We are definitely going through a mental health crisis. Must have something to do with the fact that we haven’t been told there is such a thing as emotional hygiene. We are constantly told as kids to brush our teeth and take good care of them, but what about our thoughts and emotions? What do we do if our ankle or stomach hurts? And what we do when our soul is aching?
These are some of the questions that should be addressed today. Because of this lack of care towards our mental and emotional universe, we have become ill. In other terms, some of us have reached a state of mental exhaustion or breakdown because we feel there is too much to deal with.
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Here are 5 warning signs that you might be mentally and emotionally exhausted. Most of the symptoms of this kind of exhaustion will coincide with symptoms of depression and anxiety as they are all interlinked.
1. Irritation
Anger and irritability can indicate emotional exhaustion caused by stressful life events. When we don’t express our emotions in healthy ways, we will fall prey to building up anger and frustration. Oftentimes, this buildup will become so unbearable that we will become irritated at the smallest thing.
2. Lack of motivation
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Not all people are equally motivated. For some of us, staying motivated requires an enormous amount of energy. Depressed people, as well as emotionally exhausted people, will sometimes lack the energy to get out of bed in the morning. So don’t hold it against you if you can’t complete all the tasks you set. This may be a sign you need to pay more attention to your mental health.
3. Focus inwards instead of outwards
Emotionally exhausted people will find it difficult to look at the big picture. Instead, they will focus on small details that come in contradiction with their sense of self. In that sense, everything becomes about them, even when that’s not the case. Because of a more fragile sense of self, they will often take some things more personally. And they will add social interaction to their list of burdens.
4. Lack of patience
This clearly ties in with their augmented irritation. They become to tired, mentally, that they can’t find the patience they once had. We are all bombarded with so much information that we become incredibly overwhelmed. This often translates as lack of concentration and patience.
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5. Disruption of sleep and appetite
These are also symptoms of depression and anxiety. Whether it’s overeating, respectively oversleeping or a loss of sleep and appetite, it’s an indication that there’s something wrong and we should stop and listen to our bodies. When we become tired, everything becomes unnatural and out of sync.
Some effective methods to deal with mental and emotional exhaustion that experts recommend are meditation, exercising, journaling. Or really any activity that you enjoy and soothes your spirit. Please share this!
