Getting Things Done When You Feel Mentally Drained

Whether you struggle with your mental health or not I'm sure that we've all experienced feeling mentally drained at some point. And when you feel so drained and exhausted getting anything done can feel like you're climbing a mountain but sadly the world doesn't stop and life goes on whether we're ready for it or not. It can be super rough when we feel like this but here are some of the best ways I've found to still getting on with life and ticking off that to-do list even when you're feeling mentally drained and pretty downtrodden.

DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP

Chances are that if you're already feeling mentally drained then your self-esteem isn't all that high. And way too often the things that we say to ourselves aren't things that we would ever dare say to anybody else. Being kind and caring to yourself shouldn't be seen as arrogance or a bad thing and should be something that is way more encouraged that it is. Constantly beating yourself up is something that I've learnt only ever seems to lead to more negative thought patterns and you can never pick yourself back up when you're being so unkind to yourself. Everyone goes through a rough time even though they might not share it and especially when something hasn't gone to plan, no-one likes to share their failures.

THE DAY TO DAY

When I'm feeling pretty mentally drained, which is how I currently feel so it's pretty apt that I'm writing this post getting through the day to day is what I find the hardest. Whilst I think it's great that self-care is spoken about more and more it doesn't mean everyone is in a place to just drop their responsibilities to look after their mental state. Bills have to paid and deadlines have to be met and when you're self-employed that pressure is piled on even more as you're completely in charge of how you make your income. Anyway, the day to day. If there is ever a time to have a little bit more of a routine in place it's when you know you're not feeling so good as that routine gives you a little bit of structure to work towards. Personally, I struggle when things are up in the air and without that routine, I don't function that well as I don't have anything to work to. And each day is different whether you work in a traditional job setting or not nothing is ever completely the same but even just little rituals help so much.

ALLOWING YOURSELF ROOM TO BREATH

Whilst I find having a routine is vital for not only being productive but also for my mental state I also think giving yourself a little bit of wiggle room is important too. It's so easy to pack your days so full that it's a wonder how you even get everything done and it's so easy to get to the end of the day and wonder where the last 12 hours went. Wiggle room is hard to find in a day but if you can it's something I've always found to be so helpful because there is more than likely something that will crop up that we can't work around and then you also need time for yourself. I find unless I literally write down something on my to-do list that is just for myself I will never find the time for it. And when you're feeling drained it's even more important, days to yourself can't always be found but maybe half an hour is feasible?

THE POWER OF NO

This is something that I find myself writing about so much but saying no is one of the most difficult things to do. I'm not sure if it's the same all over the world but for the most part in the UK we can't help but want to please other people. And most of the time that means that we make ourselves miserable for the sake of somebody else. Doing things for other people is an amazing thing to do and something that I'm sure we all like to do but making yourself miserable just to say yes to someone else isn't a good habit to fall into. Having the confidence to say no that you can't do something isn't easy and it's all too easy to become riddled with guilt and then end up doing something you don't want to do anyway. It's something that becomes easier the more that you do it but that initial fear never seems to fade.

GIVING YOURSELF SOMETHING TO WORK TOWARDS

Like I said, getting through each day when you're feeling super drained is something that can feel incredibly difficult and sometimes completely impossible. So having something to work towards and look forward to can make all the difference in the world. Of course, ideally it might be a little bit of time off but that isn't feasible for everybody so I tend to make my rewards pretty small. Things like having the time to read or to give myself a proper manicure are all things that I look forward to so much and are often the things that make the biggest difference in my mood and help me come back. Everyone has their own version of this but so often it's those small little things that make the most difference.