The Psychology of Daily Peace

Small Habits, Stronger Minds: Daily Practices for Mental Wellness

Have you ever felt that you are not fully using your potential? Like, you know you are procrastinating, yet you do not feel mentally empowered to get up and start? Sometimes it is simply a lack of motivation, and you don't want to, but sometimes your brain is experiencing extreme fatigue and emotional exhaustion—something commonly known as burnout.

That is exactly how a burnout feels mentally in your brain. You feel drained and lost. Almost feeling like you are drowning on your own thoughts.

Burnout article by ASCLS

The rise in college student burnout shows that emotional and academic pressure has increased. Many undergraduates usually experience these pressures silently. Many students are not aware they are experiencing burnout until after they've experienced prolonged periods ofacademic pressure, become fatigued (physically/mentally), and continue to feel stressed. This condition leads tomany students being exhausted / tired (mentally and continuously feeling like they are tired).

Academic burnout can gradually disrupt a student's ability to concentrate and stay motivated, negatively impacting their academic progress. For many students, emotional fatigue caused by school-related activities may affect theirattendance, engagement, and overall mental presence in the academic environment beyond the limits of stress alone.

consistency vs intensity

Burnout sufferers often believe they must transform their lives (both physically and mentally) overnight to achieve "fixing." This leads students to counteract their fatigue by creating very intense study sessions, strict routines, andridiculous productivity goals. These bursts of motivation may seem to work for a little while, but they won't be able tobe maintained due to mental fatigue over time.Most people achieve mental wellness through consistency and not necessarily through intensity. Many of the smallactivities you can do for your mind and body on a daily basis (i.e., sleeping, taking breaks, drinking water, exercising for a few minutes a day, and/or taking a break from your computer screen) will provide your brain with more support than when you do an intense activity followed by having burned out. By consistently giving your nervous system support, your mind and body can continue to recover from stimulation; they will not "blow" or be overwhelmed, causing you to have instant stimulation.This will be especially important for students that are experiencing burnout because recovery does not typically take place overnight. Wanting to become "perfect" overnight can create additional stress and create a lot of disappointment. However, developing reasonable habits and performing them consistently over time will cause students to increase their focus, emotional stability, motivation, and wellbeing. Many times the progress doesn't equal working harder, but rather learning to slow down to properly recover.

Wanting to become "perfect" is a branch of a mental disorder we call "maladaptive perfectionism." From the research made by the National Library of Medicine (NIH), we can infer that maladaptive perfectionism may lead to lower life satisfaction.

The research concluded that: Maladaptive perfectionism not only significantly detrimentally affected life satisfaction but also negatively influenced it through the mediating effect of academic burnout.

NIH Research

Small Habits, Stronger Minds: What You Can Do Starting Today

Burnout can be fixed over time, so it should be seen as something that can be addressed through small daily habits. According to research, consistent application of daily small habits will create the energy needed to fuel your brain/mind, establish better focus, and restore a sense of self. To regain energy after experiencing burnout, you willnot need to make major life changes, only small incremental beginnings.

1. Prioritize Sleep. Sleeping is by far one of the best neglected religious and mental health tools. If you are not getting enough rest, you will have a significant decrease in your ability to handle stress and frustration from overwhelming situations, learnnew things, and do anything. You should aim to get at least 7-9 hours of good sleep each night. Have a consistent time for going to sleep, turn off all electronic equipment 6-12 hours before going to bed, and develop a regular wind-down routine so your mind knows when to sleep.

2. Use the "One Thing" principle. Feeling overwhelmed is usually a major reason that we feel burned out. Rather than trying to do everything all at once, pick one important thing (or "one thing") to work on each day. The simple act of completing a single taskgives your brain a small dopamine rush (like achieving a small success), which, combined with that momentum, provides you the ability to continue to be productive week after week.

3. You Don't Have to Meditate for an Hour to Be MindfulMindfulness isn't necessarily defined as sitting cross-legged on the ground in total silence for 30 minutes every day. Simply put, mindfulness can be taking three deep breaths before you reach for your phone in the morning, eating lunch without scrolling through your social media, or writing in your journal three things that you are grateful for. All of these examples (or micro-moments, if you will) train your brain to become less reactive, helping you to feel lessanxious and ultimately break the debilitating cycle of burnout.

