Are You Exhausted?

At various times you probably find that you are exhausted. Especially when you’re dealing with stressful situations, you might feel physically or emotionally depleted.  Both of these are a normal reaction to pushing yourself mentally, physically, or dealing with difficult times, and if they are not identified and addressed, they can cause you a variety of problems. In today’s episode of Your Personal Power Pod, we talk about both physical and emotional exhaustion, what they are and how to deal with them.

We want to hear from you, whether it’s your stories about how self-esteem and personal power affect your life, or topics you’d like us to address in future episodes. 

We’d love for you to review our podcast. Do this on your streaming service or visit www.yourpersonalpowerpod.com , click Contact and drop us an email. 

You can also find us on Instagram and YouTube at Your Personal Power Pod.

Also, if you’d like to make changes in your personal or business life, spending time with a coach can make all the difference.  Sandy is offering a free consultation, so contact her at sandy@insidejobscoach.com and put COACHING in the subject line to schedule a free call.

Thank you for listening to Your Personal Power Pod.  We look forward to hearing from you.

And, until next time, find your power and change your life!

Transcript

[00:00:00] Shannon: Welcome to your personal power pod, a podcast about aligning yourself with the life you want. And here are your hosts, Sandy Abel and Shannon Young.

[00:00:20] Sandy: Shannon. 

[00:00:21] Shannon: Good morning, Sandy. Good morning. Hey. 

[00:00:22] Sandy: Are you as exhausted as I am? Good morning. 

[00:00:28] Shannon: You know what? I think, and I could be totally wrong, and maybe it's just the people I hang out with, but it feels like everybody is some level of exhausted these days. 

[00:00:37] Sandy: That's interesting, isn't it? 

[00:00:38] Shannon: And the answer is yes, I am.

[00:00:43] Sandy: So it's very appropriate that we are talking about being exhausted today. 

[00:00:50] Shannon: Yeah, it's one of those things that feels the same no matter what the cause, but there are so many different reasons to feel [00:01:00] exhausted, so many different causes. 

[00:01:01] Sandy: Yeah, and it's a normal reaction to pushing yourself mentally or physically or dealing with difficult times.

[00:01:08] Sandy: It's just how we all cope is our body might shut down or our mental capacities might get all fuzzy. So today we are looking at emotional and physical exhaustion. 

[00:01:21] Shannon: Oh, I don't tend to think about them being different. But they're really different. 

[00:01:26] Sandy: They are really different. Yeah, physical exhaustion is when your body is fatigued.

[00:01:31] Sandy: You've worked really hard. I remember years and years ago you and your dad and brother and I used to go cut firewood. 

[00:01:37] Shannon: Yes. 

[00:01:38] Sandy: Fell trees and do the whole thing because we had to be warm and we didn't have a lot of money in those days. 

[00:01:43] Shannon: Yeah. 

[00:01:44] Sandy: And at the end of the day we were physically really exhausted. You can be physically exhausted from overwork like that, or lack of sleep, or prolonged stress, emotional strain, and a wide variety of other things.

[00:01:58] Shannon: Yeah, poor nutrition [00:02:00] too. I've noticed that when I eat a lot of sugar, my body just gets sluggish and feels icky. 

[00:02:06] Sandy: Exactly. There are many causes of physical exhaustion. Like we said, intense activity, mental overload. You just have so much going on or something really emotional going on and that wears your body out as well as your emotions or just not sleeping well.

[00:02:23] Sandy: I know sometimes that's something you deal with. You have a weird work schedule, especially in the old days when you were doing news, you got off work at midnight. So I'm sure sleep was tricky for you. 

[00:02:35] Shannon: I remember when I went from working swing shift on the west coast to working the morning shift on the east coast.

[00:02:43] Shannon: And I was getting up about the time I would have gotten off work. So I was getting up at 3 a. m. east coast time, which was a complete flip flop. And it took my body six to eight months to acclimate to that. Yeah. I was always [00:03:00] exhausted. 

[00:03:00] Sandy: Yeah, you just weren't sleeping well and your body was struggling to adapt.

[00:03:04] Shannon: Well, and there was a whole lot of stress around that too. I'd moved across country. I'd left my family. I didn't know anybody. That entire time was plagued by stress and anxiety, which wears you down not just physically, but emotionally. 

[00:03:16] Sandy: Exactly. And then you probably don't eat really well because you're trying to get some energy.

[00:03:21] Sandy: So you drink a lot of coffee or you eat a lot of stuff that's bad for you. Or just 

[00:03:26] Shannon: that's easy. 

