精神内耗

精神內耗

jīngshénnèihào

noun

Meanings

1 mental self-depletion from overthinking; internal emotional burnout
2 the exhausting drain of constant rumination and self-doubt

Characters

consume / drain

Examples

最近精神内耗特别严重,想辞职。

Zuìjìn jīngshénnèihào tèbié yánzhòng, xiǎng cízhí.

I've been mentally overdrained lately, I want to quit my job.

二舅治好了我的精神内耗。

Èr jiù zhì hǎo le wǒ de jīngshénnèihào.

Second Uncle cured my overthinking spiral.

精神内耗的人常常睡不好。

Jīngshénnèihào de rén chángcháng shuì bù hǎo.

People stuck in mental self-depletion often can't sleep well.

Tips

culture

Became the phrase of summer 2022 after the viral Bilibili video 《回村三天,二舅治好了我的精神内耗》 by @衣戈猜想, about the uploader's disabled uncle whose quiet perseverance made his urban exhaustion feel trivial. 内耗 is originally an engineering/economics term for 'internal energy loss.' Named a 2022 Top 10 buzzword by 《咬文嚼字》.

register

Very common on 小红书/Weibo in mental-health contexts. Synonyms: 自我消耗, emo-ing. Antidote phrases include 钝感力 'dullness as a power' and 松弛感 'composed energy.'

Stroke Order

精 jīng

神 shén

内 nèi

耗 hào