The go-go world can leave you feeling overwhelmed and drained. If you don’t take the time to recharge, however, fatigue could turn into something worse.

This is especially true with where the future of education seems to be going: online education where there are flexible due dates, meaning students can wait, procrastinate and cram half a quarter in a few nights. Obvious this kind of continuous and extreme mental activity can lead to fatigue. When this happens, your mind goes into overdrive.

It’s sort of like driving down a hill in the wrong gear. If you continue to drive a car quickly in low gear, this will eventually wear out the engine and the car will break down.

The same applies to fatigue. When your mind is under duress, it’s going a mile a minute. Meanwhile, excessive activity is draining your body and your mind.

Continuous fatigue can cause symptoms, including insomnia, irritability, mental blocks, poor diet and poor motivation. Left untreated, it can result in more serious behavioral health problems such as anxiety or burnout.

Many of today’s skilled professions require continuous learning. What’s more, a growing number of adults over the age of 50 are going back to school.

Sometimes, people who are juggling their personal and professional lives, as well as ongoing learning, can exhaust their executive function. When this happens, they may find difficulty making even simple decisions. Over time, a heavy and continuous cognitive load can lead to a complete breakdown.

Of course, hard work is necessary to succeed in life. However, determined professionals must balance their ambition with their own wellness. The following 5 tips can help individuals improve their well-being as they pursue lifelong learning.

Tip 1: Get Time on Your Side

You have the free will to adjust your schedule as needed. In fact, this is a great way to ensure your mental health.

For instance, maintaining a routine schedule and getting up early every day can enhance your sense of accomplishment. By allowing yourself to clear your mind before you start your day, you can prepare for the day ahead.

This positive wellness habit will allow you to plan your day. What’s more, you’ll feel more in control over your daily activities.

Tip 2: Develop Emotional Intelligence to Reduce Stress

Emotional intelligence lowers stress and reduces the chances of burnout. In addition, it leads to increased job satisfaction and improved leadership.

People who develop their emotional intelligence are self-aware, motivated and know how to practice moderation. Also, they enhance their social skills and have a genuine concern for others. With sincere empathy, emotionally intelligent leaders build better teams.

Tip 3: Limited Your Social Media

It takes a lot to grab the attention of the public. Resultantly, media outlets leverage the power of doom and gloom to capture the eyes and ears of viewers. The onslaught of bad news about politics, the world and current events can make you feel downright miserable.

Now, social media extends the reach and influence of the world’s news outlets. With ongoing communications on your cell phone, television and even your computer, it may seem impossible to escape from a barrage of negative information.

At times, you need to give your mind a break. It’s a good idea to take an occasional time-out from social media and the news to clear your head. In fact, it helps to go a step further sometimes and take a break from technology altogether – if only for a brief moment here and there.

Tip 4: Learn to Think Positive

Problems can arise at breakneck speed. When putting out fires, it’s easy to forget about taking care of yourself as one problem after another emerges.

Many small problems can build up to one big ball of anxiety. To sustain your mental well-being, you must adjust your thinking to prevent problems from affecting you exponentially.

A whirlwind of problems can send you spiraling down the drain of worry. When you feel pressure, you must train yourself to approach obstacles in the right state of mind.

Rather than allowing every potential negative outcome to race through your mind, turn the table on trouble by recapturing a firm grasp on reality. Give yourself a moment to recognize facts and dismiss fiction so that you can develop a sensible solution. Learning how to think and act positive will end up not only benefiting yourself, but also those around you and society as a whole. Learn more about ARIS and ABA therapy and how it can help.

Tip 5: Take Care of Your Body

Poor physical health wears not only on the body, but also the mind. Left unchecked, poor health can cause you to fall into a ruthless cycle of emotional and physical deterioration.

Fortunately, you can break this cycle easily. Exercise is an effective way to promote your physical and mental health. Physical activity produces endorphins. It’s a “feel-good” chemical that’s naturally produced by the brain.

Endorphins relax the muscles and relieve physical tension. When your body feels great, good mental health will follow.

There are times that nothing you do seems to yield improvements in your mental state. When this happens, it’s time to look outside of yourself for answers. You can seek help from a behavioral therapist, or you use an app such as TalkSpace to find counseling online.