Overcoming Extreme Exhaustion

Extreme exhaustion is a mix of physical, emotional, and mental fatigue. Emotional fatigue is often caused by stress or ongoing emotional challenges such as difficult interpersonal relationships, challenging family dynamics, financial worries, or trouble at work. Emotional fatigue contributes to mental and physical fatigue by disrupting sleep and making it really difficult to wind down and decompress at the end of the day and relax. The constant physical tension and disrupted sleep feeds mental fatigue because more energy is needed for decision making and mood stabilization.  Sustain periods of troubled sleep and extreme exhaustion can feel like they will never end, but that is not that case. Most people can figure a way to improve any situation in about 6 months, but 6 months is a long time to go without enough sleep and truly decompressing. It is vital that even in the worst of times that we take time to decompress.  We must be sure that we decompress mentally, emotionally, and physically. The three types of decompression can happen simultaneously or separately, but all have one thing in common. The approach to decompression needs to be a method that provides true relief from strain.

Extreme exhaustion reflects that we are in a space of extreme stain. Finding a way to reduce  strain will put us on the path of decompressing. Most people myself included have a linchpin that when pulled triggers decompression. My linchpin is freedom. When I feel overly exhausted I need lost time that no one knows about to take for myself. Most people can build into their lives lost time. The trick is to pick a time that no one truly knows what you are doing and then use that time to decompress. For some this time comes in the workday, for others in the evening after everyone has gone to bed, or the morning before everyone is awake. No matter how extroverted a person is everyone needs private moments free from observation and the judgement of others.

Once you have carved out private time allow yourself to day dream about what you would with  15 minutes, an hour, or a day that you had all to yourself.  Then think about what relaxes you. Decompressing is different then enjoyment. I find avoiding social media during this time is essential to my decompression. I have to be engaged in something that is somewhat stimulating but not overtly so. Finding the right level of stimulation is essential so that you do not further exhaust yourself.  The right level of engagement is when your mind and body are occupied in a positive way. This tunes out all of the negative thoughts and worries. Once you find a variety of things to engage in put lost time on your schedule as focused time and focus on recharging your battery. If you do this regularly, you’ll sleep better and feel more productive throughout the day.  Seeing the positive results you will then begin to feel less exhausted because you will know when the next recharge is coming and this well help regulate your emotions, as well as you mental and physical energy.