Mental indifference

Mental fatigue can sometimes be even stronger than physical fatigue. In our article you will learn how to recognize mental fatigue, where it comes from and how to overcome it.

Mental fatigue is not at all the same as physical fatigue. This is its main feature. The thing is that we can feel physical fatigue. Usually we want to lie down, sit, sleep, and so on. And if you do this, it will be easier. After all, the body is rested and we can move on.

As for the disturbance of mental balance and fatigue, it is not so easy to notice. You may not notice it for a very long time, and when it becomes strong, you will no longer want to do anything. And it won't work. Let's figure out where mental fatigue comes from and what to do about it.

Why does mental fatigue appear: reasons

Mental fatigue
In order to take timely measures to eliminate mental fatigue, it is important to understand its cause. At the moment, there are several reasons that lead to mental fatigue.

Monotonous work

When we do monotonous work, we quickly get tired. The human psyche is designed in such a way that it requires variety and switching between types of activities and objects. This way you can maintain proper attention. If the work is the same, then you have to spend a lot of effort to maintain interest.

So, if you have to engage in monotonous activities, then try to switch and find an interesting activity for yourself. Or try to switch things up during the day and give yourself breaks. You must use different areas, for example, memory and imagination. Think about how you can do this.

Too much workload when you don’t have time to enjoy the result

It is important for every person to evaluate the results of their activities and enjoy the results. The last one is more important. For example, when an artist has completed a painting, he should admire it; after completion, the architect should also receive joy from the result. And this applies to any activity.

But when the artist has many orders, and the architect works on several projects, there is no time left for satisfaction. It all becomes a kind of carousel, when one swing quickly changes to another.

So you should always try to unload yourself. If you can’t do this because deadlines are tight or your boss is putting pressure on you, then does it make sense to think about changing your goals and priorities or find another job?

Results are not obvious or are too delayed

Why do people get tired mentally?
This happens too. For example, the job of a cashier. Constant queues, delivery of goods, class work... It seems that the work is moving, but there is no result. It turns out that there is no result. Or work on a social network. It will take a long time for the group to get going, and therefore the result will be greatly delayed. The hardest thing is in such situations when management demands quick results. It’s just not always taken into account that any work with people and their opinions can take a lot of time and therefore the result may not be obvious.

Try to pay more attention to short-term goals. For example, if you are a cashier, think that you made more revenue today. Or today you posted more posts in the group and got some good reviews and so on.

Too much workload and too much stress

Modern life is often full of stress and emotional overload. Therefore, it is not even surprising that mental fatigue occurs. Just imagine being on edge all day long. No one can stand it that long. At this rate, after a year, a maximum of one and a half, a person will definitely be overtaken by fatigue.

So the one who can survive here is the one who knows how to manage his emotions and knows relaxation techniques. The more ways you know, the better.

High responsibility and lack of proper remuneration

High level of responsibility
When you have to work in a regime of high responsibility and are paid little for it, it becomes sad. For example, when a person works with people and their lives depend on him. Take the same doctors. It often happens that they give their nerves, strength and soul, and in return receive very little, then a logical question arises - why do they need this at all? And, as a rule, they cannot find an answer. Even the most fanatical employee thinks about having more with his level of responsibility.

All that remains is to look for ways to earn more. Otherwise, mental fatigue cannot be avoided.

No switching and rest

If you don’t rest properly, then you won’t be able to work well. Moreover, some live very far from work and have to get up much earlier in order to arrive on time. Just imagine. In the suburbs of Moscow, people get up at 5 am and spend 2 hours on the road to get to work. And the same amount back. On the plus side, the schedule may not be standardized. Of course, you get very tired here. And not only mentally, but also physically.

Add to this the high responsibility. Then a person has to constantly keep his thoughts in his head and try not to forget anything. Have you noticed that you are staying less at one job and are moving on to another? This indicates rapid fatigue. It’s just that it doesn’t get any better in the new place.