[00:03:27] Sandy: quick and easy. And that can lead to physical fatigue too. 

[00:03:31] Shannon: And if you do that long enough, it can lead to medical conditions. If you let yourself stay in that physical exhaustion for long enough, your body starts to break down.

[00:03:40] Shannon: Or if you have medical conditions already, especially things like chronic fatigue syndrome or autoimmune diseases, thyroid disorders, those things can all lead to being physically exhausted as well. 

[00:03:53] Sandy: And then there's always the lifestyle choices. If you drink too much alcohol or obviously if you drink too much caffeine, all [00:04:00] kinds of substances can disturb your sleep patterns and your overall health.

[00:04:04] Sandy: And so your body doesn't deal really well with that either. 

[00:04:07] Shannon: And ironically, those are often the habits that you engage in when you are exhausted because you think they will help you feel less exhausted. 

[00:04:15] Sandy: Exactly. And they really, it's the opposite. Physical exhaustion is tough to deal with. 

[00:04:21] Shannon: So what do we do about it?

[00:04:24] Sandy: First of all, if you're feeling physically adjusted, prioritize sleep. Set a consistent sleep schedule and create a restful environment to do that in. And then eat a well rounded diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains. and proteins to fuel your body. 

[00:04:42] Shannon: Yeah, that's really important. We forget that the quality of our physical being depends on what we put on it as well as what we do to it.

[00:04:52] Sandy: Yeah. 

[00:04:52] Shannon: So, drink a lot of water too. Often, if you're exhausted, it can be a sign of dehydration. 

[00:04:57] Sandy: Exactly. And I know some people who don't [00:05:00] drink water, they drink tea or soda or coffee or all kinds of other things and you don't get the same benefits from those things that you do from basic water. Yeah. And then it's important to figure out ways to manage your stress, do stress reducing activities like breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, or physical kinds of things.

[00:05:21] Sandy: I always talk about how much I love just taking a walk outside with the trees and the flowers and all of that physical activity can boost your energy and improve your mood. 

[00:05:32] Shannon: Everything in nature is energy, so if you can get out in it, you become part of that dynamic. 

[00:05:38] Sandy: Exactly, and it feeds you. It will feed you.

[00:05:41] Sandy: If you turn off your phone, unplug those earbuds, and just look around, It will feed you and it will really help you with your physical exhaustion. 

[00:05:51] Shannon: We've probably all been there where we think, Oh, I have this pocket of time where I don't have anything to do between X and Y. I'm just going to scroll, see what's happening in the [00:06:00] world, play games, look at emails, read the news on my phone.

[00:06:04] Shannon: And then at the end of the hour, we feel wiped. Out. 

[00:06:07] Sandy: Exactly. And if you'd taken that hour and gone outside, if you can walk, that's great, but if you can just sit, that's fine too. Just be outside without getting input into your brain from anything except nature. 

[00:06:22] Shannon: Or just be in the moment. Let your attention be here now.

[00:06:27] Shannon: Pay attention to your breath. This is all part of setting boundaries. You know, we say set boundaries with other people, learn to say no, so that you don't overcommit, but you could set boundaries with yourself too. And this is one of them. Like, Give yourself a certain amount of time that you can spend on your phone every day and then put the thing down.

[00:06:44] Shannon: Yes, definitely. Because it's stealing your life from you. Yes, 

[00:06:46] Sandy: it is. And we don't realize that. Our local school, I'm so thrilled, is looking at banning cell phones during the school day and banning them. Obviously, the kids are not thrilled. A lot of parents are quite excited, and it will make a [00:07:00] huge difference in the kids ability to learn.

[00:07:02] Sandy: And their mental health. Oh, my goodness, yes. Mental health and physical health and all that. 

[00:07:07] Shannon: Not to inject a bit of opinion here, but I agree. Yes. 

[00:07:11] Sandy: Yes. Well, we've just seen it. We've seen it change. The more cell phones became part of life, the more kids had trouble concentrating and learning in the classroom.

[00:07:22] Sandy: Yes. Yes. They need to get back to just having the teacher and the students and that's it. Anyway, we're done with that one. And you also, if you're feeling physically exhausted, seek support. Talk to your friends or family and get some feedback from them. If you're working too hard, maybe they can take some of the load for you.

[00:07:43] Shannon: Sometimes you just need the social connection, and you're exhausted because you're depressed. 

[00:07:48] Sandy: Yes. 

[00:07:49] Shannon: Loneliness can take a lot out of you. 

[00:07:51] Sandy: Exactly, and that will physically exhaust you as well as emotionally. 

