Meaning:

“精神” means “mental,” “内” means “internal,” and “耗” means “depletion, exhaustion.” Translated literally as “mental internal friction,” this term refers to the scenario where a person, often an introvert, suffers from mental stress arising from over-thinking and inner struggles while trying to make a decision when faced with a dilemma or trying to find a meaning for their life. The term caught people’s attention recently after a video on Bilibili about a disabled elder identified as “My Second Uncle” went viral. The partly fictional video was titled “My Second Uncle Cured Me of My Mental Internal Friction.”

Example:

A: 我觉得我的同学都比我有出息。

Wǒ juédé wǒ de tóngxué dōu bǐ wǒ yǒuchūxī。

I feel that all my classmates are more successful than I am.

B: 你有一份好工作，还有不错的男朋友，没必要和别人比较，带来精神内耗。

Nǐ yǒu yīfèn hǎo gōngzuò，hái yǒu búcuò de nánpéngyou，méi bìyào hé biérén bǐjiào，dàilái jīngshén nèihào。

You’ve got a good job and a nice boyfriend. You don’t need to compare your achievements with other people’s and give yourself anxiety.