How to keep yourself from being mentally drained?

[coLLege kid07]

Hello everyone.

Recently I've been feeling very fatigued and mentally drained. I've noticed this is a pattern that has happened a few times before so I wanted to get someone elses opinion. I guess I'll start by naming the pattern that usually happens and then seeing what you think. Okay well usually for a few days or so I'll feel really good and I'll communicate with a lot of people and generally doing alot of things during the day. On example of this would be two days ago I went to classes, later typed up a paper (4 pages), and then hung out with my friends all night (till midnight). Yesterday and today I've been feeling really "bouged" down and have very little energy. This is the general pattern I'll go through. I'll just feel really good and have plenty of energy...then the next few days I'll feel zapped and try to recover. This might just be a regular pattern, but also sometimes I do get headaches and other things. So I'm wondering if anyone has some thoughts on this..., and once again thanks everyone for your consideration.

[Adrienne]

Hi College Kid
I know what you mean. I have this problem as well. I have found a few culprits.

• Eating crap
• Having a day that i went thru the motions but did not really take the time to enjoy
• Doing things i love over and over again so there is little variation and i stop enjoying it so much.
• Was must too busy (even if i enjoyed everything i did)
• Not doing enough to make the day worth while

i tend to do alot. And i find sometimes i just need to slow down. Even if i am doing something i love, some of the fun is taking out of it because i am exhausted.
I found i need to balance my life better.
My typical day has me running on the go for 18 plus hours. Work, firestation, my cousins, working out, etc. Even tho i love to do all those things, i just need a break for me.
I have also found that i am like a battery. When i have had ample time to recharge, i can go for months with little down time. But when my battery is low, if i dont stop and chill for a while, i stop functioning well. I even used to make myself sick until i understood this about myself.
The first sign for me is that i am not as motivated to do what i love. Next comes a foggy brain and i get frustrated with people much easier. Then i lose the ability to cope with people at all until i get a break.

I am introverted so for me, taking a break means i need to be away from people. I need to not talk on the phone, or with people. It often takes me a few days to recharge. You may have a completely different way you need to recharge your battery (TV is probably not the way, most people i see who think watching tv helps, usually they just end up more frustrated.). It can include nature, friends, sports, reading, anything.
Even tho i love to play sports, i tend to stay away from that because being with people drains my battery. So i may hike alone or something else.

Now, to remove the battery analogy, i truly do think we all have infinite energy, but for me, when i see these signs, it usually means i am not "feeding" a part of myself. For me what is usually lacking is sometime to just be alone and contemplate and think and enjoy.
For you it might be totally different.

[coLLege kid07]

Originally Posted by Adrienne

Hi College Kid
I know what you mean. I have this problem as well. I have found a few culprits.

• Eating crap
• Having a day that i went thru the motions but did not really take the time to enjoy
• Doing things i love over and over again so there is little variation and i stop enjoying it so much.
• Was must too busy (even if i enjoyed everything i did)
• Not doing enough to make the day worth while

i tend to do alot. And i find sometimes i just need to slow down. Even if i am doing something i love, some of the fun is taking out of it because i am exhausted.
I found i need to balance my life better.
My typical day has me running on the go for 18 plus hours. Work, firestation, my cousins, working out, etc. Even tho i love to do all those things, i just need a break for me.
I have also found that i am like a battery. When i have had ample time to recharge, i can go for months with little down time. But when my battery is low, if i dont stop and chill for a while, i stop functioning well. I even used to make myself sick until i understood this about myself.
The first sign for me is that i am not as motivated to do what i love. Next comes a foggy brain and i get frustrated with people much easier. Then i lose the ability to cope with people at all until i get a break.

I am introverted so for me, taking a break means i need to be away from people. I need to not talk on the phone, or with people. It often takes me a few days to recharge. You may have a completely different way you need to recharge your battery (TV is probably not the way, most people i see who think watching tv helps, usually they just end up more frustrated.). It can include nature, friends, sports, reading, anything.
Even tho i love to play sports, i tend to stay away from that because being with people drains my battery. So i may hike alone or something else.

Now, to remove the battery analogy, i truly do think we all have infinite energy, but for me, when i see these signs, it usually means i am not "feeding" a part of myself. For me what is usually lacking is sometime to just be alone and contemplate and think and enjoy.
For you it might be totally different.

Hey thanks for the post adrienne. A lot of what you said definitely resonates with me. I'd say I'm mostly an introvert, and I get mostly "charged" up whenever I just sit around, relax, and just enjoy my own company.

Recently I've been trying to change this about myself. I've been trying to hang out with people more often and get involved in more things. While this isn't that bad...I guess I do need to take a break every so often. Knowing that I'm not superman might help sooth this a little =/.

