How to Avoid Mental Exhaustion

Essay and photo by Márcia Costa

Do you feel that you are always tired? After each day of classes, does your head slightly ache? Do you have difficulties concentrating in class because you are feeling tremendously sleepy with your eyes heavy? Then, you might be experiencing Mental Exhaustion. It is a well-known fact that almost every student, especially international students have been mentally exhausted at some point due to school-related stress, its demanding assignments and other academic activities. Although mental exhaustion is inevitable most of the time, it is essential to be able to eschew it. Therefore, in order to become more active during the day and make the most of it, some measures need to be taken to avoid mental exhaustion. Those measures are related to a person’s biological needs, organization, way of handling stress and mind relaxing/amusing activities.

First, sleep the required amount of hours. This is necessary because our mind needs to rest, to organize ideas and to keep the body’s vital functions in good condition. At the same time, it is also essential to have healthy nutrition by eating at the right hours and having the three most important meals of the day, without skipping them; this benefits not only our mental health, but also our physical one, giving us the necessary strength and energy for the day. Following this, hydrating is crucial too because water is vital for the normal condition of both mind and body. For that, it is essential to have a well-organized schedule as well as good time management, which lead us to the next step.

In second place, organize and use the time that you have effectively. For instance, creating a to-do list is very useful because it reminds us of important events and tasks. Concurrently, establish a period in which you feel active and focus for doing schoolwork. Try to finish all your schoolwork on time, so that you do not have to stay awake until late at night to finish it; also, do all assignments and homework everyday at a regular time. By organizing your time well, you can avoid stressful situations that have a bad effect on a person’s mental health.

Next, avoid stressful situations. Because stress is directly connected to the psyche, it is beneficial to make a great effort in order to eschew situations that can cause tension. For example, if the city where you live has a bad transportation service, or if traffic is a problem, leaving your house early is a good way to avoiding such problems, because there is no need to worry and stress about the time when we are early. Moreover, if something is disturbing your mind, it is not advisable to dwell on the problem, but to find ways to solve it. Talking to others, for example, is a great help and makes us feel better and relieved; sometimes we just need to get it off our chest. At the same time, when facing some problems with an assignment or other schoolwork, asking for help is the best approach to take.

Finally, do amusing activities and have some fun. Going to the cinema or gym, talking to friends, going for a walk or ride, listening to music, reading and doing recreational activities are some examples of how to relax the mind and stay motivated to learn and work hard at school. Because learning is always better and more effective when we see or find the fun side of it, it is impossible to study all day long and stay mentally active at the end of the week. It is essential to take breaks so that the mind and body can rest and stay focused.

In conclusion, approaching life from a different perspective and changing our attitude towards difficult or stressful situations is the best way to avoid mental exhaustion.