Are You Suffering from Emotional Exhaustion? Learn How to Recognise the Signs

It’s normal to feel tired and exhausted from time to time. But feeling emotionally drained and worn out all the time is challenging to deal with. Emotional exhaustion saps energy, disrupts sleep patterns, and decreases motivation. These factors can make it difficult to overcome the extremely negative feelings when your emotions are depleted.

Knowing the signs of emotional exhaustion is the first step to resolving the underlying causes. Positive action such as getting enough rest, eating well, and plenty of exercise can help avoid feeling stuck or trapped in a situation.

This article examines the many signs of emotional exhaustion and what you can do about it.

What is Emotional Exhaustion?

Emotional exhaustion is a chronic state of feeling physically and emotionally drained. Typically, feeling exhausted emotionally is a result of chronic stress or excessive work or personal demands. Emotional exhaustion affects a person physically, causing them to feel tired all the time. Also, a person could feel emotionally depleted.

Just as chronic stress can take its toll on your health, so can emotional exhaustion. Additionally, being emotionally expended can create problems in your personal or work life. Generally, an emotionally tired person is more irritable, has difficulty concentrating, and lacks motivation.

Emotional exhaustion is one of the signs of burnout.

The Signs of Emotional Exhaustion

There are many signs of chronic exhaustion related to your emotions, physical state, and behaviour. Let’s look at how to recognise if you could be suffering from emotional exhaustion.

Emotional signs of chronic exhaustion

Being in a constant state of feeling exhausted affects your mental well-being. The journal Frontiers in Psychology reports that emotional exhaustion usually results in burnout. This emotional state leaves a person with heightened feelings of anxiety, irritability, anger, and apathy.

Other emotional signs of chronic exhaustion include the following:

• Feeling of hopelessness
• Problems concentrating
• Increased pessimism
• Sense of dread
• Lack of motivation
• Depression

Physical symptoms of emotional exhaustion

The link between chronic stress and poor health has been well-documented. A person who has exhaustive fatigue usually gets colds and flu more frequently. According to the journal BMC Family Practice, stress-related exhaustion results in a wide range of physical symptoms.

Doctors found that people experiencing exhaustion disorder typically have at least four of the following physical symptoms:

• Reduced ability to perform well under pressure
• Memory problems
• Difficulty sleeping
• Emotional irritability
• Increased physical weakness or fatigue
• Chest pain
• Gastrointestinal problems due to stress
• Dizziness

Related reading: How to avoid burnout at work.

Behavioural signs of emotional exhaustion

Emotional exhaustion causes you to act in certain ways that are out of character. Very often, family members or work colleagues are the first to notice changes in behaviour. It could be because you argue more, seem angrier, or just generally stressed out.

The journal World of Psychiatry reports that burnout and exhaustion generally result in significant behavioural changes in a person. Here are a few symptoms of emotional exhaustion that affect behaviour:

• Poor performance at work
• Increased social isolation and avoiding contact with others
• Marked inability to keep work or personal commitments
• Taking more days of work due to illness

How to Cope if You Have Signs of Emotional Exhaustion

The best way to deal with emotional exhaustion is to make positive lifestyle changes. Or course, if you’re feeling continually stressed, it may be challenging to find the motivation to develop better habits. However, with some perseverance, you can manage your symptoms once you recognise the signs of emotional exhaustion.

Here are a few handy tips on treating emotional exhaustion.

Eat healthily

Enjoying a balanced, healthy diet can help deal better with chronic stress and burnout. The best foods to enjoy are complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fresh fruit, and vegetables. This way, you will get the vitamins and minerals for a healthy body and mind. Additionally, your digestion and sleep patterns will improve, as well as your energy levels.

It is vital to do this because emotionally exhausted people usually turn to unhealthy food, leading to more fatigue.

Exercise

Regular exercise is a great way to deal with the signs of emotional exhaustion. Physical activity releases endorphins and boosts serotonin levels. These “feel good” hormones can do wonders to improve your emotional state. Additionally, exercise also helps take your mind off stress.

Sleep

Getting enough sleep is vital to help cope with the effects of exhaustion. It’s a good idea to have a good bedtime routine to get into good sleep patterns. Also, limiting caffeine and alcohol near bedtime helps you get a better night’s sleep.