Have you ever felt so mentally tired that even the thought of thinking exhausts you? Welcome to the mental fatigue club, where your brain seems to be functioning at 1% and the only thing you want to do is lie down on the couch or in bed—whichever is closest. We’ve all had days like that. But what happens when that mental fatigue becomes your default state?
What is mental fatigue and what are its most common causes?
Mental fatigue is like having a computer with 50 tabs open: the system slows down, the hardware overheats, and eventually crashes. It’s not just physical tiredness; it’s that feeling that your brain has reached its limit and needs a break.
Unlike stress, mental fatigue is not accompanied by feelings of apprehension, anxiety, or frustration, but rather causes decreased attention and impaired executive functions.
You struggle to concentrate, make decisions, or even remember what you ate yesterday. And, although it may not seem like it, it’s more common than you think. In fact, in a world where stress and information overload are the order of the day, mental fatigue has become a kind of silent pandemic.
- Task overload. We live in a culture that rewards “doing a lot,” but we rarely ask ourselves at what cost. However, multitasking eventually takes its toll, as does not allowing you a single moment of rest. When your brain tries to juggle a thousand things at once, it ends up exhausted.
- Chronic stress. Living on high alert because your boss, your bank account, or your ex is on tenterhooks is the prelude to mental fatigue. Stress not only affects your body, it also saps your energy. And when it becomes chronic, your brain simply doesn’t have time to recover.
- Lack of rest. Does that sound familiar: finishing a meeting and then answering emails while thinking about dinner? That’s not productivity; it’s self-exploitation. Jumping from one activity to another, without giving yourself time to recharge, will lead to physical exhaustion first and mental fatigue later.
- Unrealistic expectations. Wanting to be perfect at work, at home, at the gym, and, incidentally, in your TikTok videos creates impossible expectations to meet. The pressure to be “perfect” will make you push yourself beyond what you can deliver. And your brain will eventually pay the price.
The consequences of mental fatigue (or why you can’t keep going on like this)
Mental fatigue not only drains your energy, but it also robs you of your ability to enjoy life. In fact, neuroscientists at Michigan Technological University have found that it’s not just in your head. Tasks that require a lot of attention end up wearing down the brain, which suffers from reduced blood flow. It also causes:
- Difficulty concentrating. When you’re mentally tired, even reading an email becomes an epic ordeal. You’re distracted by everything from the whirring air conditioner to a distant childhood memory. Your mind simply can’t focus, so you’re likely to make mistakes and your productivity plummets.
- Irritability. Mental fatigue makes you a kind of emotional Grinch. Everything bothers you, from the noise of your neighbor to your partner’s breathing. This is because you’ve run out of resources to manage your emotions, so you react impulsively.
- Memory problems. You forget where you put your keys, your cell phone, and sometimes you don’t even remember your birth date. Your brain is simply so overloaded that it doesn’t have room to store new information.
- Emotional disconnection. You feel empty, as if someone had turned off your emotions with a switch. The things that once made you happy now leave you indifferent. You enter a state of emotional blackout that plunges you into apathy, as if everything has lost its meaning.
The worst part is that neuroscientists have found that as mental workload increases, the brain loses its ability to cope with that cognitive load, which slows brain activity. This puts us in a loop: the more exhausted we are, the harder it will be for us to solve problems and tackle tasks, which will accumulate and further contribute to increased mental fatigue.
How to combat mental fatigue: psychological techniques that work
1. Learn to say “no” (without feeling guilty)
Do you know what people who suffer from mental fatigue have in common? They tend to say “yes” to everything. Extra work, plans, favors… And in the end, their brain pays the price. Learning to say “no” isn’t selfish; it’s pure survival. So, start small: “No, I can’t stay late today” or “Sorry, I can’t help you with that this time.” You’ll see how your mind thanks you.
2. Practice the “time blocking” technique
Time blocking is like making a schedule for your brain. Instead of jumping from task to task, creating a state of chaos and confusion that ends up draining your resources, assign blocks of time for each task. For example: work from 9 to 11; break and coffee from 11 to 11:30, more work from 11:30 to 1:00, and so on. This planning will help you avoid overload and give your mind a break. Similarly, you can block out time during the week to relax or pamper yourself. Schedule moments of total disconnection: no phone, no email, no news, no people… Just you and your mind, reconnecting.
3. Take active breaks (and no, looking at your phone doesn’t count)
Active breaks are short breaks where you completely disconnect. They’re very useful in the middle of work, especially when you feel like your psychological battery is running low. You can stretch, walk, do breathing exercises, mindfulness meditation, or simply look out the window. The key is to make sure it’s something that doesn’t require mental effort. And no, checking social media doesn’t count, because that just switches from one screen to another and often adds to the exhaustion.
4. Prioritize sleep (yes, it’s more important than Netflix)
Sleep is like your brain’s reset button. If you don’t get enough sleep, mental fatigue accumulates like dirty laundry in a hamper. During sleep, your brain rids itself of the waste products from your daytime metabolism, reinforces the day’s memories, and lessens their emotional significance. Therefore, aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep and create a relaxing bedtime routine: no screens, and instead, a book or guided meditation.
5. Change your chip
Routines are often comforting, but they can also become a mental trap. When you do the same thing over and over again, your brain gets used to operating on a single channel, and that can exhaust it. It’s like listening to the same song over and over again: at first you like it, but eventually you just want to turn off the radio. In fact, there’s not only active fatigue from overexerting yourself mentally, but also passive fatigue that results from monotony. Therefore, breaking out of your routine gives your mind a break, allowing it to recover from the accumulated wear and tear. Try new experiences that can inspire you and give you a fresh perspective.
Finally, we mustn’t forget that we live in a society that glorifies “always being busy,” as if mental fatigue were a badge of hard work. But the truth is, you can’t give your best if your brain is operating in survival mode. So, the next time you feel your mind about to reach its limit, remember: you are not a machine, you are a human being. And humans need to rest, disconnect, and sometimes just do nothing.
References:
Kunasegaran, K. et. Al. (2023) Understanding mental fatigue and its detection: a comparative analysis of assessments and tools. PeerJ. 23(11): e15744.
Smith, S. L. et. Al. (2021) Performance, Hemodynamics, and Stress in a Two-Day Vigilance Task: Practical and Theoretical Implications. Human Factors; 65(2): 212-226.
Li, G. et. Al. (2020) The impact of mental fatigue on brain activity: a comparative study both in resting state and task state using EEG. BMC Neurosci; 21: 20.
Klimesch, S. et. Al. (2007) EEG alpha oscillations: the inhibition-timing hypothesis. Brain Research Reviews; 53(1): 63–88.
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