Mental Health Muscles

Have you ever worked out really hard or gone to a trainer, or even spent a day gardening or doing yard work and ended up so sore that it hurt to move the next day? On these recovery days, you rest as much as possible. You may gently stretch or go for a walk, but your sore muscles are communicating clearly that they need rest and time to recover. This recovery time is essential to rebuilding muscle tissue and growing stronger. 

When you are doing the hard work of growing and changing emotionally you may also have these days of fatigue. It can be harder to recognize because our thigh muscles don’t give out when we go to sit on the toilet or our arms shake when we lift a bag of groceries, but if you pay attention you’ll notice that you just feel more tired than usual. You may sleep a full 8 hours and still want a nap. You may want to snack more than usual or find yourself zoning out unexpectedly. It may be difficult to track conversations. You may feel a bit foggy.

If you’re in therapy, working to transform your life, journaling about some deep and important stuff, or trying to change patterns of thought and belief, you may be having a day of mental-health-fatigue. The same way our muscles need a day or two to rest and recover, we sometimes need a day or two to rest and integrate the changes we’re making in our lives. 

Not only is it ok to give yourself permission to rest and recover, it’s essential to your growth.