5 Ways to Feel Productive While Recovering from Mental Fatigue

Have you ever felt so mentally fatigued that the idea of doing anything makes you want to hide under your covers, but at the same time you feel like a lowdown slacker for doing nothing?

That was me after a slightly tortuous job opportunity. I had goals to be working on! How could I waste precious time doing nothing?!

As I worked through the brutal burnout, Spirit directed me to these five activities that helped me feel productive while also helping me heal from mental fatigue.

Want to know what I did? Keep reading!

I have been doing some kind of something on the side of my career for years. That something has varied throughout the years, but I usually always have some kind of side hustle that I’m working on in the background. I’m used to keeping busy.

So, when I was absolutely rundown, burned out, and mentally fatigued after finally ending a grueling career opportunity, I felt like an unproductive slug.

I was physically and mentally exhausted and I knew I needed a break, but I also felt like I needed to “do” something. I didn’t want to feel like I was wasting more time working toward my goals.

Granted, that is an unhealthy feeling. You shouldn’t feel like you have to be doing something all the time. But also, taking this much needed mental health break doesn’t have to look like a three-month long Netflix binge session either.

In my quest for fatigue productivity, I found things to do that not only helped me beat my burnout, but they made me feel like I was really doing something worthwhile with my time.

Productivity is a funny thing. I often think of it as completing specific activities that lead directly to the advancement of your goals. This break, however, required a redefinition.

Looking back over my recovery phase from mental fatigue, I can pull five ways I was massively productive with actions (and non-actions) that actually helped me beat my burnout.

Arguably, the most important thing I did for myself was look for answers, direction, and peace within myself.

After I quit my job, I felt all of the forward momentum I had prior to that job come to a halt. I suddenly felt stuck. The things that had motivated me before felt lost to me. They somehow didn’t fit anymore.

I lost my direction and I needed to find my path again.

I started meditating again. I pulled oracle cards and journaled about the message I was receiving. I journaled about my thoughts and feelings and goals. I took small, easy actions that helped me turn inward for the answers.

I worked on healing my chakras. I reached out to a friend for some reiki healing. I worked slowly but diligently on my energy and clearing the junk that had found its way in.

None of these specific actions are required, but I do think some kind of introspection is. My boyfriend finds his peace and reflection while working out. Maybe you find it while going for a walk.

It doesn’t necessarily matter how you do it, as long as the result allows you to listen inward.

Creativity gets your brain working in a different way. My brain was fried. So, researching topics and writing articles to help others with their own development and growth was taking severe effort and energy that I just didn’t have.

Instead of writing for work, I wrote for me, as I mentioned above. But I also started to draw. I drew random scribbles or weird line drawings, whatever came through my hand to the paper. I drew my interpretation of tarot cards. I drew out plans for my office.

I made up songs about things I wanted to manifest. I sang songs to my chakras and even to the trees in my neighborhood.

I tried to step away from my perfectionism and have fun with it. There should be no judgement in creativity. The point is not to create something spectacular, but to get a different part of your brain working.

So, go have fun!

While learning something may seem rather paradoxical, engaging your brain in a new way can actually help you beat burnout.

The idea here is to learn something that excites you; learn something that intrigues you.

Think back to when you were young. What did you always want to do? What was something that you used to enjoy, but no longer make the time for?

When I was young, I always wanted to play the drums. To bang out a beat, hair flying everywhere; it just looks like SO MUCH FUN!!

Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn a new language. Whatever it is, go into it with a light heart. Do it with a childlike curiosity.

Spend 10 minutes a day learning this new thing. Or spend an hour on it. Again, the goal is not perfection but fun. You’re accomplishing something you’ve always wanted to do. It doesn’t get more productive than that!

Learning something new also helps you boost your confidence and gain traction in other areas of your life. (Check out Episode 7 to learn how.)

Now, if you haven’t yet picked up on the idea that your goal here is to have more fun, then I’m just going to lay it all out for you.

Mental fatigue and burnout don’t just happen because you’re living the dream life. You’ve been too focused on working and achieving. You need to change your patterns.

Have more fun with absolutely no agenda. Go play a round of mini golf. See that movie you’ve been eyeballing. Plant a garden. Curl up in your favorite chair and read that book that’s been sitting on your shelf for a few years.

Sometimes having fun doesn’t feel very productive, which is why we prioritize work and chores. But fun is absolutely necessary for a happy, healthy, and balanced life.

Your brain has been begging for a break. It’s time to schedule some fun onto your calendar!

Probably a solid three weeks into my mental health break, I felt like I should be doing something. I was starting to get on myself for not doing enough, but I also knew that I wasn’t quite capable of following through on anything that I did start yet.

I knew that if I jumped into something, it was just going to be another thing that I didn’t finish. And that’s definitely not what I wanted.

Having patience with my recovery and being realistic with where I was mentally at was a crucial part of my healing.

While there is not a lot to do in practicing patience, it is an extremely valuable and productive task. It is something you need in every aspect of life and is an invaluable lesson.

What better time to learn this lesson than when doing is not practical or even wise.

Learn to release outcomes. Settle into the notion that you are not on a timeline that you can control. And know that things happen faster when you relax.

It took me a good two to three months to really heal from the mental fatigue I inflicted on myself. Give yourself the space to heal and don’t judge how long your own recovery time is.

Whether it takes a week or several months, it doesn’t matter. It matters that you give yourself the time to fully recover. But that doesn’t mean you get to binge out on TV or social media in the process. Take actionable, productive steps to move yourself along.

It is absolutely possible to feel productive and move yourself along your path to purpose while recovering from mental fatigue. But it is essential that you remove the judgement along the way.

And if part of your healing process looks like getting your health back on track, you should snag my FREE guide.

Health isn’t always just about looking good; it’s about feeling good – like you did when you were twenty-something living your best life!

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