FeelingEmotionallyExhausted?YouMaybeDrained
Doyoueverfeellikeyoujustcan’tseemtoshakeoffafeelingofexhaustion,nomatterhowmuchrestyouget?Thiscouldbeasignofemotionalexhaustion,otherwiseknownasbeing“drained.”Here,we’llexplorewhatthisconditionis,howitmanifests,andwhatyoucandotoalleviateit.
WhatisDrained?
Drained,aspreviouslymentioned,isastateofemotionalexhaustion.Thiscanmanifestinavarietyofways,butusuallyincludesageneralsenseofmalaisethatmakessimpletasksfeelinsurmountable.Drainedindividualsmayfeelalackofmotivation,decreasedenjoymentofactivitiestheyonceenjoyed,andadifficultyfocusing.Thiscanleadtoapathy,anxiety,andevendepression.
Drainedcanbecausedbymanyfactors.Oftentimes,itstemsfromlivinginahigh-stressenvironmentorexperiencingatraumaticlifeevent.Individualswhoworklonghoursorstrugglewithsleepmayalsobemoresusceptibletobecomingdrained.
RecognizingtheSignsofDrained
It’simportanttobeabletorecognizethesignsofdrained,asthiswillhelpyoubetterunderstandwhenyouneedtotakestepstoalleviateit.Somecommonsignsofdrainedinclude:
- Feelingasenseofdetachmentfrompeopleoractivitiesyouusedtoenjoy
- Difficultysleepingorstayingasleep
- Decreasedconcentrationandfocus
- Feelingdisconnectedfromyourownemotionalexperiences
- Difficultycompletingtasksthatusedtofeeleasy
AlleviatingDrained
Ifyou’refeelingdrained,knowthatyou’renotaloneandthattherearestepsyoucantaketoalleviateit.Oneofthemostimportantthingsyoucandoistotakeabreak,evenifit’sjustforafewminuteseachday.Usethistimetoengageinactivitiesthatbringyoujoy,suchasreadingabook,takingawalkoutside,orchattingwithafriend.
It’salsoimportanttoconnectwithpeoplewhoaresupportiveofyouandyourmentalhealth.Thiscouldbeatrustedfriend,familymember,oralicensedmentalhealthprofessional.Speakingtoaprofessionalcanbeespeciallyhelpful,astheycanprovideyouwithtoolsandtechniquestomanageyoursymptoms.
Finally,workoncultivatingmindfulnessinyourdailylife.Thiscanincludepracticessuchasbreathingexercises,meditation,orsimplytakingafewmomentseachdaytointentionallyfocusonthepresentmoment.Bydoingso,you’llbebetterequippedtohandlestressorsandlessentheimpactofemotionalexhaustion.
Conclusion
Feelingemotionallydrainedisacommonexperiencethatcanbecausedbyavarietyoffactors.Ifyou’renoticingsignsofdrained,begentlewithyourselfandconsidertakingstepstoalleviateyoursymptoms.Bytakingbreaks,seekingsupport,andpracticingmindfulness,youcanworktowardsfeelingmoreateaseandfulfilledinyourday-to-daylife.