Is it Depression or Exhaustion?

It can be extremely difficult to distinguish depression from exhaustion in large part because there is so much crossover. Additionally, depression causes feelings of exhaustion. Both depression and exhaustion lead to feeling of sluggishness, difficulty concentrating, lack of motivation, and negative self-talk. Both also cause muscle fatigue and whole body tiredness. Difficulty sleeping can exacerbate these feelings. To determine if it is exhaustion rather than depression, address the circumstances that lead to exhaustion. This may also help lift you out of the early stages of depression and curtail a depressive episode. A lot of folks hate the fact that reducing caffeine is a big first step. Caffeine is very difficult on the nervous system, making it essential to reduce but not cut off completely. Caffeine is a powerful addictive substance and needs to be stepped down carefully to avoid withdrawal. Limiting caffeine to only in the morning and not consuming caffeine after lunch time often is enough for those suffering from exhaustion to improve their sleep quality.

It is important that we become protective of our sleep quality, and a good sleep routine can help us do that. Have a wind down period of at least 1 hour before bedtime to put down electronics, get off of social media, and stop playing video games. Instead, listen to music, watch videos, or read a book. Set an alarm to stop all activity and lay in bed with no other stimulation to try an sleep. If after 30 minutes you are not asleep, get up for 15 minutes and then try again. Try to exercise daily, even if it is simple stretching, because this will release stress and reduce tension in the body. Look at your diet and assess if you are eating good quality, high vitamin filled food. Avoid low quality food and try to eat fresh vegetables and fruit. If you make all of these changes for 30 days and see no improvement, then it is fair to say that you are in a depressive episode.

If after 30 days you are still struggling with exhaustion, it is fair to say that larger life changes may need to be made. Talking with a health professional about what you are experiencing can help determine if it is depression and not something like anemia. It is important to have regular health checks that include a comprehensive blood test when experiencing extended periods of fatigue because it may be reflective a health issues. It is important that we are working with the right expert to help us overcome the issues we are facing and to overcome the feeling of exhaustion and have our well being restored. If you have a clean bill of health and are still struggling with a lack of motivation and exhaustion, then it is time to work with a mental health care professional.