How to fight habits that leave us exhausted – 05/23/2023 – Balance

Are you so exhausted that it’s hard to even find words to describe the feeling, even though you’ve already made sure you don’t have any health problems?

Maybe you’ve already followed the classic advice: eat a balanced diet, exercise and get enough sleep.

However, there are certain everyday habits that may be affecting your vigor, and you don’t even suspect it.

Among these silent energy saboteurs are old acquaintances, such as sitting in the wrong position or postponing meals.

There are also things we do without realizing it, such as breathing incorrectly when we have many things on our mind, as psychologist Uma Naidoo pointed out to the Huffington Post, or having too many tabs open on the computer, as neurologist Rana Mafee detailed for the same publication.

There are even some elements that can be considered unexpected among these saboteurs. To explore them, we spoke with psychiatrist Leela R. Magavi, regional medical director of the Community Psychiatry and MindPath Care Centers in California, USA.

1. TV series, movies and news

Watching movies or series is something we do to relax, so we asked Magavi why experts like her include these activities in the list of possible factors that cause mental fatigue.

“As human beings, we are emotional creatures, and many of us are empathetic and pick up on the feelings of characters in TV shows and movies,” he explains.

“They can remind us of painful experiences in our life, any kind of disability, weakness, loss or insecurity, and all of this can cause many associated emotions, such as sadness, anxiety, fear, anger, which can affect us even if they are in our subconscious. “, he adds.

“So when you watch a lot of these TV shows, even if you don’t feel like you’re thinking openly about it, those feelings will be under the surface. While you’re working, while you’re with your family, this huge amount of emotions can take over. take care of you and make you feel drained all day without you noticing”, he says.

Magavi says something similar can happen after watching or reading the news, “because they make you think about what’s happening in the world.”

However, she clarifies that this does not mean that it is bad to watch television or read newspapers.

the antidote

“What I recommend to combat this tiredness is, after reading or watching something, process it, whether through journaling or expressive writing (writing down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly), or talking with a friend or family member.”

“It allows the emotions to come out so it doesn’t internalize them and consume your energy.”

But you don’t always have time to take care of yourself so much… Is there a simpler method?

“It’s good to do a mental check-up with yourself: What emotion did this article or TV show stir in me? This can be very quick and easy to do.”

“For example, if you just watched The Lion King and you feel sad because your father died, this can make you worry about the death of the people you love. But when you do a mental check-up, you can remind yourself that everyone around you is doing everything possible to stay healthy.”

“Something as short as that can help you not to internalize these emotions and not let yourself be bombarded by them.”

the exception

Reading stories in physical books, however, can have the opposite effect to screens.

“Not only do you not have the blue light from the screen, which causes eyestrain and headaches, but when you read, you have to use your own imagination, so many people find that reading, even if it is very emotional, is very therapeutic and reassuring.”

2. The sports

Sport can be considered something that entertains, takes away from routine, but that can also be a harmful element for energy in some respects.

“Fanatics can become very absorbed in the sport and accept victories and defeats as their own, feeling overly sad and demoralized or euphoric.”

“Any extreme emotion is often draining: intense happiness can deplete many of the brain’s circuits; deep sadness can be related to anxiety, which overloads the brain and makes you feel very tired.”

the antidote

“The important thing is to be aware of what you are feeling”, says the expert.

“If you’re really emotional, ask yourself: I need to take a break, a snack, a quick shower… what do I need to do to calm down in the moment?”

“Take a deep breath, stretch and walk a little”, he advises.

3. The plans

Planning is a way to control reality, to organize life, to contain chaos.

But then again, something that we would instinctively put in the bundle of things that bring relief may just cause stress.

In this case, the statement that (almost) everything in excess is bad applies again.

Planning is very helpful – up to a point.

Being constantly exposed to a busy schedule can cause increased anxiety and negatively affect memory and information processing speed.

“Some people spend so many hours organizing schedules and lists that they aren’t able to consciously live and enjoy their lives. They’re always worried because they’re late on this, they’re not up to date with that, and they don’t really feel self-compassion and gratitude for themselves for what they’ve done. things they managed to accomplish that day.”

“It can cause a lot of feelings of sadness, demoralization or fatigue.”

“For some people, it ends up in their dreams.”

“I have adult patients who dream that they are going to be late for school, that they didn’t finish their homework… There are many dreams that take them back to childhood, where they feel that they are constantly late, and that makes them not feel well in life. next morning.”

the antidote

“I always recommend spending five to ten minutes just thinking about what the main goals for the day are, and at the end of the day, even if they weren’t achieved, don’t spend too much time thinking about them. Think about those that were achieved, why they were achieved. are important”, says Magavi.

The psychiatrist also recommends not making plans too far in advance, “because life is always evolving, and it’s important to be flexible.”

“When people plan for the long term, they simply anticipate that everything in their unfamiliar world will run like clockwork to reach that goal on time.”

“But if something changes in their family, their friends, their work and they can’t achieve that goal, they feel completely overwhelmed.”

One trick is to plan the essentials – meetings, appointments, family parties – and leave the rest of the time as free as possible.

Text originally published here