When Feeling Tired Is a Symptom of a Bigger Issue

Missed an email on energy levels and how to boost them? Catch up here:
Not Enough Food or Sleep
Drink Some Water, Unplug & Get Outside

There are a number of reasons we might experience a lack of energy or constant feelings of fatigue, and it's often due to a combination of factors. 

Spending too much time on our phones, for example, can distract us from bedtime and negatively impact our natural sleep cycles, which can prevent us from sleeping well. When we don't get enough quality sleep, we don't always make great choices about our nutrition or exercise, which can make us feel less motivated or energetic. 

Another big factor in that viciously negative cycle? 

Stress and/or burnout.

What is stress? 

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), stress is "a normal reaction to everyday pressures, but can become unhealthy when it upsets your day-to-day functioning."

Those "everyday pressures" are stressors, like family conflict, work demands, or financial strain, and stress is the way we're impacted. 

Also from the APA: "Stress contributes directly to psychological and physiological disorder and disease and affects mental and physical health, reducing quality of life."

Stress is not just something we can or must live with. Stress affects us physically as well as mentally, and we cannot have optimal health and well-being without managing our stress levels.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burnout results from workplace or occupational stress that has not been managed, and is characterized by feelings of energy depletion and exhaustion, increased cynicism, apathy, and negativity regarding work, and/or reduced professional effectiveness. 

While burnout has been characterized as work-related, it's beginning to be more commonly used to refer to any long-term, on-going, and unmanaged stress. 

How to address it

• Identify it. Yes, many stressors are outside our control and how we respond and manage them is something we can control. 

• Avoid stress. Alter the situation. Adapt to the stressor. Accept what you can't change. 

• Move your body. Movement is how our bodies process and release emotional stress. When we experience stressors without physical release, our bodies can't complete the stress response cycle and we end up carrying that stress with us. 

• Practice meditation or deep breathing. It helps calm our minds and nervous systems. 

• Get help. Humans are wired to connect. You don't have to go through everything alone. Reach out to loved ones and, if you have the resources, work with a mental health professional who is trained to guide people through difficult situations and emotions.

If you've been experiencing low energy and fatigue and you've already:

• upgraded your sleep,

• addressed your nutrition and hydration,

• prioritized movement and unplugged,

• are working on managing stress

and you're still struggling -- there might be something else going on. 

Many physical and mental health conditions can cause exhaustion, sluggishness, and fatigue when left untreated.

We always want to start with the simplest solutions first, but if you've checked in on all the major factors you can control and you're still feeling exhausted or tired, it's time to see your healthcare provider to try to get more information.