Table of contents:
- What is emotional exhaustion
- Emotional exhaustion as a result of demanding yourself to be strong
- Symptoms of exhaustion or emotional fatigue
- What to do when faced with emotional exhaustion or exhaustion
- How to overcome emotional exhaustion
In a society in which we demand more of ourselves and carry out more activities and responsibilities, more and more people feel overwhelmed. In Psychology-Online we want to explain what emotional exhaustion is, what its symptoms are and what you can do to overcome it.
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- Emotional exhaustion as a consequence of demanding to be strong
- Symptoms of exhaustion or emotional fatigue
- What to do when faced with emotional exhaustion or exhaustion
- How to overcome emotional exhaustion
What is emotional exhaustion
The exhaustion or emotional fatigue is a state of exhaustion to which arrived when we feel overwhelmed by a series of circumstances such as labor disputes, 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 Burnout syndrome. It also usually appears in caregivers of dependent people, in which case it is called caregiver syndrome. And, emotional exhaustion in the couple is also common when the relationship is conflictive. Here you can see How to know when to end a relationship.
Emotional exhaustion as a result of demanding yourself to be strong
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 some leisure time.
Maintaining that rhythm and demanding so much of ourselves ends up having consequences in the long run. And it is that we are accumulating tiredness and swallowing emotions and a day comes when we literally cannot take it anymore. That is when the symptoms appear that we will see below.
Symptoms of exhaustion or emotional fatigue
The signs that allow identifying emotional exhaustion are the following:
- Physical exhaustion. 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.
- Failures in memory and concentration. Oblivions appear, 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 is a loss of interest in activities. In addition, the presence of negative and hopeless thoughts added to a lack of motivation can lead to 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.
What to do when faced with emotional exhaustion or exhaustion
When we are emotionally exhausted it is because we have already reached our limit. It is not something that happens without more, but we accumulate 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 will not make us feel recovered, so it is necessary to take time every day to dedicate it to an activity that helps us relax.
- Mindfulness. This technique is highly recommended in cases of emotional exhaustion. It allows us to become aware of what is happening to us, identify the associated emotions and experience them, and helps us to face our present situations calmly. Here you can see in depth what mindfulness is and how it is practiced.
- Yoga. We can practice a type of gentle yoga given the physical fatigue that we will be experiencing. This type of activity relaxes the body and mind. Additionally, yoga practice has been shown to increase GABA levels, which promotes relaxation. Here you will find what GABA is and what it is for.
- 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.
- 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 and relaxing scenes, leaving out negative thoughts and responsibilities during the time of practice. Here you will find the progressive muscle relaxation technique step by step.
- 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.
How to overcome emotional exhaustion
The previously 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 we do not reduce our responsibilities to a level that does not exceed us or that does not take us to the limit. How can you do it?
- 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 really important activities. You need to prioritize.
- Reduce. Don't feel guilty about eliminating some activities. Reduce your demands.
- 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 is lending or think about hiring someone to take care of one or more tasks.
- 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.
- Share. Last but not least tip, unburden yourself. Find someone with whom to share your worries and your burden (friend, therapist, family member…). Talking helps us to unburden ourselves, 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 Emotions category.
BibliographySanabria, G. (2019). What is emotional exhaustion and how to overcome it . E-book