In the month of August, I’m diving deeper into the core theme of this newsletter: Mental Energy.

What exactly is it?

Why does it matter?

And what is actually happening in our brains and bodies that determines how much of it we have?

Here’s what I’ve come to believe:

Mental energy is one of the most overlooked keys to both high performance and mental well-being.

And understanding it might just change the way you work, rest, and live.

Today’s newsletter is based on a larger article I did on mental energy, which can be found here.

Today's newsletter

• Takeaways:

• Why I started looking at mental energy:

• What I found out:

  • Partner gift

Takeaways:

⚡️ Low energy = low control

When mental energy runs low, your brain shifts into energy-saving mode. It reduces focus and lets distractions take over.

💪 View your brain like a muscle

Mental energy needs to be managed, not forced. Use breaks, naps, and meditation like rest days at the gym and message for recovery. It’s not about pushing harder,  it’s about recovering smarter.

Why I started looking at mental energy:

For me, it all started in front of a laptop with big dreams and a lot of motivation and ambition.

With a Master’s in Sports Science and a background building ambitious startups, I’ve always been extremely fascinated by optimization and improvement.

Especially the brain has always been a big interest of mine.

So, with Andrew Huberman as a role model and the ability to read scientific articles from my education, I began OptiMindInsights.

The focus was on brain optimization for mental health and performance.

A broad theme without much direction.

And as it turned out, without many readers.

I struggled for months, consuming as much information on building a newsletter and audience as I possibly could.

I did it in the mornings and late at night — outside of my job as a Project Manager in an ambitious longevity startup.

But even though I was working hard, the results were hard to spot.

My performance slowly started to drop.

Not just with this newsletter, but also at work.

It got harder to focus. I felt tired. And my usually sky-high motivation slowly declined.
That was bad. But worse was how my overall wellbeing started to follow.

I’ve always had a tendency to overthink and had to deal with intrusive thoughts, but it got worse, and my mood drifted.

So I decided to try and understand what was happening.

And slowly - through the process of writing these newsletters - I found the first signs that I had probably overdone it.

I had pushed through too much cognitive load for too long.

That’s when I began shaping the idea of mental energy.

I started seeing the brain as an energy-consuming muscle. A lot of what I already knew from sports science suddenly made more sense in this new context.

And while I’m definitely not at peak performance or wellbeing yet, I’m on the right track.
Because I’ve learned how to manage my mental energy, and train my brain.

What I found out:

Metabolic energy supply, neurotransmitters and motivation.

Mental energy is really a matter of energy supply, byproduct buildup, and a balancing act between different brain networks.

On one side, you’ve got the brain’s executive control center up front. On the other, the Default Mode Network (DMN), which is linked to self-referential thinking and mind-wandering.

Most of the time, when you feel mentally drained and end up scrolling through Instagram, it’s actually your brain hitting the brakes. Energy is running low.

Our brains are made up of billions of nerve cells. When the brain is active, these cells communicate with each other through a combination of electrical and chemical activity.

When a signal travels from one nerve cell to another, an electrical impulse triggers the release of chemicals into the tiny space between them, which is called the synaptic cleft.

One of those chemicals is glutamate, and it plays in making sure a signal can continue from one nerve cell to the next.

But during long periods of mentally demanding work, large amounts of glutamate get released. As a result Glutamate can build up, which is not particularly advantageous.

Support cells called astrocytes help clear this excess glutamate and recycle it.

But just as the sending of signals requires energy, so does the activity of the astrocytes.

The body’s energy comes in the form of ATP.

ATP is short for adenosine triphosphate. It’s made up of three phosphate molecules, and when one bond breaks, energy is released.
What’s left behind is adenosine. And during mentally demanding work that molecule can starts to build up in the brain.

Adenosine binds to something called A1 receptors, which makes it harder for signals to travel over the synaptic cleft and as a result makes you feel tired.

A part of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a central role in deciding which network should be active. It’s always weighing:
“Is this effort worth it right now?”

If energy is low or the reward isn’t clear enough, the ACC eases off executive control from the frontal part of the brain.

This lets DMN activity kind of slip through this control and increases self-referred mind wandering. Will they even like this presentation? Wander what my friend are doing.. Let me just quickly check reels.

Focus drops. Distractions become more tempting.

So, when we talk about mental fatigue, it’s not just a feeling. It’s a biological signal.
A real shift in how your brain is firing, using fuel, and prioritizing effort.

And yes, motivation still plays a role.

Dopamine supports the stability of working memory, especially in the prefrontal cortex, by enhancing the likelihood of these messages continuing over the synaptic cleft from one nerve cell to another.  

But when energy is low or the predicted reward is not sufficient, dopamine release decreases. This weakens the signaling strength and makes it harder to stay focused.

That’s why pushing through isn’t always the best strategy. It’s not always about willpower.
It’s about fuel.

And just like you wouldn’t do squats after a marathon, you shouldn’t expect your brain to stay sharp hour after hour without recovery.

Mental energy can be managed — and it should be.

Thats why I advocate that we learn to master our mental energy. Use breaks, naps, and meditation strategically.

And besides managing our mental energy, I also believe our brains can be trained to endure more.

Something we will look more into next week.

If you found today’s newsletter interesting, I did a slightly more detailed piece on mental energy.
👉 Check it out here.

_{Disclaimer: The above is mainly based on the 4 articles mentioned in the beginning of this newsletter, and aims to provide key takeaways and a condensed overview of its content. While the essence is drawn from the original articles, some parts have been simplified or rephrased to enhance understanding. Please note that we at, OptiMindInsights or any other potential writers or contributors to our summaries, do not accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of these summaries and/or newsletters as a whole. The information provided should not be considered a substitute for personal research or professional advice. Readers are encouraged to consult the original articles for detailed insights and references. The summary does not include references, but they can typically be found within the original publication. Always exercise due diligence and consider your unique circumstances before applying any information in your personal or professional life. We refer to the creative commons for reproducibility rights.}