What To Do When You're Feeling Emotionally Drained and Exhausted
Emotional exhaustion has become a much talked about topic amongst people today. With lives seemingly becoming busier in today’s already fast-paced world, the effects of being emotionally exhausted are leaving many of us with that drained feeling.
Physical and mental exhaustion is a very real issue for many, so it’s important to know the signs to look out for, before it affects your wellbeing. Taking care of yourself and addressing the sources of mental and emotional strain is vital to prevent burnout.
Recognizing the Symptoms of Burnout
Burnout occurs when a person experiences physical and emotional exhaustion. They often experience a chronic, stressed lifestyle such as a busy job where they’re working long hours, which may cause them to feel overwhelmed, tired and emotional. Research shows that having a high mental load is linked with various issues, including disrupted sleep patterns.
Because burnout is caused by long term, chronic stress, it’s important to get to the bottom of how this stress is affecting you, so that it doesn’t impact you negatively.
People who experience burnout may feel like they can’t cope with life, and often don’t pick up on the subtle signs that they may be heading towards complete exhaustion. The effects may be felt physically, mentally and emotionally, and will have an impact on the whole of your life. Here are some common symptoms to watch out for:
Feeling drained
Disturbed sleep patterns
Feeling depressed
Feeling emotionally tired and overwhelmed
Difficulties focusing
Lowered immune system
Stress headaches
Fatigue
Loss of appetite
Muscular pain
The Underlying Causes of Exhaustion
There are many things that can leave a person feeling emotionally drained. It’s not unusual to feel tired at times, but when we experience exhaustion, it’s time to address the underlying causes.
Modern living sees us overworking, overdoing and overthinking much of the time. We may find ourselves spending time with emotionally draining people, who leave us feeling less than positive. We also spend a large amount of time attached to technology that can be emotionally draining, meaning we’re also less than present in our lives.
When a person feels drained, and starts to experience signs of exhaustion, this is rooted in something deeper. Here are some common underlying causes:
Poor diet
Poor work life balance
Lack of self care
Conflicts that leave you emotionally drained, e.g. with family members
Mental stress such as overthinking
Broken or not enough sleep
Chronic exhaustion can also be a sign of underlying illness. When we experience stress, it can compromise our immune system, leaving us with unexplained physical symptoms. Seek medical advice if you’re experiencing recurrent or ongoing illness.
5 Techniques to Combat Feeling Exhausted and Drained
It can feel hard to know where to begin when you experience emotional exhaustion. But there are things that you can do, and techniques you can implement, to gain control over your life again. Here are some ideas:
1. Set boundaries
Your energy is precious, so create boundaries to protect yourself from the things that are draining you.
2. Check on your diet
A balanced diet is important for good energy levels. Spend time planning nourishing meals and snacks that will support the whole of your wellbeing.
3. Get regular exercise
Movement is another important part of maintaining health and energy levels, so ensure you are getting regular exercise to clear your head, and help your overall health.
4. Drink more water
Making sure you are hydrated is one of the simplest things you can do to boost energy levels. Aim for 2 litres per day, or 8 large glasses.
5. Get more sleep
Sleep is vital when you’re suffering with exhaustion, or feeling emotionally drained. Find ways to get more rest, such as not doing so much, pausing more frequently in the day, and going to bed earlier.
Long-Term Strategies for Managing Exhaustion
If you find yourself saying ‘I feel bad’ more often than you feel good, and you’re suffering with exhaustion, there are various lifestyle changes you can make to help manage energy levels. It’s important to give these changes a go, to prevent finding yourself living with burnout.
The key to long-term management of exhaustion is finding the underlying causes of the stress in your life, which leave you feeling drained, unwell, and unhappy. Reducing the stress that you are under will instantly re-energise your life, and free up space for you to live to your fullest.
Start by simplifying your life as much as possible. What could you do less of? Are there things that could be delegated to someone else? Are you spending too much time with people who drain you, instead of choosing things that bring you joy?
Mental exhaustion is often linked to spending too much time up in our heads. Mindfulness can be a useful tool to help us cope with energy levels, as it teaches us to be more present in our lives. You can begin very simply by pausing more often in your day, and noticing your feelings, as well as your surroundings.
The Power of Social Connections
Humans are social creatures who tend to thrive on connection. Many of us lead busy lives and are suffering from the same types of exhaustion, so by sharing our experiences, it helps others to find ways to work through it too.
Social connection can also revive our energy levels, because having fun brings more presence and joy into our lives. When we are with other people, particularly those who we have consciously chosen to spend time with, we tend to forget our worries and feel more positive. Being with other people is often a powerful way to increase our own energy levels.
Revisiting Personal Priorities
When we begin to strip back our busy lives, we’re given the opportunity to reassess what’s important to us, and reevaluate our own personal priorities. It’s only when we begin to look at the things that we do each day, that we realise how many of those activities we might be doing out of habit, and perhaps no longer align with who we are anymore.
Whether you’re struggling with an emotionally draining person, you’re being impacted by workplace stress, or life has just become way too busy, revisiting your own personal priorities will help to ensure that your energy is being used on the things you want to do, rather than the things you feel an obligation towards.
Seeking Professional Help
Exhaustion and burnout can become a mental health issue if not dealt with. If you’re experiencing feelings of exhaustion that aren’t going away, even after making various lifestyle changes, then it’s important to seek professional help. Things like talk therapy can be useful in treating symptoms of depression and anxiety, which can leave you feeling drained. But fatigue can also be a sign of chronic exhaustion and other more debilitating illnesses, which will require professional advice. If you feel that your symptoms are more than some of the factors that we’ve covered in this blog, consider seeking help.
Key Takeaways
Exhaustion can creep up on you, when you are least expecting it. If you’ve found yourself facing emotional burnout, know that this is an opportunity to reassess your own lifestyle and personal priorities. There are many ways to support yourself so that exhaustion doesn’t have to be something that defines who you are. Your energy is precious so take time to create healthy boundaries in your life, and make changes to your lifestyle that will benefit the whole of your health and wellbeing.
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