I, probably like many others, am struggling with exhaustion that seem hard to shake. It kills my hobbies and interests one by one, it makes doom scrolling and watching stupid shows seem like the only valid activities I can handle.
I have tried the “touch grass”, I regularly switch off my phone to take breaks from social media, but it is hard to find motivation to anything but sleep and watch TV on the weekends.
Are there methods to deal with this sort of exhaustion from… gestures broadly at everything ?
Edit: after the initial replies I realized I probably should mention that I already do regular therapy and take prescription drugs for depression.
Edit 2: Thanks everyone for replying and handing out advice. My plan moving forward is to get some labs done to make sure I don’t have any deficiencies and have my meds adjusted if they need to be. I will try eating better, be more conscious about sleep and regular exercise.
Try to exhause another side, you will feel better. If your mind is exhaused, then try to run, jumping (rope), pump up your heart rate. THen your mind become clear.
If your muscle is exhause, then sit down and read, use your mind, to forget your body is broken as fuck
Get a sleep lab done and check if you need a CPAP machine.
There is so much most want to do in life. Perhaps you are stretching yourself to thin, trying to do it all at once. Don’t see the current lack of something as “killing” your hobbies. They aren’t dead, you’re working towards those things. It’s a plan for the future. Right now you’re focusing the energy you have right now on something else (for now).
a good dropperful of liquid vitamin D is good for me once a week. make sure it’s enough – the typical recommended daily values (at least in the US) are pretty low.
Not a diagnosis, but sounds like depression.
Perhaps counter intuitively, exercise (get that heart rate up and sweat exercise) has always been the most effective for me. Managed my depression for ~25 years that way, such that I only have occasional (temporary) bouts of ennui.
I’d keep up with the touching grass too.
I’d recommend cycling or hiking. Great ways to combine touching grass with exercise. And both great for working through things you have in your mind.
As a depressive myself, I concur. Sounds like OP is one of us.
The key is finding coping strategies. I exercise every day and lift weights five days a week. That helps me tremendously. As far as exercise goes, you basically try everything until you figure out what you like and a routine that works for you. If your energy peaks at a particular time of day, that’s when you should plan to exercise. (For me it’s in the morning.)
I also read a lot of books.
Thing is, I don’t engage with people much, and that actually helps a lot with my mental health. I have one in-office day a week and that’s enough to fill up my social gauge.
You’ve received a lot of great advice that I’ve seen. Definitely getting labs would be a good first step. I’d suggest working with your therapist on this, honestly. Supposing that you’re not dealing with a deficiency or medication issue, it might be important to figure out how long you’ve been feeling this way, what way it is exactly that you’re feeling, and figuring out what to do about it.
Check for Iron and B vitamin deficiency if doc didn’t already suggest it.
If your diet isn’t particularly great I would make a serious consideration to changing your diet, especially if you’re getting into your 30s. Lower your carb intake. Get lots of fiber and protein in you consistently.
Classic burn out.
You may consider getting some labs done. I was deficient in B12 and found taking vitamins did help a bit. Cutting out / back on carbs and beer helps even more.
Not to entirely discount depression, but I have the opinion that we’ve become so addicted to a life of instantaneous everything that even brief moments of nothing happening can feel like withdrawal.
One suggestion: instead of regularly turning off your phone, just permanently put it in silent mode. Really consider what you must know immediately (for me it’s family phone calls) and allow only those notifications to come through. Everything else can wait for you to find the time to get to them.
I also struggle with this so I’m interested in the conversation. I love to read but have a really hard time choosing a book over television. I’m mindful of “blue light” and try to stop using any screen at all after 8pm but that can be difficult if I just want to unwind after a long day. People did it before tv though. I think maybe a less fulfilling life, or life fulfilled less, may actually be more healthy.
One suggestion: instead of regularly turning off your phone, just permanently put it in silent mode.
These days, I even set it to flight mode and vibration only for notifications, and I usually never check my phone during working hours.
I love to read but have a really hard time choosing a book over television.
Have you tried audio books or podcasts? I usually switch off my screens around two hours prior to sleep and tend to listen to podcasts and audio books until I fall asleep. Important to remember is that the voice of the narrator is super important, so make you get one that make you feel comfortable.
I don’t even have vibration on. The display will turn on to show notifications but the vast majority of the time my phone is in another room on the charger. I even leave it at home some times.
I’ve had trouble listening to podcasts while I’m home doing other things. Perhaps I should try audio books and sitting down to do nothing but that. Generally, I don’t like audio books for a bunch of reasons but they could be applicable for this issue. Thanks for the suggestion.
have you tried more sex