[00:07:55] Shannon: Right. Reach out to people. 

[00:07:57] Sandy: Exactly. If you do these things [00:08:00] and You still feel physically exhausted.

[00:08:02] Sandy: It's important to check with your doctor because there might be some underlying health issues that are causing the exhaustion. I remember a couple of years ago, I was just beat. I couldn't do anything and I didn't know what the heck was going on. And I finally went to the doctor and he said, Oh my gosh, you've got internal bleeding.

[00:08:21] Sandy: Oh, geez. You need to go to the hospital. Oh, okay. Well, that's what's going on. 

[00:08:27] Shannon: Situation explained. 

[00:08:29] Sandy: Yes. So, physical exhaustion can also be a sign that you need to have somebody check you out. 

[00:08:35] Shannon: Yeah. Pay attention to what's going on with your body. Exactly. Be an indicator to let you know the little tweaks that you should make in your life.

[00:08:42] Sandy: Exactly. Remember that taking small, consistent steps towards better habits can really make a significant difference and help you regain your energy. 

[00:08:52] Shannon: If you're taking these steps and you're still feeling exhausted, it may be because you're emotionally exhausted. 

[00:08:57] Sandy: Right, and that's when you feel drained and [00:09:00] depleted because your feelings have taken over and are in control of how you're functioning.

[00:09:04] Sandy: That often comes from prolonged stress or overworking, personal relationships that aren't going well, financial problems, personal insecurities, social pressures, physical concerns, a whole lot of things 

[00:09:17] Shannon: can 

[00:09:17] Sandy: cause emotional exhaustion. 

[00:09:19] Shannon: There is a scene in a movie whose name I cannot remember right now, but it's a Meg Ryan movie and she is a helicopter pilot and their helicopter crashes in a war zone and it's her and her crew of men.

[00:09:32] Shannon: They are in a pretty funny. desperate situation and she starts to cry and they start making fun of her, even though she's technically their superior. And she, I'll clean it up for the podcast, but she basically says, it's just stress guys. It doesn't mean anything. 

[00:09:48] Sandy: Right. And this is how I relieve my stress.

[00:09:51] Shannon: Crying serves a purpose. 

[00:09:53] Sandy: Yes, it does. 

[00:09:54] Shannon: If you're feeling emotionally stressed, emotionally exhausted, you may be feeling [00:10:00] that chronic fatigue, the physical fatigue that we spoke about a moment ago. You may be really irritable. Your mood may be all over the place. I do this one really well. 

[00:10:11] Sandy: It's always good to be good at something, isn't it?

[00:10:15] Shannon: There are days my husband's like, and who are you this minute? Because you were crazy a minute ago. 

[00:10:21] Sandy: Oh, dear. And it's probably because you're emotionally exhausted. 

[00:10:26] Shannon: I'm pretty good about just crying and letting it out, though, much to his complete joy. 

[00:10:33] Sandy: Hey, if you let it out, I'm sure he's thrilled. And another symptom of being emotionally exhausted is having difficulty concentrating.

[00:10:42] Sandy: We've talked about the fuzzy brain before. If your emotions are taking over, you might have a sense of helplessness or hopelessness and just not be able to think. 

[00:10:51] Shannon: And this is when you stop reaching out to other people. Partially because it just feels like too much effort. 

[00:10:57] Sandy: Yes. 

[00:10:58] Shannon: But it's really important.

[00:10:59] Sandy: [00:11:00] Especially if you're an introvert. 

[00:11:01] Shannon: Yes. Where 

[00:11:02] Sandy: being with people can be exhausting anyway, even if it's all positive. So if you're emotionally exhausted, reaching out just feels overwhelming. Mm hmm. But what happens when you do the social withdrawal thing is that it just exacerbates your emotional exhaustion.

[00:11:18] Shannon: And then it makes it really hard to just function in everyday life and your relationships can suffer, your work can suffer, your overall quality of life can suffer, and often then it becomes a spiral. 

[00:11:31] Sandy: Right. And it can just go down and down and down. You'll probably end up being physically exhausted too, 

[00:11:37] Shannon: because 

[00:11:38] Sandy: emotional exhaustion, if it's left too long, can cause physical exhaustion.

[00:11:42] Shannon: So some of the causes of emotional exhaustion, it sounds like, are the same as the causes of physical exhaustion? 

[00:11:49] Sandy: Right. They're similar but different. Physical exhaustion comes a lot from really working your body. Chronic stress, continuous exposure to stressors like a demanding [00:12:00] job or personal conflicts can really drain your emotional resources.