Well I think one problem I may face is resisting doing and doing, but I guess if I change my mindset and realise that I'll be a 10x better me when the day is through I will be alright

Thanks again.

[dannielo]

You don't mention, but do you do any of the following? They worth a try.

- eat healthy in the morning
- exercise
- meditation

[Vantage72]

How to keep yourself from being mentally drained?

www.thework.com works for me.

[Adrienne]

Originally Posted by coLLege kid07

Hey thanks for the post adrienne. A lot of what you said definitely resonates with me. I'd say I'm mostly an introvert, and I get mostly "charged" up whenever I just sit around, relax, and just enjoy my own company.

Recently I've been trying to change this about myself. I've been trying to hang out with people more often and get involved in more things. While this isn't that bad...I guess I do need to take a break every so often. Knowing that I'm not superman might help sooth this a little =/.

Well I think one problem I may face is resisting doing and doing, but I guess if I change my mindset and realise that I'll be a 10x better me when the day is through I will be alright

Thanks again.

That is what i had to realize. I would drive myself until i would make myself sick for a a couple day break. I finally had to relize that i will do better and be happier if i balance my life to give myself the down time.
I dont look at it as sacrificing fun things, i see it more as striving for balance.
I also enjoy fun more when i am recharged then when i am barely holding it together. I also find when i am over extended i stop doing things i should do, and my emotions (usually i am pretty level) tend to get a little unstable. Nothing insane crazy, but that i get flashes of anger and/or frustration over things i just plain dont care about or things that would not make me angry.

And if it helps you to know, i still struggle with this. Currently, i am very close to the edge. I am so far over extended, i need probably 2 or 3 weeks of just being alone to return to normal. I am exhausted, and tired. I know what i need to do, but finding the time to do it... oh well, i am doing better. I will get there. I need to get better and building time into every day where i can let go and enjoy being by myself.
Good luck!

Adrienne

[coLLege kid07]

Originally Posted by dannielo

You don't mention, but do you do any of the following? They worth a try.

- eat healthy in the morning
- exercise
- meditation

Umm well I definitely do alot of exercise. I'm currently in my college's Track Club..so I'll be doing that, and also I go lift weights about every other day. I must say my diet isn't necessarly that healthy. I do eat processed foods, meats every now and then, and occasional fast foods (*extremely occassional). While I wouldn't really consider that diet that healthy...other people tell me I always eat healthy...lol. Anyways I have tried doing meditation but it seems I always kind of drift off when I do this. Maybe it's just me Thanks for the advice by the way.

[coLLege kid07]

Originally Posted by Adrienne

That is what i had to realize. I would drive myself until i would make myself sick for a a couple day break. I finally had to relize that i will do better and be happier if i balance my life to give myself the down time.
I dont look at it as sacrificing fun things, i see it more as striving for balance.
I also enjoy fun more when i am recharged then when i am barely holding it together. I also find when i am over extended i stop doing things i should do, and my emotions (usually i am pretty level) tend to get a little unstable. Nothing insane crazy, but that i get flashes of anger and/or frustration over things i just plain dont care about or things that would not make me angry.

And if it helps you to know, i still struggle with this. Currently, i am very close to the edge. I am so far over extended, i need probably 2 or 3 weeks of just being alone to return to normal. I am exhausted, and tired. I know what i need to do, but finding the time to do it... oh well, i am doing better. I will get there. I need to get better and building time into every day where i can let go and enjoy being by myself.
Good luck!

Adrienne

Yea today I realised when I just let go of all my stresses and things that aggravate me...this helps me feel really good and "recharge" my batteries. While yes I may be anti-social for a few days I guess it's not too bad because I feel good at the same time =).

Yea I believe I will have some ways to go until I reach that happy balance. But until then it's good to be myself. Now back to my lonesome joyous self.

[ragtag]

I find sleep to be the most single most important element. If I get a regular good nights sleep every night, I feel energetic, happy and get a lot of things done. If not I feel drained, unfocused and grumpy. For me, I've noticed a very clear correlation between the two. I also get the best sleep when I wake up not from the alarm clock, but because I've slept long enough (for me enough is around seven and a half hour...it varies between people).

Personally I don't believe in trying to sleep less to get more done. If I sleep 5-6 hours a night, I will get less done during the day, than if I sleep a good 8 hours, even though the day will acutally be 2-3 hours longer, because most of those hourse will be 'butt hours' (hours you sit at work, but are not productive) rather than 'brain hours' (actual effective work hours).

A friend of mine I used to share a flat with claimed he could easily go on 4-5 hours of sleep, but when he did he was grumpy and annoying, and usually in the weekend he would sleep in long to recover from lack of sleep during the week.