7 Most Destructive Ways You Waste Mental Energy Without Realizing It

Living a life as an adult isn't easy at all, right? As you have to manage a lot of things from taking responsibility for work to maintaining good relationships with your friends, colleagues, and your family. In doing so, you often end up feeling exhausted and start wasting your mental energy. And when you are mentally drained, you cannot be as productive as you should be.?

Why do we waste mental energy? It's because when we don't know what our true purpose is. We try to do too much but we spend time thinking about something and we don't take action on things that matter most to us.?

We waste mental energy without realizing it. In fact, we do it so often that we don't even realize it's happening. But there are ways to stop wasting mental energy. Read on to discover the most destructive ways you're wasting mental energy without realizing it!?

1# Being a Perfectionist

Being a perfectionist can cost you a lot. In simple words, perfectionism means putting a lot of time and energy into doing something and trying to make it perfect. Which makes a perfectionist feel tired and exhausted most of the time.?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you shouldn't work hard for something but my point is that nothing is perfect in this world so stop struggling to make something so perfect because you can’t.?

Rather think rationally and analyze when it's time to stop working on something by accepting that it's enough. By doing so, you will not only stop wasting your mental energy or lessen your burden or stress but will be able to save your time which you can put into something else.?

2# Taking Aimlessly

If you want to say something during the discussion, ask yourself, is it making sense? It is ok to ask when you are having any confusion or want clarification on something. But be aware that your discourse should be concise, and relevant.?

Talking nonsense or irrelevant no doubt drains the mental energy. Remember you don't need to always respond. Learn to talk less and listen more. Because most of the time, it's wise to just listen and not talk.?

Avoid proving that your perspective is right, as much as possible. Because not everyone deserves to know your thoughts as there are chances that trying to prove yourself right might only waste your mental energy and time. The same is the case with posting your success stories on social media or telling about goals to everyone will bring you nothing good in life but will have more stress or hatred to handle.?

3# Trying to remember a lot of things

Keep thinking of your daily tasks and feeling anxious about them is not healthy at all. This costs your mental health which badly affects your personal growth as it wastes your mental energy so much.?

Struggling to remember a lot of things causes stress and anxiety. And you often forget to do important things like having a meeting with your client or going to any event.?

Making to-do lists or using productive apps like Click Up, Asana, or even mentioning your tasks in the google calendar, are the best ways to overcome this issue.?

4# Constantly Keep Distracting?

Well, most of us really don't realize how much time we spend with our digital gadgets. Believe me or not, it's more than we assume.?

Whether it's switching from one app to another or scrolling aimlessly or checking your emails or WhatsApp again and again, these habits destructively waste your mental energy.?

Especially while working on any project or doing an important task, our phones/ laptops act as powerful distractions which prevent us from working efficiently. These distractions which might seem little take our energy. And by multitasking, we couldn't focus on each task which leads to bad consequences.?

5# Stressing over the things you can’t control

Most of the time, we tend to waste our mental energy on things which we cannot control. Acknowledge that not everything is in our control. There are some things which we can't change. So the best way to handle such situations is to let them go.?

If something is causing stress, ask yourself. Is it in my control? Do I have the power to change it? Can I do something about it? If yes, then start digging into it and find ways to resolve that issue. If not, then stop stressing over it. Because it will only increase your stress levels and will affect your productivity.?

6# Depending too much on others

It's ok to ask others for help but letting people take full control of your life is not appropriate. In other words, not being able to make decisions on your own and always seeking someone else to tell you what to do means giving away your power.

This is one of the most destructive behaviors that prevent you from living a worthwhile life. The same is the case with taking everything personally. Because that also means that you are allowing others to make you anxious or angry. This is how you waste your mental energy without realizing it.

7# Overthinking & Dwelling in the past/ future?

Let's face it. We either keep regretting past mistakes or planning about the future. We often forget to live and cherish the live moment. Learn to be mindful if you don't want to waste your mental energy.?

Furthermore, acknowledge that overthinking or negative thoughts only make things more tangled or complicated. Making mistakes is ok but repeating the same mistake over and over again.?

Likewise, planning out is productive as it gives direction to you on how you should get things done. But mere planning about something can bring nothing good in your life. Plan and then take action. Avoid giving too much thought to something. Just dive in!

Final Thoughts

Undeniably managing our mental energy is crucially essential for living a?productive life. The very step is to be self-aware and accept yourself and your behavior. That's how you can realize where you waste your mental energy and how you can avoid it. By doing so, you will be able to give most of the energy to the things that really matter.?

I look forward to your thoughts below and @Zohaibkhan.92 .