[jd6266]

What has been your experience with mental exhaustion? I seem to get it all the time and I wonder if it is normal.

Thanks!

[HabitualQuitter]

I feel mentally exhausted even if I do nothing mentally stimulating at all. It's really ridiculous. My brain is my own worst enemy. When I get mentally exhausted it makes me physically exhausted which is generally translated into "laziness" by folks who just don't understand that this is all "normal" for BP. I am still learning about BP. I thought knowledge was power but now I see the more I learn the more I hate myself. I know that's not helpful but that's me.

[liveforfish]

I get it too. I've had to take days off from work because of it. Mine makes me want to crawl into bed and sleep.

[cool09]

Absolutely. The energy in my head turns on a dime and lots of times it feels like my mental energy is completely gone like an empty tank and there's no way of kick-starting it. I end up in bed and become lethargic. Agitation/irritability totally drains me, as well.

My family doesn't understand it.

[faerie_moon_x]

Yes, I get mental exhaustion very easily. It just feels like a ton of bricks on my head. I get it a lot near the end of the day at work. When I get home I just feel completely drained and want to sit staring at the ceiling.

[manicminer]

I hit a certain level of mental exhaustion when, what I guess would be mania, kicks in and all I want to do is see how far I can push myself. Normally I get to the point I just pass out, but there have been weeks when I've only slept maybe 4 hours in a 5 day week, and back in '09 it sent me to the psych ER for my dx.

Rest is best

[happy 2 b here]

Yes, I deal with this quite often, and today is one of those days. When I feel like this, my mind and body feel completely exhausted. I have sat in my chair all day today and don't want to do a thing. It can a difficult thing for our friends and family to understand

[sugahorse1]

Yip, I sometimes get it in the middle of a therapy session. I feel like I just want to sleep, but my body isn't really tired yet.
I know then that I have worked hard enough and ought to end the session

[ellipsisdream]

I deal with this quite a bit, and it is hard when you hit the wall, seemingly over so little. One thing that really helps me is being on a consistent sleep schedule. Also, taking mini breaks throughout the day that include no use of my mind whatsoever, i.e. a brief walk, a quick shower, tea or coffee on the porch in the sunlight... absolutely no reading, computer, tv, people, or other stimulation. Meditation helps me, too.