You finish a long day managing a crew, dealing with clients, solving problems—but you haven't done heavy physical labor. Your muscles are fine, but your brain feels absolutely fried. You can barely think straight, and one more decision feels impossible.

Why am I mentally exhausted but not physically tired?

Your brain uses 20% of your body's total energy despite being only 2% of your body weight. Mental work burns through glucose in your prefrontal cortex (decision-making center) and depletes neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin.

Every decision, problem solved, and task switch uses energy. By evening, your glucose is depleted, neurotransmitters are out of balance, and your cortisol may crash—leaving you mentally fried even though your muscles are fresh.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why decision fatigue is your brain literally running out of glucose fuel in the prefrontal cortex
• How neurotransmitter depletion (dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin) causes brain fog, irritability, and loss of focus
• Why cognitive load from constant task-switching drains mental energy faster than sustained focus
• Why mental exhaustion requires different recovery than physical exhaustion—you need to restore glucose, replenish neurotransmitters, and reduce evening decisions
• Five practical strategies: eating protein/fat/complex carbs regularly, taking real mental breaks, doing mild physical movement in the evening, simplifying evening routines, and prioritizing sleep for neurotransmitter restoration

Mental exhaustion is just as real as physical exhaustion. Your brain did the heavy lifting, and that's just as demanding.

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