Do you ever feel yourself falling into a repetitive pattern of feeling off and not really knowing why? The answer to this issue is probably emotional exhaustion. Sadly, during the winter months it’s a lot more common than you’d think and with the hustle of the holidays upon us, a lot of people don’t even recognize they’re struggling.
Here are 7 signs you’re suffering from emotional exhaustion:
- You’re uber sensitive to every little thing
While you may not be overreacting to things, you may find yourself getting upset a bit more than usual. Words hurt a little more, you overthink a tad more than normal and it takes you longer to get over what has happened in the past. In addition to being sensitive, you may become more emotional throughout the day over the things that happen.
- Everyday emotions consume you
This may be one of the more noticeable signs of emotional exhaustion because almost every person experiences this at least once in their lives. Over time you notice that something so minor affects you in such a big way that it normally wouldn’t. It’s not the small inconvenience that’s the problem, it’s just the tipping point of the snowball, and with every problem it only derails us for the foreseeable future. Or at least that’s how it feels.
- You’re expressing too much or not enough emotion
Your responses are extreme; you’re either one way or the other. And neither emotion is consistent. Whether you feel yourself shutting down and becoming a barely functioning, emotionless zombie or a hysterically sobbing mess, you need to start processing your emotions in real time. However, at the moment it’s extremely difficult to process until you’re ready to work on it.
- You can feel yourself becoming on edge and afraid of being “triggered”
It’s like you know something is going to happen if you’re pushed to your breaking point and you fear what will happen when it happens. It’s as if you’re aware of the lack of emotional control you have but still know you’re ready to break. You can’t control a “trigger”, so instead you back away from everything in hopes to prevent it.
- You feel defeated
Everything may feel like a “make or break it” type of deal. While your perspective may seem overly pressured for time or overly focused on a timeline that may not be there; you also feel a great sadness when you don’t achieve that goal. That feeling of hopelessness may be overwhelming but remember your future isn’t dimmer than how you make it out to be.
- You’re struggling to find the need to move forward
Similar to the previous point and feeling hopeless, you may also find it challenging to picture how to move on in life. Mentally, you could be trying to tackle huge questions you don’t have answers for. I’ve struggled with this a lot and it’s debilitating. It’s as though if one more person asks you a question about your future or options that have been presented to you, you’re going to burst into a screaming match because it’s just so much to think about and makes you anxious.
- You’re ready for a change but don’t know what to do to achieve it
It’s frustrating feeling so low, but at the same time you feel ready for something transformative to happen. Deep down you know things haven’t been good and are ready for change. You just don’t know how to get there or what to do to kick start the process, and knowing that can be equally as debilitating to move forward from.
As challenging as it is to deal with, there are ways to slowly start working past things. Take some time alone to really work on yourself. Process your emotions in real time, acknowledge how you feel and reflect on how to properly respond to scenarios as they happen. You have the ability to control your safe place. Even journaling can help a ton! Just remember, you cannot live your life feeling like an emotional, chaotic mess; create order and check in with yourself when you feel yourself starting to slip.
Featured Photo by Olaia Irigoien on Unsplash
