Great Exhaustion: A Closer Look
By: Alexadra DeWoskin
Many of my clients are bringing up the shear exhaustion they have been feeling. They are not referring to just being tired per se. Although they do speak of being “sick and tired.” They are referring to an overall feeling of being overwhelmed by the enormity of, let’s face it, just about everything that is thrown at them daily. They feel oversaturated and, in some cases, angry or frightened.
And these are incredibly draining emotions. Unaddressed fear can morph and grow and, as it builds up, can often become anger. And as fear and anger build up, it can bring on a state of feeling overwhelmed, as well as exhausted and sad. This can create a sense of helplessness that can become paralyzing. I’ve read articles that call this phenomenon The Great Exhaustion, which refers to a widespread sensation of burnout resulting from a host of factors.
We all have the normal responsibilities of life, health, exercise, finances, work, kids, pets, hobbies, volunteering, relationships, chores, and our daily errands. All this alone can be stressful and time-consuming.
But throw in geopolitical tension, environmental and natural disaster concerns, a news cycle on overdrive, social divide and discourse, economic woes, domestic and international hostility, a feeling of competition and keeping up with all that is popular, bombardment of marketing and AI messaging, and it just feels as if the atmosphere is heavy and things are coming at us all at once.
Related: Therapy for low mood and depression
Studies have shown that people are feeling depleted with less cognitive space and more cognitive fatigue. And this manifests for some in as being less social, isolation, staying home more, spending more time in bed, burnout, lack of enthusiasm and motivation, mood issues like depression and anxiety, physical manifestations i.e. GI issues, sleep issues, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and an increase in escape into addictive behavior such as drugs and alcohol or internet based.
For many, their workspace is now in their home space, leaving little separation of one’s personal and professional worlds as well as creating tremendous isolation. And for some, their “office” is in their bedroom, the one place that should be as peaceful as possible, a refuge. Burnout in one’s career is showing up in younger generations an average of 17 years earlier than older generations.
This not only impacts the person but trickles into economic impacts like lost productivity and an increase in healthcare needs and costs related to burnout. There are increased employer expectations and financial pressures for us all. Pay hasn’t necessarily kept pace with the cost of living, creating a desperate situation for many to live paycheck to paycheck let alone save for the future or reach financial milestones like home ownership or even retirement.
Part of what makes everything so exhausting is this feeling of helplessness. How can we impact change? I like to think we are a part of a collective whole. If we are feeling bad or good, we put that out into the universe. And this, in turn, contributes to the collective mood. More practically, we can do little things that provide an impact, be it big or small. It all counts.
I remember in my first year Inpatient Psychiatric Internship, I struggled to feel like I was making a difference when I met with my patients who were very mentally ill and not terribly lucid. My supervisor asked, “isn’t 5 minutes of connection and pleasantries better than none at all?” It was a great lesson in my life and career when Imposter Syndrome takes over or when I feel I make no impact. The small impacts DO count and make a difference.
There are several strategies to help battle this feeling of exhaustion or overwhelm:
Make your world smaller – It can be overwhelming to take on the whole world. It can feel quite defeating. But, if we focus on our own little world that surrounds us, we might be able to make an impact and thus energize ourselves. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Make the impacts you’re trying to make more manageable. This also sets you up for success, which creates a sense of empowerment.
Eliminate Doomscrolling – It’s mindless continuous scrolling of the internet and social media for more and more doom and gloom. It is a time and energy suck and definitely does not result in energizing, feel-good feelings. Feeling anxious about the news can drive people to follow current events even more closely because anxiety stimulates our need to search for more information. But in chaotic times, the next news story won’t actually resolve the anxiety.
Turn off the constant barrage of news – One client limits her news intake to 15 minutes a day tops. She seeks out neutral sources and just gets the bullet points. While she’s always prided herself on being in the know, because the news cycle is so rapid now, you really can be in the know of what is important by being strategic in your choices and watching less.