Mental strength: the ability to love and take a blow

These people have enormous spiritual strength. They knew how to withstand life's blows and be stronger than circumstances. And they also knew how to love.

A mentally strong person is a person who is both spiritual and strong. Most often, this is the name given to people who are capable of bearing the mental burden and steadfastly overcoming life’s difficulties, but who have developed this ability on the basis of strong love or high duty.

Let us emphasize this: in contrast to simply persistent and courageous people, those who also know how to love are called mentally strong. Stupid and narrow-minded people can also steadfastly overcome life's difficulties, but stupid obstinacy and mental strength are not the same thing.

Maria Volkonskaya went to Siberia for her Decembrist husband not because she was accustomed to obediently following her feminine lot. Everyone tried to dissuade her, but she made her decision and shared hard labor with the one she loved.

Mother Teresa rose every day at 3.30 am and cared for the sick, repeating the prayer: “...Lord, help me to honor the good of my neighbor above my own. May I work to understand him, and not seek his understanding, may I work to love him, and not seek his love...” But she was not a stupid fanatic, but a wise businessman, philosopher and poet. Read her poems!

Like any ability, mental strength is trained. I set high goals, learned to overcome life’s difficulties, and gained mental strength. I avoided difficulties and taught myself to give up.

Another clarification: a mentally strong person and a strong personality are not the same thing. If mental strength is manifested in the ability to bear a mental load, in overcoming life’s difficulties, then personal strength is manifested in a collision with other strong individuals, in the ability to be stronger in a direct personal confrontation.

A famous example of a mentally strong man is Abraham Lincoln: Lincoln lost 18 elections before becoming President of the United States. We can say that failures haunted him all his life, but he rose again and again and persistently moved forward, remaining in the memory of the country as the most worthy of all American presidents. Some events of his life:

1831 - Lincoln went bankrupt in business and declared bankrupt;
1832 - defeated in elections to the legislative chamber of his state;
1834 – again burned out in business and again declared bankrupt:
1835 -1836 – personal failures and, as a result, a severe nervous breakdown, was treated for a long time;
1838 – defeated in the next elections;
1843, 1846, 1848 - defeated in elections to the US Congress;
1855 - defeated in elections to the Senate;
1856 - defeated as a candidate for the post of Vice President of the United States;
1858 - defeated in elections to the Senate;
1860 – elected President of the United States.

The textbook slogan of a mentally strong person was formulated by Winston Churchill: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. All that matters is the courage to continue!” Having failed in the Battle of the Dardanelles in 1915 and causing the death of one hundred and twenty thousand people, he did not surrender. In 1940, he became Prime Minister of England, defended his country and led, together with Roosevelt and Stalin, the anti-Hitler coalition.

Mental strength is a characteristic of a person who lives not by momentary emotions, but by reason, will and high values. At the same time, it is not uncommon for a person who is mentally strong in one situation to show mental weakness in another. In a situation of challenge and in a collision with external life difficulties, men often turn out to be stronger, and in situations of prolonged internal tension they are the first to break. Women are more stress-resistant than men and can more easily endure tension and ruptures in relationships (although apparently it often seems the other way around). Where men rush to meet a challenge and try to resolve the issue directly, head-on, with force, women show greater flexibility. Sometimes this is assessed as female wisdom, sometimes as female weakness. Men don't like to give up and often break down as a result; the girls seem to give up, but internally continue to resist. Girls often portray mental weakness where men boast of their mental strength.

This is hardly a natural feature, to a greater extent it is a matter of upbringing: boys are ashamed to be afraid and it is not customary to cry, for girls it is okay to cry and it is normal to be afraid. Moreover, men like girls who make them feel strong, and girls are happy to play along with them, play weak, and get used to being weak.

However, over the past few decades, due to the fact that male education is disappearing and boys are raised mainly by mothers, there are fewer and fewer men among grown-up boys, and resilience and mental strength are becoming less and less characteristic of them. When men do not show masculine qualities, women have to show them, and there are more and more women with masculine behavior and a masculine mental structure: women who are strong and persistent.