[00:12:04] Shannon: Yeah, there's a reason that all of our presidents of this country go into office looking relatively fit and healthy and then they come out completely gray. 

[00:12:14] Sandy: That is a good point, yes, it is a very stressful job and overcommitment if you're taking on too many responsibilities, whether at work or in your personal life, can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed and then you get physically exhausted.

[00:12:29] Shannon: Lack of support. When you feel. Isolated, or like you don't have a support network, it's really easy to become emotionally exhausted. I have a superwoman of a friend who's a single mom who is often here. She's a mom of two kids, she has a full time job, and she just would like a little help. She is in that place where she's trying to find support where she can't.

[00:12:53] Sandy: Yes, right. Exactly. And that can really cause a lot of physical and emotional exhaustion. And then [00:13:00] life transitions, we've all go through changes. We all go through transitions like moving, changing jobs, relationship changes can really be emotionally taxing. 

[00:13:10] Shannon: Often, that has to do with the grief that comes with these kinds of situations.

[00:13:14] Sandy: Exactly. And exhaustion is a part of grief. Yes. The whole grief loss process, we have talked about that, and it's important to be aware of it. So, if you're going through it, you have to take extra care of yourself. 

[00:13:25] Shannon: Yes. Which also means cutting yourself some slack and giving up on the idea of being perfect.

[00:13:30] Sandy: There is no such thing. When you set excessively high standards, you can create a relentless cycle of stress and disappointment. You're never happy with yourself or anything else. And as you just spiral down, it's just terrible. 

[00:13:42] Shannon: And then unresolved trauma. And we all have some degree of trauma from something.

[00:13:47] Shannon: I don't think you get through this life without it. But if you don't fully process it, it just becomes baggage that you haul around. And that's really emotionally taxing. 

[00:13:57] Sandy: Very much so. You're welcome. I remember I [00:14:00] was talking to a woman, I think we talked about this before, was talking about a particular situation and she said, I have a lot of baggage to unpack about that.

[00:14:07] Sandy: And I thought that was a wonderful way to put it because she doesn't want to haul it around, it will exhaust her. 

[00:14:13] Shannon: So 

[00:14:13] Sandy: she is going to unpack that baggage and that's a great way to put it. 

[00:14:17] Shannon: I used to have a really hard time falling asleep at night. And it was because I was just thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking.

[00:14:23] Shannon: When things were stressing me out, I would just like grasp onto them tightly all night long. Until one night I heard this voice in my head that was like, why are you holding on so tightly to these things? Do you think they're going away? Because they're not going away. You're going to wake up tomorrow and they're still going to be there.

[00:14:39] Sandy: So put 

[00:14:40] Shannon: them down. You know where to find them. If you need to pick them back up again tomorrow, you can, but you don't have to grab onto them and drag them around with you all night long. 

[00:14:51] Sandy: That is great. And then are you able to sleep now? 

[00:14:54] Shannon: Uh, no, but for different reasons. [00:15:00] It worked for a good few years.

[00:15:02] Shannon: Let's put it that way. I don't have that problem anymore. I'm much better at compartmentalizing so that I don't have to carry everything with me all day through everything. 

[00:15:14] Sandy: That is excellent. I'm really glad. And I've learned that if there are things that I'm carrying, especially when I go to bed, I just write them down.

[00:15:21] Sandy: I'm reassured that I will remember them in the morning because I will see the note. Oh yeah, I need to deal with that. I don't have to keep it all night. 

[00:15:28] Shannon: Yeah. 

[00:15:29] Sandy: Sometimes just writing things down can really help. 

[00:15:32] Shannon: What else do we do? 

[00:15:33] Sandy: Identify what you're feeling and why, and what's causing you the stress, and then address and try to resolve it if possible.

[00:15:40] Shannon: This step feels really easy to you and me, because we are all about emotions, folks. 

[00:15:48] Sandy: Have you noticed that? 

[00:15:49] Shannon: Have you noticed? I speak for both of us when I say we go through life feeling because what you're feeling is a good indicator of what's going on for you and you can't fix what's going on for you or like move forward through life [00:16:00] unless you know that feelings are a really foreign thing to a lot of people, especially if they've grown up in a family that doesn't do emotions.

[00:16:09] Sandy: That is true. 

[00:16:10] Shannon: My friend, my very same supermom friend who is raising two daughters and trying to teach them to be emotionally aware, discovered this amazing pillow that no, we're not getting any kickback from this little ad we're doing here. But if you are having trouble identifying your emotions, I would say Google the feeling wheel.

