Symptoms of Exhaustion

There are a number of signs and symptoms of Exhaustion.

At the end of a long day, or after a particularly strenuous workout, you might feel “like you are exhausted.” We often use this word, exhaustion, to communicate our feelings of extreme tiredness.  Exhaustion, however, is a specific word meant to describe a pervasive and chronic state of fatigue of the body and mind.

If you’re wondering if you might be suffering from exhaustion, see if you can relate to these top symptoms of exhaustion:

1. You’re tired for no reason: You know that if you’ve been short on a good night’s sleep and then had a busy day, you’re going to feel tired come dinnertime.  If you are deeply fatigued, however, and you’re unable to point to one specific reason for your tiredness, then your deep fatigue is typically regarded as a symptom of exhaustion.  This is a sign that there are serious imbalances within your body, and/or your mind.

2. You are struggling to keep your head above the waters of life: Occasionally, we all fall behind on our daily or weekly to-do lists.  The bills stack up, dishes need to be done, and life feels a little overwhelming.  When you’re suffering from exhaustion, however, you feel as though you might never get out from under this pile of tasks.  Life feels like a mountain you are unable to climb.  The smallest daily tasks, such as cooking a meal or getting the mail, seem impossible.  It feels as though you’re drowning in a sea of ever-increasing obligations.

3. You depend on stimulants: If coffee, tea, and soda are your constant companions to get your moving, or to keep you moving, through you day, you are likely suffering from exhaustion.  An over-reliance on these caffeinated stimulants is masking deep underlying imbalances.

4. You feel spaced out or unfocused: We live in a world where it’s becoming increasingly acceptable to be distracted from time to time.  However, if your feelings of being unable to concentrate and focus are pervasive, then you might be suffering from exhaustion.

5. Chronic low-grade illness:  When you’re exhausted, your immune system does not function at its peak levels.  Therefore, if you develop a cold, fever, or headache, and your body is in a state of exhaustion, you’ll be unable to fully recover from these illnesses quickly, and you find yourself in a state of chronic low-grade sickness.  You may not feel fully healthy, but you don’t feel deathly ill either.  Having difficulty shaking a common cold or other seasonal-type illness is a sure sign of exhaustion.

6. Inability to find joy and fun in life:  When you are exhausted, you may still want to have fun and laugh, but physically, you are unable to bring yourself to being able to.

7. Decreased sex drive:   A healthy sex life is often a sign of vitality, strength, and energy in one’s life, and the satisfaction it generates positively affects the mind and body.  However, exhaustion robs you of the motivation to pursue intimacy, and your mental well-being, and your relationships with loved one, suffer the consequences.

8. Inconsistent sleep patterns: Even though you’re deeply fatigued, you might find yourself in bed at night, staring at the ceiling or the clock, as the minutes pass and you’re unable to fall asleep… or maybe you’ve woken up in the middle of the night and have not been able to get back to sleep.  Exhaustion robs your body of its ability to rest, a most ironic situation.

9. Frequent dizziness: This symptom of exhaustion is no joking matter, as your brain is no longer receiving adequate amounts of oxygen. Recurring dizziness is a sign of underlying health imbalances that are robbing your body of its vital life force.

If you’re experiencing more than one of these symptoms of exhaustion, it’s time to get your body and mind back in balance so as to avoid serious health challenges arising.