How to recognize mental fatigue: signs

How to determine mental fatigue?
When you have to strain for a long time, your internal strength is depleted. There comes a feeling of development, which is very reminiscent of depression. Any attempt to cheer up fails; you cannot think about good things and return to an active life.

The thing is that it takes time to restore strength and fatigue cannot go away instantly. The soul often needs as much attention as the body. If you do not recognize in time that resources have been spent, serious problems can arise. So, it’s not far from mental problems or depression. To prevent this from happening, you should learn to recognize fatigue. There are several signs:

Throughout the day you want to sleep, drowsiness sets in and it’s difficult to wake up. At night, sleep is also restless, because I have unpleasant dreams and outright nightmares.
You constantly feel unwell, you may get sick or dizzy for no apparent reason, your stomach ache, your blood pressure rises and your vision becomes dark.
If they ask you what happened to you, then the words don’t even come out because you don’t even know what you feel. There is such a complex process going on inside that cannot be described in a nutshell.

Signs of mental fatigue

The physical state and the emotional state are different from each other. You stop feeling like a whole person.
All emotions intensify and you become so sensitive that you can cry for no reason, begin to feel boundless love or longing.
Panic attacks may occur, it seems that you can’t do anything or are doing poorly. Gradually, anxiety becomes chronic.
Even if there are a lot of people around, the feeling of loneliness still does not disappear. I would like to speak out, but it is so difficult to open up that the internal block is triggered.
Everything that happens causes you nothing but sarcasm, annoyance or anger. Although you usually try to take care of everyone and behave sympathetically.
There is constant weakness in the body and I don’t want to move. Even the slightest activity is exhausting. There is no energy and usual activities become overwhelming. Even fitness and jogging have now become hard work.
You are afraid of the future and have lost confidence in the future. It became empty inside and I just wanted to leave and start all over again. There is no taste for life and nothing can please you.

All the signs are quite obvious and if you have this particular condition, then you need to fight it. It shouldn't darken your life.

How to get rid of mental fatigue: methods, tips

How to get rid of mental fatigue?
What to do if your soul asks for rest and you can’t do anything? It's simple. Remember yourself and satisfy your soul. Give her as much rest as she needs - turn off your phone and do something you enjoy. Soak in a hot bath, meditate, listen to music, spend time with your family. Don't let negative thoughts take over you. You shouldn’t scold yourself for your misdeeds, criticize yourself, and so on. Try to always maintain balance.

If you can distract yourself from all the negativity, as well as thoughts that deprive you of strength and tune in to the positive, you will be able to experience all the beauty and fullness of life. There are some very good tips to help you unwind and relax.

Evaluate victories by effort, not by results.

Mental fatigue often appears because a person is too demanding of himself. Many people are accustomed to assessing their achievements by results.

That is, no matter how much effort you spent and what exactly you got in the end, if the desired goal was not achieved, then you will still feel like a failure.

In reality, it's not all that bad. If you do everything right, then you can always “measure” your progress. Just don't do it all the time after completing any task, no matter how small.

Try to reward yourself for every victory and every step towards the desired goal.

Reduce responsibility and increase passion

Reduce Responsibility
Another method to combat fatigue is to put most of your responsibilities aside. If you go forward simply because you have to, then gradually it will turn into a heavy burden. Even good pleasant moments will no longer seem so positive.

This can apply to any area of life - home, family, work, and so on.

Adding more passion and hobbies to your life will be the best push forward. Try to find time for what you like and make it a part of your life.

If your job requires you to be present from morning to evening, which is not very fun, but you can easily pay the bills, then think about your hobby. Use it to occupy your evening or weekend. This will allow you to unload and take your mind off all your worries.

Try to gradually change your usual rhythm of life for the better and you will notice that it will become brighter and more interesting, and you will no longer be so bothered by worries.