Streamline your news and social media sources – Basically this means, eliminate pushed updates, clean up (ie stop following or mute) some of your social media if you’re getting too much of a bad thing. Stop following toxic people and sites. Follow feel good things…I’m particularly partial to dog rescue accounts and my favorite music accounts. But that’s just me.
Get outside – I know that seems like a big ask, especially when you’re already feeling exhausted. But fresh air and sunshine are nature’s antidepressant. I make it a point, even with my limited time, to sit outside or take walks, especially with my dog. We take long aimless walks, when time allows. I listen to music that brings up happy memories. I look at the pretty sights like gardens and architecture. I look at my happy dog, so innocent, taking in all the small, simple wonders of the world, seemingly so satisfied and joyful. We can take a lesson from the innocence of children and pets. Sometimes, time only allows for a few minutes outside, so take it. I even try to do most of my errands myself on my day off vs ordering. It’s another excuse to be out and about. I never gave up physically grocery shopping during the Pandemic just to have a reason to get outside.
Make your day smaller – What I mean by this is, instead of taking on the whole day from the minute you awake, divide it into smaller chunks. Get through two hours at a time vs the 12 hours you’re looking at. It feels much less overwhelming.
Exercise – Again, exercise is a natural antidepressant. It does for your neurotransmitters exactly what Prozac or Lexapro does. It is natures Serotonin and Dopamine boost.
Get Involved no matter how big or how small – Remember, every impact counts. If you want to volunteer your time to help the greater good, do it, you will feel good about it, and it will get you outside of your head. Whether attending a protest, getting involved in a political or cause organization, helping a friend or stranger, or even volunteering at your local animal shelter. It all counts.
Reframe – This means to acknowledge what is happening and turn a positive spin on at least a part of it. If we change the way we view or perceive a situation, problem, or thought, this can often lead to a more positive or constructive perspective.
Spend more time focusing on the good things, be they big or small – I am happier after one of my walks where I focus on what is beautiful in my small world. Sometimes that will sustain me for a little while. Sometimes making a pros or gratitude list to reflect on can help glean some perspective. We tend to focus on the negative, not sure why, human nature. So, focusing on good things does take some work. In this way, we can create a feeling of being in control of more aspects of our lives.
Connect with others – As difficult as it may be, spend time, in person, with people who bring you joy, make you laugh, and pick you up. Stay away from toxic, drama filled people. At the very least have a phone call or FaceTime.
Connect with yourself – Journal, draw, read. Do things that bring you peace and joy. If you’ve been interested in a new hobby, do it. Make plans and goals and things to look forward to. You might even consider establishing a productive and positive relationship with a therapist or life coach. Having someone trusting and objective to talk to, work through things, and who will provide you with a safe space to be open without judgement, can be invaluable.
Separate work from Home – If possible, go into the office a couple days a week; rent a shared workspace if your employer will reimburse; work from Starbucks or anywhere with free wifi. At the very least, get your office space out of your bedroom.
People are tied to their technology and phones. I have clients who are experimenting with removing social media, dating, and news apps, a digital detox so to speak, to avoid the number of stimuli coming your way, decrease doom scrolling and social media competition, just to find a little peace. Some people are making a concerted effort to try to meet potential romantic partners in person instead of apps via meet up groups, hobby groups, and in-person social networks.
Related: 10 ways to deal with your depression
Maybe, in time, people will become acutely concerned with fighting against misinformation, which will only become a bigger problem thanks to AI. Consumers may try to divorce from consumerism since many of us have turned to shopping to alleviate boredom and fill emotional voids. TikTok, Instagram, and basically every digital space tells us to buy stuff all the time.
Some are trying to embrace the concept of rational optimism. After feeling like the world has been so terrible for so long, it’s a realization that this is itself burning us out, and that we’d be less stressed, happier, and healthier if we viewed the world with some optimism — which is a rational outlook and very difficult to do. It requires some serious mindfulness, reframing, and purposeful attitude adjusting.
People want to take their power back. And this way of thinking results in being less of a victim and more empowered to decide how they want to feel vs outside factors telling us how to feel.
