yourself “how am I doing?”and then “what do I need right now?”

With awareness that you are stressed can come decisions on how to manage this — see future posts coming up on this. The key is to notice it early and take action, often we just plough on through taking the stress to bed with us at the end of the day, affecting sleep quality and perpetuating the cycle.

Chronic and unmanaged stress can lead to anxiety and depression, we need to intervene before this manifests and mental health management becomes mental illness.

Take time out from thoughts

We spend a lot of time stuck in our head thinking about things coming up or worrying about something that has passed. It is important to just be in the moment and give the brain a break.

We can do this anywhere: sat at our desk, reading a book, having a shower, making a cup of coffee and we can do this while walking. Just become present and aware of all that is around you, one of the ways to do this is to observe what you can see, hear, feel, smell and taste. This is a great exercise to do in a morning shower and prevents you worrying about the day ahead, allowing the brain to wake up in readiness for the day ahead.

If reading a book, but your mind keeps darting off to other places, bring it back and fully immerse yourself in the reading, the words and the pages. If you notice you are reading the same page multiple times, you are probably distracted. Noticing this allows you to step in.

Walking in nature and paying attention to all that is around you is a beautiful practice and benefits the brain and body in so many ways. Notice the sounds of the birds, the coolness of a breeze and the crunch of leaves.

Let go of what you can’t control

Finally, stressing over something we can’t control is counter productive. It is more energy efficient to focus on what you can control and what you can influence.

What do I mean by this?

If you take issue with your colleague’s behaviour in the work place and spend your time thinking about it, becoming irritated and anticipating future situations, then you are wasting your energy. Imagine John isn’t pulling his weight in team meetings, gossiping about it and getting frustrated is wasted energy because you can’t control the behaviour of someone else.

What you can do is influence it by setting a good example, interacting positively and checking in with John to make sure he is OK, just in case something else is going on.

Importantly, you can control your own work ethic, meet deadlines, apply for promotions, show up on time and contribute proactively This is where your energy needs to be placed, allowing for you to be more productive and thrive in the work place.

I am Dr Evans, a neuroscientist helping people understand their brain and improve mental health.