Coping With Emotional Fatigue

It is Monday morning, and your alarm goes off. You hit snooze, but you do not go back to sleep. Instead, you just lay there as if weighed down by some physical force. Your body aches from an invisible source, and you feel exhausted despite getting “enough” sleep. If this sounds familiar, you are likely suffering from emotional fatigue. Emotional fatigue is defined as feeling emotionally drained, resulting from stress, whether personal or professional. After the year we have all had, it is understandable why so many of us are experiencing these conditions. 2020 was a crazy year, and 2021 is shaping up to be a bit questionable as well. However, one thing many took away from the lockdown of 2020 was acknowledging the importance of mental health. Here are a few signs of emotional fatigue and ways to cope. If Negative Thoughts Consume You, Start a Gratitude Journal and State Out Loud Affirmations Constant negativity has a way of weighing down on you mentally. It often causes stress and can lead to a lack of sleep, stagnation, and poor physical health. Writing in a gratitude journal helps to focus on the positives of one’s life, and state affirmations out loud aids in motivation. It helps to give perspective and grow an appreciation for things you may have taken for granted, including oneself. Studies have shown that writing in a gratitude journal and stating affirmations out loud helps improve our mental health. If You Are Constantly Stressed, Start an Exercise Routine Finding the motivation to work out during a time of emotional fatigue may seem laughable. However, studies have shown that creating an exercise routine can help elevate stress, which is also a contributing factor in poor physical health. Starting a workout regimen has a two-in-one benefit by improving your physical and mental health. If You See a Decline in Your Productivity, Then Take a Break Do you find yourself taking hours to complete simple activities because you are not unenergized? Is that side project you started just sitting there untouched because you are too mentally drained from work to do anything else? Take a break! The idea of you pushing through mental roadblocks and just “getting over” your mental health issues is outdated. Take time for yourself and step away from the stressors. Take a long lunch break, go on vacation, or even take a nap. Taking a break can help improve your mood, help reduce stress, and help increase productivity. Sometimes stepping away is the most productive thing you can do.