Are You Giving In to Exhaustion, Or Fighting Back?
By Sandy Schroeder
The question of exhaustion in our culture seems to be widespread. If you are wide awake at 3 a.m. and propping yourself up with coffee at 3 p.m., you may know exactly what it means to be constantly on overdrive.
WellAndGood.com took a look at this issue and concluded it is defining the time we live in. At first I thought this sounded a little overblown, but it may be worth considering.
- Are you exhausted every evening?
- Do you countdown from Monday to get to Friday?
- Do you find yourself falling asleep in your chair in the evening?
- Are mornings an ongoing struggle just to get out the door?
- Do weekends sweep by in a blur?
Psychologists says this fatigue pattern stems from emotional exhaustion created by our tech driven, work-dominated lifestyle. Stress and anxiety are a given and sleep may help, but not completely fix the problem.
If you have trouble turning off work when you walk out the door at the end of the day, you may have a lot of company. WellAndGood surveys found 64 percent of those interviewed said work triggered anxiety for them, with 55 percent indicating work, overall stress, and anxiety kept them up at night.
Looking Closer
If you are always reachable with calls, texts and emails, then you may not have any mental space that you can call yours. Some people can shrug this off and drop off to sleep, but many of us cannot. Those calls or unfinished projects may ride right with us through dinner, on into the evening, and still be around late at night as we toss and turn.
Is It Time to Fight Back?
If you can relate, it may be time to evaluate your exhaustion and figure out ways to scale it way back. Here are some questions to see where you are.
- When is the last time you just relaxed with your family in the evening?
- Do sit-down dinners happen every night or not at all at your house?
- Do you manage to laugh a little every day?
- Have you lost that creative spark with your work?
Ways to Turn Things Around
- Surprise your family with a special evening for no reason at all
- Plan a weekend away with minimum phone time and maximum you time
- Take the time to do an overview of your work schedule to see what you can delegate
- Get up 15 minutes early just to sit and contemplate life
- Make sleep a priority with regular bedtimes, no phones and less caffeine, spicy food, or alcohol
If these changes help, keep on going to move away from the exhaustion cycle.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Tampa, Fla.