EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION: Symptoms and How to Overcome It

In a society in which we demand more and more of ourselves and carry out more activities and responsibilities, more and more people feel overwhelmed. In Psychology-Online we want to explain what is emotional exhaustion, what are its symptoms and what you can do to get over it.

Index

1. What is emotional exhaustion
2. Emotional exhaustion as a consequence of demanding to be strong
3. Symptoms of exhaustion or emotional fatigue
4. What to do when faced with emotional exhaustion or exhaustion
5. How to overcome emotional exhaustion

The exhaustion or emotional fatigue It is a state of exhaustion that we reach when we feel overwhelmed due to a series of circumstances such as work, conflicts, responsibilities, etc. Being this mental exhaustion, we cannot solve it with a few days of rest such as physical exhaustion.

Emotional exhaustion can occur in the workplace, when they demand or demand too much of us. When emotional fatigue occurs in this area, it is called

We demand a lot from ourselves, more and more. We want to live in good health, do physical exercise to take care of our body, have a perfect home, stand out in our work, raise the perfect children with the healthiest meals and the best extracurricular activities, be aware of our families... And that in addition to all this we have time to rest and enjoy a while of leisure.

Keep that rhythm and demanding so much of us ends up having consequences in the long run. And it is that we are accumulating fatigue and swallowing emotions and there comes a day when literally we can't anymore. That is when the symptoms appear that we will see below.

The signs that allow identifying emotional exhaustion are the following:

• Physical tiredness. We feel that our body does not respond as before. We notice a lack of energy from the first hour and we arrive at the end of the day completely exhausted.
• Insomnia. Although we spend the day drowsy, at night we have difficulty sleeping. The thoughts associated with our tasks and responsibilities contribute negatively. In addition, insomnia accentuates physical fatigue.
• Memory and concentration failures. Forgetfulness appears, it is difficult for us to concentrate on tasks and we tend to make mistakes. On many occasions a feeling of unreality appears.
• Lack of motivation. Also called apathy, which consists of the loss of interest in activities. In addition, the presence of negative and hopeless thoughts added to the lack of motivation can lead us to suffer from depression.
• Irritability. We are more sensitive to comments or conflicts and we are constantly in a bad mood. Anything irritates us or makes us cry.

When we are emotionally exhausted it is because we have already reached our limit. It is not something that happens without more, but we are accumulating fatigue until our body and our mind can no longer. At this point we have to stop (whether we want to or not) and rest.

As I have already mentioned, resting for a few days is not going to make us feel recovered, so it is necessary to take a time every day to dedicate it to an activity that helps us relax.

1. Mindfulness. This technique is highly recommended in cases of emotional exhaustion. It allows us to become aware of what is happening to us, to identify the associated emotions and to experience them, and it helps us to face our present situations calmly. Here you can see in depth what is mindfulness and how is it practiced.
2. Yoga. We can practice a type of gentle yoga given the physical fatigue that we will be experiencing. This type of activity relaxes body and mind. In addition, yoga practice has been proven to increase GABA levels, which promotes relaxation. Here you will find What is GABA and what is it for?.
3. Breathing and relaxation. There are many techniques to slow down the nervous system and relax. Find the one that suits you best and practice it daily. At the end of the article you will find a guided relaxation so you can test if it works for you.
4. Muscle relaxation. The practice of relaxation has many benefits and can be of great use to us. It is advisable to introduce visualizations that make us focus our thoughts on pleasant scenes and relaxing by leaving out negative thoughts and responsibilities during the time of the practice. Here you will find the Step-by-step progressive muscle relaxation technique.
5. Meditation. Another highly recommended practice. There are different techniques and methods, you can practice it in many ways. Find out and try the one that best suits your preferences.

The above recommended practices are very useful in the face of an impending state of emotional exhaustion. However, if we have reached emotional fatigue once we will do it again if not we decrease our responsibilities up to a level that does not exceed us or that does not take us to the limit. How can you do it?

1. Be realistic. The first step to end pressure and self-demand is to accept that you are human and that days have the hours they do. You need to be realistic and invest your time in the truly important activities. You need to prioritize.
2. Reduce. Don't feel guilty about eliminating some activities. Reduce your demands.
3. Delegate. It is clear that taking everything is affecting your health therefore you will have to delegate some tasks. Give something to your partner, to a family member who lends himself or thinks of hiring someone to take care of one or more tasks.
4. Plan and manage time. Plan your tasks so that there is some rest between them. And most importantly: include daily time for yourself. In the following article you will find time management tools and techniques.
5. Share. Last but not least advice, unburden yourself. Find someone with whom to share your worries and your burden (friend, therapist, family member ...). Talking helps us to vent, relativize and have another point of view about something.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Emotional exhaustion: symptoms and how to overcome it, we recommend that you enter our category of Emotions.

Sanabria, G. (2019). What is emotional exhaustion and how to overcome it. E-book