You’re mentally exhausted | Taking care of your mental health

I’ve been working a lot, but I’m not mentally exhausted.

For context, this past month has been the busiest I’ve had in a long time.

The funny thing is, I enjoyed it, which seems weird, but let me explain.

Being tired is not the same as being mentally exhausted

I remember watching my sister work 12 hours straight. To me, it seemed super exhausting.

Even to her, it was super exhausting.

Every single day, she would tell me about how mentally exhausted she was.

When I did it though, when I sat in my chair for 12 hours straight and just worked, I actually felt really good afterwards.

It felt like I had accomplished my goal and I made progress.

Maybe the difference is just how we feel about what we’re doing.

You have to love it

To me, I enjoy what I do, so it doesn’t feel mentally exhausting.

I think being mentally exhausted comes from doing something repeatedly that strains your mental.

Having to commit your emotions and your brain to something you’re not enjoying, is exhausting.

But when you’re doing something you enjoy, something you actually want to commit multiple hours to, that’s different.

At most, you’ll just be a little bit tired at the end of it, but you won’t be mentally exhausted.

I remember even working the obligatory 8 hours in my previous job seemed exhausting. I didn’t enjoy the work as much, and committing to it, felt like it was taking time away from me.

That’s probably the biggest difference I’ve identified.

It makes a difference when you love what you’re doing, and you don’t end up mentally exhausted.

So what’s the point of this?

Honestly, no real lesson or anything here. It’s more of a realization.

As easy as it is to say you have to love what you do, I know it’s one of the hardest things in the world to find something you don’t mind sacrificing your own time for. Something that doesn’t exhaust you mentally.

I think to truly find it, you have to be super lucky, or just understand yourself really well.

For me, I feel really blessed that it was a mix of both.

I feel less mentally exhausted, and I know it’s bettering my overall mental health.

How about you? Are you mentally exhausted?

Let me know in the comments!

Check out my last article on fear of growing up.

You can also check out similar articles in the love yourself section.

I also write for Medium and a publication called P.S. I Love You.

Thank you so much for reading.

Love always,

Alex