Reconnecting with nature

Remember the last time you were in nature? Even if you are very concerned about the health of the environment, it is unlikely that you often go out just for a walk.

You’re just not used to it, because you have a lot to do, you’re always in a hurry and generally don’t have time. No one is saying that now you need to constantly go on excursions or hikes, but it’s still worth going for a walk every day, at least for 15 minutes. Think about what you like best - hiking, feeding birds, jogging, etc.

If you have a dog, then take the opportunity to walk with him. So, you can even have two walks - in the morning and in the evening.

Carbohydrates and mental fatigue

Eat right.
There seems to be no connection between them, but it only seems so. The fact is that our brain is an organ that requires a lot of energy to work, and therefore if you consume a lot of sugar or bad calories, nothing good will happen. This will only make you more tired.

Instead, it is better to eat as healthy as possible. It is better if there is as little sugar as possible, or no sugar at all.

It would also be worth reducing the amount of salt in food and trying to remove the usual harmful foods - fast food, flour, fatty foods, and so on.

Avoid alcohol and sugar

Try giving up sugar consumption for at least a couple of days. Can you do it for a week? You will immediately notice how mental fatigue goes away.

You will become more active and have a lot of energy after two weeks without sugar. And another pleasant moment will be the loss of a few extra pounds.

Giving up sugar is not very difficult, just follow a few rules:

Read every food or drink label. You will definitely be surprised when you find out how much sugar they contain. Even when a product seems harmless at first glance, it may contain a lot of sugar.

It is also important to give up alcohol. Even with all the benefits of beer and red wine, it is better to exclude them from your life. Alcohol consumption should be occasional and in moderation.

Maintain a sleep schedule

Healthy Sleep
You may not know it, but the most successful people always take care of their sleep. Your sleep schedule is very important because this is when you rest. And if there is very little sleep, then do not be surprised if you are constantly tired. Rarely successful people sleep at the wrong time or more than they should.

For every adult, as well as for a child, the sleep schedule must be strictly defined. This helps the brain know when to rest. As a result, if you do everything consistently, mental fatigue will pass.

This does not mean that you will no longer feel tired, because many factors influence this, but you will definitely feel better.

Most likely, it will be difficult to follow all the rules at first, but gradually you get used to them and life gets better. Drink relaxing tea often before bed and be patient, because everything will definitely work out for you!

The psychiatric phenomena of alexithymia and anhedonia are relevant to our story. The first term, which has Greek roots, was created by psychiatrist Peter Sifneomos in the 1970s and literally translates as “no word for emotion”; the second, also of Greek origin, means the inability to take pleasure in normally pleasant things. Two French psychiatrists set the stage for the debate with the idea of "penseeoperatoire" ("operational thought") - a practical way of thinking and interacting.

Alexithymia

In psychiatry, the term "alexithymia" is used to describe people who resemble dead fish; from the former fire only smoldering coals remained in them. Such people try to understand their emotions and moods with varying success, but they cannot understand their subtleties. Since they are not sure what exactly they feel, they have difficulty expressing emotions. Instead of expressing their feelings, they focus on physical problems. (Remember, ulcers are not caused by what you eat, but by what eats you.) Despite the strange name, alexithymia is not difficult to identify. Its symptoms: poor imagination, lack of internal emotional experience, inability to express amusement, a tendency to speak lifelessly and in too much detail. Moreover, people with a similar mental disorder emanate a certain feeling of mechanicalness, which interferes with any spontaneity. (Winston Churchill, writing about the Russian politician Vyacheslav Molotov, captured this characteristic: “I have never seen a man who better embodied the modern idea of a robot.”) Alexithymics remain calm under conditions that would shock ordinary people. The death of a loved one, the infidelity of a partner, the loss of an opportunity to advance at work - nothing touches them. All events fall into a black hole of inexpressiveness and emptiness. Alexithymics are incapable of either empathy or introspection. This, combined with their mechanical reactions to conflict, leads to psychological illiteracy. They think about the concrete and objective; metaphors, allusions and hidden meanings are a foreign language to them. The work environment in which most managers move is conducive to the development of alexithymia. Thus, in the routine life of some insurance companies and banks there is simply nothing to be surprised or happy about, nothing to be interested in. The lifelessness of a dying company forces executives to suppress their emotions, a process that takes a lot of energy. Like a weightlifter trying to lift a heavy weight, leaders who suppress their emotions eventually become exhausted. There is an emotional division of labor in companies these days: the higher the position a person occupies, the more he will have to restrain himself. Members of management, from managers to senior workers, are practicing more stringent rules for managing their emotions, perhaps due to the expansion of the white-collar and service sectors. Many companies focus on expressing certain emotions. For example, which is sometimes called the “smile factory,” requires its employees to “play” happiness. Other companies make it clear that expressing deep and strong feelings is inappropriate. Few have realized that suppressing emotions (or managing feelings too strictly) leads to regressive behavior and infantilization and causes symptoms of stress