[00:16:29] Shannon: Or buy yourself a feeling wheel pillow. What is that? It's like a color wheel, only it labels dozens and dozens and dozens of different kinds of emotions. 

[00:16:38] Sandy: Oh, so you can identify. 

[00:16:40] Shannon: Yeah. It's super cool. I remember our local hospital put out a magnet that said like, what are you feeling? And I think it was for cancer patients and their families, and it identified like nine or 10 different feelings.

[00:16:51] Shannon: And I had it on the fridge for a really long time and it was really helpful. This feeling wheel. has so many more emotions on it. And if you're having trouble identifying [00:17:00] what's going on with you, having that kind of resource can be indispensable. 

[00:17:04] Sandy: All human beings feel on some level, but a lot of people identify like four or five happy, sad, angry, peaceful.

[00:17:12] Sandy: They really don't get into all the feelings that are going on for them. They don't identify them. They don't know how to identify them. So that sounds like a great idea. 

[00:17:20] Shannon: It's pretty cool. There are lots of resources out there and you can just get yourself a cheat sheet. 

[00:17:27] Sandy: And then learn how to set boundaries, say no to anything that is going to add to your stress and.

[00:17:32] Sandy: Protect your time and energy. 

[00:17:34] Shannon: Yeah. And that means boundaries with yourself too. Oh, put down the fork. Stop eating the cake. Put it in the trash and go outside. 

[00:17:42] Sandy: That's called discipline. 

[00:17:44] Shannon: Well, isn't discipline just boundaries with yourself? 

[00:17:47] Sandy: Yes, it is. That's what it is. 

[00:17:48] Shannon: And then if you're having trouble with any of that, again, seek support.

[00:17:52] Shannon: Don't hesitate to reach out to your friends and family, or if you need to, a professional. And the thing about talking about feelings [00:18:00] is that it gets them out. If you're just spiraling in a whirlpool of ick, talking about it can break that cycle and get you out of the whirlpool. 

[00:18:09] Sandy: There's always the mindfulness and relaxation techniques, breathing, yoga, meditation, those kinds of things.

[00:18:16] Sandy: Those really work for some people. And limit your screen time. News, your TV, your phone, all of that. Take breaks from social media, and it will help you reduce your physical and emotional exhaustion. 

[00:18:30] Shannon: Stop paying attention to the news. Check in, figure out what you need to know today in order to function as a responsible citizen, and then stop.

[00:18:38] Shannon: If you're really involved in a cause, that's fine, but just doom scrolling is so bad for you. It sounds like we work for the anti phone lobby, doesn't it? It's just that we weren't designed to take in as much information as we take in every day. 

[00:18:53] Sandy: Exactly. And it's just physically and emotionally exhausting.

[00:18:56] Shannon: Yeah. 

[00:18:57] Sandy: So the bottom line is, at various times, [00:19:00] we all feel physically and emotionally exhausted. It's a serious but often overlooked aspect of your physical and mental health. And it's important to understand that this is normal and you can deal with it by identifying its causes and implementing effective coping strategies.

[00:19:16] Sandy: When you do this, you'll work towards reclaiming your personal power and physical and emotional well being. 

[00:19:22] Shannon: This is really cool because when you learn to pay attention to what's going on with you, it's really powerful. 

[00:19:28] Sandy: Yes. Very powerful. 

[00:19:30] Shannon: We don't often have a whole lot of curiosity about what's going on with ourselves.

[00:19:36] Shannon: It will make you feel so empowered. 

[00:19:39] Sandy: Yes. And that's what we are all about. Your personal power, empowering yourself and being the best that you can be so you can live a happy, healthy life. That's what it's all about. 

[00:19:50] Shannon: Thanks, Mama. Thanks for teaching us how to be in touch with our emotions. 

[00:19:55] Sandy: And thank you, Shannon, for doing the same.

[00:19:57] Sandy: And to our listeners, many thanks. [00:20:00] We would love to hear from you about your thoughts on all of these things or anything else you want to share. 

[00:20:06] Shannon: Especially if you have ideas for future podcasts, we really want to talk about the issues that we have. concern you, send those to us as well as your stories.

[00:20:15] Shannon: And you can do that at yourpersonalpowerpod. com. Just click contact and drop us an email. And if you want to share any of these topics, podcasts, stories with your family and friends, please do. You can do that by subscribing to our YouTube channel. Also anywhere you stream that works too. And if you want to learn about.

[00:20:34] Shannon: Coaching and get help directly from Sandy, who is amazing. You can contact her directly at sandy at insidejobscoach. com. We look forward to hearing from you and until next time, find your power and change your [00:21:00] life.