Lesson 21: Emotional Exhaustion and "False Calm" After Prolonged Anxiety“

Duration:100 minutes

Topic Introduction: Sometimes you're not "much better," but rather "too exhausted to react." Prolonged anxiety can lead to a state of "outward calm, inward utter collapse." You don't argue, cry, or fight; others might even praise your "emotional stability," but deep down you know it's not peace, but exhaustion. This lesson helps you recognize this "false calm," understand that it's not failure, but your brain protecting you from further burnout, and then gradually guide you back to a more resilient state.

○ Three typical signs of "false calm"

• I don't want to explain anymore:It's not about letting go, but rather the brain deciding, "There's no point in explaining further, I need to go into hibernation."
• I don't feel happy/angry/wronged:Emotions were completely silenced, as if a silencer had been applied.
• I seem to automatically conform to others:It's not that I really agree, it's just that I don't have the strength to object.

Please remember: This doesn't mean you're "useless." It's your body saying, "I've reached my limit, I can't keep going." Only by recognizing it can you find a way to repair it.

Lesson 21: Emotional Exhaustion and "False Calm" After Prolonged Anxiety 🎧 Click to watch/listen to the reading

When anxiety persists for a long time, a person doesn't necessarily remain in a state of obvious tension and unease. Instead, many people enter a seemingly calm but actually exhausted state. You no longer experience frequent panic or repeated worries; your emotions appear stable on the surface, but you feel empty, dull, and lacking energy internally. This state is often mistaken for "finally getting better," but it's actually more like a **energy-saving mode after the emotional system has been overloaded**. Prolonged anxiety continuously depletes psychological energy. The nervous system, in a state of high alertness or high self-control for extended periods, is like a machine constantly running at high speed; eventually, it can only protect itself by reducing its output. Thus, strong emotions are suppressed, and pleasure and pain become blurred, leaving a state of "feeling nothing, but also lacking energy." This isn't laziness or indifference, but a sign of exhaustion. A typical characteristic of "false calm" is **fewer emotional responses, but not ease**. You may no longer be noticeably anxious, but it's also difficult to truly relax; you may no longer feel intense sadness, but you've lost interest in many things. Life goes on, but engagement decreases, as if on autopilot. This state often leaves one confused: "I don't seem to feel bad anymore, but why am I not happy either?"“
Another characteristic is a decreased tolerance to stimuli. Small things can leave you feeling exhausted, social engagement increases significantly, and decision-making becomes difficult. It's not that things have become more complicated, but rather that your internal resources have been depleted by chronic anxiety and haven't had time to recover. The first step in recognizing emotional exhaustion is to stop treating this state as "a problem that can be solved with a little more effort." It's not a lack of willpower, but rather a system that needs repair. Continuing to force yourself to persevere often only exacerbates the exhaustion, making the calm more rigid. Next, shift your focus from "I need to get back to my previous state" to "What kind of replenishment do I need now?" This is usually not about stimulation or change, but about **lowering expectations, reducing output, and increasing recovery**. Allowing the pace to slow down, allowing efficiency to decrease, and allowing temporary less enthusiasm are all part of the repair process. At the same time, be aware of whether suppressed emotions are still present in other ways. Physical fatigue, emptiness, and indifference towards the future are all signs that emotions haven't been truly processed. Gently re-engaging with feelings, such as by writing down your current experience or communicating with trusted people, rather than forcibly analyzing or solving them, helps emotions gradually regain their flow. True tranquility is not the absence of fluctuations, but rather resilience. When you begin to understand the exhaustion logic behind "false tranquility," you will no longer mistakenly believe that you have regressed or failed. You have simply reached a stage where you need rest. Give the system enough time and space, and your emotions will gradually regain their balance, and you will rediscover that genuine stability that allows you to both feel and bear the weight of life.

○ Audio Guide: "Let me pause for a moment"

When using audio, find a quiet corner where you won't be disturbed, and sit comfortably; you don't need to sit up straight. Please follow these three steps:

1. I whispered to myself, "I'm really tired."“
2. Tell yourself a permission statement: "I can stop now, I don't need to restore the function immediately."“
3. Gently press one hand on your chest for 20 seconds, do nothing, do not answer questions, and do not solve problems.

○ Eastern Tea Therapy: Sweet Wheat and Jujube Soothing Drink

Recommended reasons: Traditionally, licorice root, wheat, and jujubes are often used to soothe a state of "being easily upset and tearful, and having a fragile heart." It is suitable for those who feel "I appear calm on the surface, but I'm about to break down if someone expresses concern."

practice: Boil a small piece of licorice root, a pinch of floating wheat, and 1-2 red dates in warm water for 5-8 minutes, then sip slowly. The focus is not on the "potency of the medicine," but on the symbolic act of "being treated gently."

○ Stable Diet and Nourishment: Perilla Plum Rice (ID21)

When emotions are easily volatile or appetite is affected by stress, a bowl of fragrant and slightly sour staple food can help regain a sense of security when eating. The aroma of perilla has a soothing and refreshing effect, and the slight sourness of plums can alleviate inner depression and sluggishness. This meal is suitable for eating when you feel chest tightness or loss of appetite, allowing your body to regain stability and peace through the simple rhythm of chewing.

