10 Warning Signs You're Mentally and Emotionally Exhausted

Mental , Emotional exhaustion is a state of feeling emotionally & mentally worn-out and drained as a result of accumulated tress from your personal or work lives, or a combination of both. Emotional exhaustion is one of the signs of burnout .

People experiencing emotional exhaustion often feel like they have no power or control over what happens in life. They may feel “stuck” or “trapped” in a situation.

Lack of energy, poor sleep, and decreased motivation can make it difficult to overcome emotional exhaustion. Over time, this chronic, stressed-out state can cause permanent damage to your health.

Anyone experiencing long-term stress can become mentally & emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed. In difficult times, emotional exhaustion can sneak up on you, but it’s never too late to get help

This is why we must learn to identify the signs of a burnout and take steps while there is still time.

10 Warning Signs You’re Mentally and Emotionally Exhausted

1. Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Anxiety became your middle name. You find yourself panicking about the smallest things and you feel immediately stressed. You’re worried about what’s coming and you feel that you lost control over your life and everything around you.

2- Lack of sleep

While you may feel exhausted, you may find yourself wide awake in the middle of the night. This is because mental exhaustion makes it impossible to silence your racing mind. You’re unable to stop these racing thoughts which only escalates your exhaustion.

3. Indigestion

You experience physical pain because of all the stress you’re under so you constantly have headaches, feel nauseous and get chest or stomach pains. When you’re feeling mentally exhausted your body immediately reacts the same way, lowering your immunity system and affecting other areas in the body.

Relax! Find the thing that relaxes you the most and take small breaks during the day to do it. If you feel like you’re about to breakdown call someone you can trust and ask them for advice. They’ll know what to do.

4-Easily irritated

Do you find yourself getting angry at your family and friends? Are the smallest things making you angry?

Being easily irritable is a sign of emotional exhaustion because you don’t have the mental strength to deal with others. Your mind will focus on the negative aspects of your life which will cause you to lose your temper easily.

5-Easily upset

If dropping a cup or burning your toast makes you want to cry, that’s not good. When we are mentally exhausted, even the smallest mistakes can feel like the end of the world. We loose all strength to deal with challenging situations and our regular day to day stresses can feel huge

6-No motivation

When you’re mentally exhausted, your motivation is one of the first things to go. You cannot physically find the energy to do the simplest of tasks like washing up or making your morning coffee.

7-You sense a kind of detachment.

You don’t feel you’re attached to anyone or anything anymore. Nothing affects you. You don’t feel good or bad. It’s like you are just a body without any emotion. You’ve gone numb. Whatever it is that you’re dealing with has drained your light to the point where you literally can’t feel the emotions you’d normally feel when you encounter a situation or subject. This is sort of like depression, only instead of feeling weighed down by emotion, you’re weighed down by the absence thereof.

8-Cry for no reason.

If you’re at the point where having toothpaste fall off your toothbrush first thing in the morning is enough to bring you to a bout of hysterical weeping…that’s not good at all. When we’re exhausted both physically and mentally, we pretty much lose the strength to cope with challenging situations, and regular day-to-day stress is intensified. It’s totally understandable that you’ve probably found yourself crying in front of colleagues, friends, or even random strangers.

9. Feeling Empty

You can’t remember the last time you were happy or excited about something because you feel numb and you feel like you’re making a huge effort with everything you do.

You’re feeling empty because you’ve lost interest in your relationship, career or hobbies. Look for the reason that’s making you this exhausted and work it out with your partner, friend or find a better job that makes you less stressed and more satisfied.

10-You feel dizzy and nauseous.

Feeling of nausea and dizziness are signs that you need rest and it should be your primary priority. These things happen because you are so stressed out that your body can’t take it anymore and is suffering a break-down. Whenever a person experiences a mental breakdown, this naturally manifests physically as well. This is especially true if you’re the sort of person who carries stress in your belly, or if you clench your muscles subconsciously to brace against whatever is hurting you

How to overcome  emotional & mental exhaustion

1- Identify the problem

Often, there is a significant problem causing our turmoil. This could be issues at work, family problems, or even high levels of stress. Once you have identified the problem, you can take action towards eliminating or dealing with it.

For example, if you are experiencing high levels of stress which is causing burnout, try talking to your line manager and seeing if there is any changes they can make.

2- Eliminate the stressor

The best way to treat stress is to eliminate the stressor. If your work environment is the cause of your emotional exhaustion, consider changing jobs or companies. If your manager or boss is causing your stress, you can also consider transferring to a new department or ask to be placed under a different manager

3- Share your feelings

A problem shared is a problem halved.

I’ve never truly understood this saying, but it is true that opening up to a trusted friend about how you are feeling makes the problem easier to deal with. As the saying goes, two minds are better than one. The person you open up to may be able to help you identify and deal with the problem.

4-Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is a term you probably hear a lot, but mindfulness techniques are much more than just a trend. They are scientifically recognized to reduce stress and anxiety and can be the key to ending your emotional slump. Mindfulness is simply the act of engaging with the present moment. This can help direct your attention away from negative thinking. 

There are many ways to practice mindfulness. Examples include: daily meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, going for a nature walk, keeping a journal to write down your feelings and thoughts.

4-Take care of yourself

Putting yourself first is essential to overcoming burnout. Taking care of your mental health means you will have the energy to deal with any future stressors that arise.
Try to make self-care part of your daily routine. Slowing down and focusing on yourself will help your mind heal.

5- Connect with a trusted friend

Talking face to face with a friend is a wonderful way to relieve stress. The person listening doesn’t necessarily have to fix your issues, they just have to be a good listener. A trusted friend or family member can listen without judging you. If you don’t have anyone close to turn to, check if your employer has an employee assistance program (EAP) with counseling services.

6-Meet with a professional

Along with making lifestyle changes, it’s important to seek professional help to treat emotional exhaustion. A professional, such as a therapist, can give you the tools you need to work through a stressful period. Some of the techniques used by professionals include: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) also known as talk therapy and applied relaxation techniques.

Sources

www.idsmed.com/news/8-signs-youre-mentally-and-emotionally-exhausted

selflovecircle.co.uk/mentally-emotionally-exhausted