12/11/2025
It's December, and you're exhausted. You've slept enough, but you still feel drained, irritable, and overwhelmed. This often isn't just physical tiredness; it's Mental Load (or Emotional Exhaustion).
Your brain is working harder than usual right now, processing the emotional demands of the season, managing deadlines, and making thousands of tiny decisions.
Here's how Mental Load drains your battery:
Decision Fatigue: Every choice—from which holiday party to attend to what to make for dinner to what music to play—costs mental energy. By the end of the day, your capacity for good decisions is depleted.
Emotional Regulation: Navigating family dynamics, managing expectations, and trying to stay positive when you feel stressed requires constant emotional labor.
Invisible Tasks: Your brain is constantly tracking invisible chores: gift lists, travel logistics, scheduling conflicts, and mental to-do lists that never make it onto paper.
The Solution? Radical Prioritization.
If you are suffering from Mental Load, the best rest is not always sleep; it's reducing the volume of decisions and emotional tasks.
Delegate or Drop: What can you ask someone else to do, or what can you simply stop doing? What are the bare minimums you can do, or what are ways to simplify tasks (ex. paper plates for easier clean up).
Automate: What are ways to save decision making energy? Can you plan simple meals for a few days, create a better routine, or set more boundaries (it's ok to tell others no)?
Schedule White Space: Book time in your calendar for truly nothing—no chores, no calls, just rest (and actually give yourself permission to rest and relax in that space)
Tired of carrying the entire mental load? Counseling can help you lighten your burden and set sustainable boundaries. Call/text for a free 15 minute chat (325)644-8757.