Stabilize appetite Refreshing fragrance Relieve depression

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21-shiso-umeboshi-rice

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◉ Japanese Food Therapy: Perilla Plum Rice (ID 21)

This is a nationally popular comfort food in Japan known as "Ume-Shiso Gohan" (plum and shiso rice). The red pickled plum meat and finely shredded green shiso leaves are mixed into steaming white rice, creating a striking color contrast and an enticing aroma. When anxiety leads to a loss of appetite or a feeling of tightness in the chest, the unique herbal fragrance of shiso can instantly "regulate qi" and relieve stagnation; the sourness of the plum can stimulate saliva production and appetite, allowing the mind and body to gradually regain balance as you chew.

Stabilize emotions Regulate appetite Regulates Qi and improves appetite

I. Recommended Dietary Therapy and Reasons

Recommended dishes:Perilla Plum Rice (ID 21)

Recommended reasons:Perilla leaves contain perillaldehyde, which has significant sedative and antidepressant effects and is often used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to relieve "qi stagnation." Umeboshi (dried plums) are highly alkaline, helping to balance the body's pH levels, and their citric acid can relieve fatigue. This dish combines "olfactory therapy" with "gustatory stimulation," sending a signal to the brain that "I am safe and well-nourished" through the simple act of eating.

2. Recipe and Method

Recipe (1–2 servings):

• One bowl of freshly cooked hot rice (about 150g)
• Japanese pickled plums (salted plums), 1 large or 2 small
• 3–4 fresh perilla leaves
• 1 teaspoon of roasted white sesame seeds
• A pinch of salt (depending on the saltiness of the dried plums; usually, no extra salt is needed).

practice:

1. Prepare rice:Rice is best served freshly cooked and piping hot, as the heat will bring out the aroma of perilla and plum. If using cold rice, please reheat it thoroughly.
2. Processing dried plums:Remove the pits from the dried plums and mince the plum flesh into a paste using the back of a knife.
3. Processing perilla:Wash the perilla leaves and pat them dry with kitchen paper towels. Roll them up and cut them into very fine strips.Notice:After slicing, try not to rub it excessively with your hands to avoid losing aroma and turning it black.
4. mix:Pour the pork paste, perilla shreds, and white sesame seeds into the hot rice.
5. Cut and mix:Use a rice paddle to mix the rice in a "cutting" motion, without pressing it down, to maintain the fluffiness of the rice grains.
6. forming:It can be eaten directly from a bowl, or shaped into triangular rice balls (Onigiri) for easy energy replenishment at any time.

3. Small rituals for body and mind

When chopping perilla leaves, pause and take a deep breath, letting the cool aroma fill your nostrils, imagining it is cleansing your respiratory tract and chest.

Watching the red plum flesh and green perilla intertwine in the white rice, I appreciate the beauty of this color balance.

Chew slowly with the first bite, and feel the sour taste stimulate saliva secretion; that's proof of your body's vigorous vitality.

4. Dietary Therapy Experience Record

1. Record whether you felt a sense of "comfort" the moment you smelled the fragrance of perilla.
2. Observe whether the patient's lack of appetite improves after consuming the product.
3. Pay attention to whether you feel a sense of "satisfaction" and peace half an hour after eating.

V. Instructional Videos (approximately 3–5 minutes)

◉ Video Title:Perilla Plum Rice: The Aroma Magic that Awakens the Appetite

6. Precautions

• Salt control:Traditional Japanese pickled plums are very salty (approximately 18-20 lbs 3t), and one is enough to accompany a bowl of rice. If using less salted pickled plums (seasoned plums), the amount can be increased accordingly.
• Perilla substitute:You must use "large leaf (green perilla)", not red perilla (mainly used for coloring) or Western-style basil, as the taste is completely different.
• For those with excessive stomach acid:Please consume in moderation. Do not eat overly sour dried plums on an empty stomach. It is best to drink them with warm water.

hint:This dietary therapy utilizes the principles of aromatherapy to regulate emotions, making it ideal for times of summer heat and humidity or stress that lead to loss of appetite.

○ Humanist Script of the Italian Renaissance - Lesson 21 Writing Exercises

Today's healing phrase:

Peace and joy

In-depth analysis:

The "false calm" that follows prolonged anxiety is often a depletion of emotions and energy, not true peace. The gentle rhythm of the Humanist Script helps you rediscover your true state, rather than continuing to suppress it. Writing this sentence sends an important signal to your brain: Exhaustion is not a failure, but a fact that needs to be repaired.

Writing Skills (Advanced Version):

• Slow down your writing:Allow the body to naturally transition from a state of exhaustion into writing.
• Reduce decorations:It symbolizes the removal of the pretense of "I must act normal".
• Even pen pressure:Avoid skewing between light and heavy, and reflect the true energy level.
• White space between letters:Make room for suppressed emotions.
• Repeat the writing:Strengthen the acknowledgment of true fatigue.

Traditional mandalas typically feature symmetry and complex geometric structures, symbolizing the wholeness of the universe and the cycle of life. By drawing traditional mandalas, individuals can perceive inner peace and strength, achieving psychological balance.

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○ 21. Emotional Exhaustion and False Calm: Journaling Guidance Suggestions

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“Even someone who appears "I'm fine" deserves to be cared for. It's not only those who are devastated who deserve comfort.