4. Set Boundaries (and Keep Them)Burnout can frequently happen when we say “yes” to everyone and everything but ourselves. To remain healthy, you must set healthy boundaries (i.e., turn off notifications at 9 p.m., say “no” to additional commitments, schedule actual time to rest on your calendar, etc.). These types of boundaries are NOT selfish; they are absolutely essential. Remember that your mental health is not a privilege; your mental health is the foundation of everything else in life.6. Connect With OthersIsolation will increase the likelihood of experiencing burnout. A five-minute conversation with a friend, a study session with fellow classmates, or simply communicating with a health professional will remind you that you are not alone inwhat you are experiencing. Establishing connections with others can reduce both anxiety and emotional fatigue.

Remember, you are making progress!From everything you've read so far, you know that one of the largest impediments preventing you from achieving your goals and "perfection" is yourself. The goal of the six new habits is NOT to do them all perfectly by tomorrow. The goal is to select ONE habit, implement that ONE habit as soon as possible, and determine whether you see any results. Small habits, when practiced consistently, increase your level of mental strength and therefore grow your peace in all aspects of life.

The Hidden Connection: How Daily Habits Rebuild Self-Esteem and Break the Perfectionism Cycle

The diagram we previously viewed illustrates how maladaptive perfectionism leads to academic burnout, which in turn reduces self-esteem and results in less overall happiness, creating a continuous cycle of maladaptive perfectionism. The cyclic nature of this process is dangerous because participants become dependent on it for self-sustenance; experiencing burnout leads to a diminished belief in oneself.When you have less belief in yourself, longer time frames are necessary for starting tasks; additionally, when longer times are needed to begin a task, procrastination can easily become an outcome, which results in returning to your location of no improvement due to the completion of a task or activity.The diagram indicates that each point in the cycle represents an opportunity to interrupt and disrupt it.By prioritizing sleep, you address the root cause of burnout, as adequate rest will enhance your self-belief. Theone-thing rule will help develop your self-esteem through small amounts of success and, therefore, build your beliefin yourself. Setting limits on your output shows that your worth isn't tied to your productivity, breaking the cycle of perfectionism. If you practice mindfulness, you will develop your mind's ability to tolerate both imperfection and the anxiety related to it.These items are more than simply lists of things to make you feel good; they are techniques based on the nervous system that will break your cycle of maladaptive perfectionism before it leads to burnout.

You Are Not Behind. You Are Human.

One of the worst things that burnout does to your mind is to convince you that everyone else has found a way to beproductive, return to work, or be emotionally strong, while you feel like you're crumbling. In actuality, researchreflects otherwise. (From previous research, we know that approximately 80% of college students have faced burnout during their time in school, so you're not the only one.) As a member of your generation (a generation that is confronted with record levels of academic stress; excessive exposure to electronic communication; and constant social comparison with others), you are actually not the only person in this position.

You can't control burnout or its effects, but you can receive support from coworkers (so you're not alone). Andunlike your previous work experience, there is no way to burn yourself back to life. However, you can learn to manage your mind more effectively by adopting new approaches that prioritize your overall well-being. While your mind is not broken, it is suffering from being overworked. The only way to recover is through receiving the following four tools: 1) rest; 2) connection; 3) consistency; and 4) compassion; and none of those involve any additional pressure.

Take the First Step Today

You no longer have to wait for a Monday, for a semester to end, or to feel "ready." Mental wellness begins with a series of choices, starting with the decision to go to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual tonight, followed by a commitment to write down one thing you are grateful for each morning, and finally, making it a point to say no at least once this week to a responsibility or activity that you tolerate but that drains your energy.These are all small habits, which can be performed daily. The combination of the three habits over time will not only decrease the chance of experiencing burnout but will also fundamentally change the way you experienceyourself.That is the starting point to true peace.

At Neurohope, we believe that minds are built for miracles — including yours. If you found this post helpful, share it with someone who needs it today.

References

National Institute Of Mental Health (NIMH)., "Associations Between Maladaptive Perfectionism and Life Satisfaction Among Chinese Undergraduate Medical Students: The Mediating Role of Academic Burnout and the Moderating Role of Self-Esteem" https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8777005/

The American Society For Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS)., "Addressing Burnout and Stress in College Healthcare Students and Educators

Phyllis Ingham, EdD, MLS(ASCP)CM, AHI(AMT), ASCLS Clinical Laboratory Educators Forum Chair"

https://ascls.org/breaking-the-silence/

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