Persistent Mental Fatigue: Understanding Mental Overload and the Role of EMDR

This image helps us recognize an effort that doesn’t always leave a visible trace. Anticipating, mediating, exercising self-restraint, and organizing for others: these activities take up mental space. Fatigue, therefore, isn’t measured solely by the number of tasks completed. A day may seem empty on a calendar but overwhelming in real life.

That said, I’m not suggesting we close all these tabs with the power of our minds. Some correspond to real responsibilities. Others reopen because no collective decision has been made. Still others involve memories or concerns that warrant specific support. We need to distinguish between these categories before handing out relaxation advice like fans in a burning room.

The day comes to an end. In your mind, work continues. You pick up where you left off in a conversation, prepare for tomorrow, and check to see if anything might have been overlooked. Even rest becomes a task to be accomplished. Over time, fatigue is no longer just a feeling—it shrinks the space available for making decisions, experiencing emotions, and connecting with others.

Saying “you have to let go ” describes a destination. It doesn’t show you how to get there.

Mental fatigue is not a single diagnosis. Sleep, overall health, medical treatments, workload, and psychological difficulties can all contribute to it. When it persists, worsens, or significantly interferes with daily life, a medical evaluation can help ensure that the symptoms are not too quickly attributed solely to stress.

The term “chronic mental fatigue” should also not be confused withmyalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. These are issues that require an appropriate evaluation.

Two days that look identical on paper can end up costing very different amounts. A task doesn’t just take the time it takes to complete it. It may remain unresolved because expectations are unclear, because a decision depends on someone else, or because a mistake seems impossible to tolerate.

My interest inwork analysis leads me to examine this gap between visible activity and what it actually requires. “I didn’t get much done today” can coexist with hours spent mediating between conflicting demands.

The problem, then, cannot be solved simply by learning to relax. Sometimes it is necessary to clarify a responsibility, reduce a workload, or set a clear boundary.

Another question worth asking is: What feelings arise when you stop? Relief, restlessness, guilt, or fear of losing control?

This reaction can guide the support provided. If certain memories or learned behaviors remain linked to the idea of always having to keep going, their role can be explored. However,EMDR is not a general treatment for fatigue and cannot provide a lasting solution to a situation that continues to be exhausting.

The INRS emphasizes the importance of preventing the work situations that contribute toburnout. INRS, burnout.

In *Work and Agency* (2008), Yves Clot proposes linking occupational health to opportunities for action. This approach is relevant because it reframes the question: Beyond personal resources, what scope does an individual have to change their actions and the conditions under which they carry them out?

This raises a crucial clinical and practical question: “Where do your efforts repeatedly run up against an insurmountable obstacle?” Several situations can lead to significant fatigue:

These tensions can be a heavy burden to bear. They sometimes require reorganization, a new division of labor, or professional support. Addressing them solely from the perspective of emotional management would allow the problem to linger in the background.

“Rest isn’t just about getting back on your feet faster.” Rest can also reveal what is no longer sustainable. This realization can sometimes be uncomfortable, because it calls for change rather than simply recovering.

When someone says, “But I don’t really do that much,” I want to understand what they mean. Completed tasks are visible. Decisions, interruptions, and unresolved concerns are much less so. An hour spent deciding between two conflicting requests may not produce any results that are easy to show, yet it requires sustained attention. The feeling of having accomplished nothing then adds a sense of dissatisfaction to the fatigue.

This process is no longer just a simple to-do list. It reveals a coordination effort that sometimes only you are aware of.

This interpretation can also apply to family life. Planning for needs, coordinating schedules, and anticipating difficulties is work—even when no one has explicitly asked you to take it on. Recognizing this makes it possible to discuss how to divide up these responsibilities. Therapy shouldn’t just teach you how to better cope with a burden when part of it could be shared or eliminated.

Resting can be difficult for various reasons. One person may fear missing an important request. Another may feel that they deserve a break only after finishing everything. A third may discover, when they stop, worries that had previously been kept at bay by their activity. These situations raise distinct questions. Talking about “difficulty letting go ” without distinguishing between them risks remaining too vague to be helpful.

Therapeutic work can help you distinguish between actual responsibility and a perceived obligation. This does not eliminate the possible consequences of a decision. Setting a boundary may be unpopular, and some organizations resist change. We must therefore consider the support available to you and the necessary negotiations, rather than presenting rest as a purely internal decision that depends solely on your will.

Sometimes we’re tempted to fill our free time with a perfect recovery routine. We’re supposed to sleep, walk, meditate, and recharge our energy according to a strict schedule. These activities can be beneficial, but doing too many of them can also reinforce the same exhausting mindset: striving to make every moment count and constantly measuring whether we’re progressing fast enough. Rest then becomes yet another task that we feel we must perform efficiently.

Another approach is to consider what actually leaves you with more energy. Some activities are restful at one time but take more out of you at another. A pleasant get-together can strengthen your bond while still requiring energy. A quiet day can be helpful without immediately making you feel better. These nuances help you avoid judging each attempt too quickly.

As we monitor our progress, we can set a few modest goals: finishing one activity without starting three others, finding a conversation we can follow, or having an evening that’s less dominated by worries about the future. These don’t have to become a scorecard. They’re meant to help us understand what’s changing and what’s still challenging. If fatigue persists despite these adjustments, this is a sign to reevaluate the situation with the relevant professionals—not to expect yourself to make even more effort to recover.

The first goal can be very simple: to identify what still needs your attention now that the day is over. We then examine what requires an external change, medical support, or therapeutic work.

Progress doesn't necessarily mean "stopping thinking." It can mean recognizing that a decision can wait, delegating without taking everything back, or finding time to rest without feeling guilty about it.