Anhedonia (emotional anesthesia)

The doctrine of hedonism, discovered by the ancient Greeks, states that pleasure, that is, the satisfaction of sensual desires, is the highest good. Although most people still subscribe to this theory, too many suffer from anhedonia—the inability to experience pleasure. Anhedonic people experience a feeling of complete apathy, loss of interest and aversion to usually enjoyable activities; they are dead inside. They do not want to seek new sensations, their attention is weakened, they lack a thirst for life. True anhedonia is a serious psychiatric syndrome. Here we are interested in quasi-anhedonia, that is, a mild form that develops in people who are capable of experiencing pleasure (and they have experienced it before). However, even quasi-anhedonia among senior management can have a devastating effect on a company, since leadership takes a lot of energy. And a dead fish does not have enough energy to lead people to success.

Resurrection of "dead" leaders

What can you do to restore your sense of excitement? What can you do to reinvent or reinvent yourself? Considering the fact that people are the main asset of a company, how can we discover creativity in ourselves, our colleagues and subordinates?

Feeling of flow

We must discover within ourselves what psychologist Michal Csikrzentmihaly calls the feeling of “flow”—a feeling that comes from being animated, focused, and so engaged that we lose track of time.
How to do it? First, we need a challenge. If we work on difficult tasks that can be accomplished, we achieve the feeling of conquering Everest that accompanies the feeling of flow. Tasks that are too difficult or too easy will cause difficulty. Work goals should be achievable: if they are too difficult, anxiety will force you to give up or work until exhaustion; if they are too simple, you will become bored and rusty. Challenge is very important because it forces you to learn. Humans have a hunger for research that can only be satisfied by study (as we will see in Chapter 13). Companies that encourage learning, thereby creating opportunities for creativity and innovation, help their employees feel energized. Secondly, intermediate results are needed. Small “wins” are very important. If you set and achieve a milestone toward each big goal, you'll receive constant feedback, a sense of control over what you're doing, and be able to "celebrate" progress along the way. In stressful environments, it is more difficult to maintain the excitement and energy needed to feel flow. They spend too much energy on solving personal problems. However, given the importance of managing emotions and the extent to which leaders serve as living symbols for their people, emotional expressiveness is essential. Symptoms of alexithymia, anhedonia or dissociation make it difficult for a manager to connect with his employees. This can be played out, but over time, managers and subordinates will feel that their leader is not with them morally and emotionally, that he cannot maintain the driving force. Thus, the leader must either prevent the occurrence of such symptoms or seek external help (from colleagues or specialists) to get rid of them. Leaders will be able to help their people stay energized only if they look at these problems intelligently. To the list of articles on Coaching and business consulting To the list of articles on the Clinical Paradigm of Management To the list of articles on the History and Theory of Psychoanalysis To the list of articles by A. V. Rossokhin in the journal “Psychologies”