Here are 4 tell-tale signs of emotional exhaustion. How many do you have?

No one can deny that modern life is rather stressful. To add to this, the coronavirus pandemic has turned everyone’s life upside down. No one knows what will happen next, the economy is failing, and we are forced to stay away from our loved ones due to social distancing. We might have put up a brave face in the beginning but the level of stress has definitely gone up with each passing month.

We all suffer from stressful phases in life but prolonged stress can end up causing grave harm to our mental health. One symptom of severe stress is emotional exhaustion. People who experience it might find it hard to even get out of bed. Hence, it is important to keep a check on our emotional health and manage stress.

Here are four signs that point towards emotional exhaustion:

1. Fatigue

We aren’t talking about the tiredness you feel at the end of a day full of tasks. When you’re emotionally exhausted, you tend to feel fatigued even if you’ve slept for a good eight hours. It is the sort of tiredness that you cannot shake off with just a cup of coffee or your favourite motivational song. This might reflect in your work given that you might not feel physically up to completing your tasks for the day due to the fatigue.

2. Lack of motivation

All of us have been through days when we don’t feel like working. However, we also are in touch with the realisation that, be it personal or professional, tasks need to be completed in order for life to function smoothly. Hence, we power through.

In the case of emotional exhaustion, there’s absolutely no motivation for days on end. This period might stretch for weeks or months. Due to this lack of motivation, we might even end up with piled up work that we just haven’t found the energy to complete.

3. Unexplained anger or frustration

Feeling anger or frustration due to certain circumstances is totally normal. But, if you’ve been feeling anger or frustration without any event that elicits such a response, you need to step back and evaluate your emotional health. It isn’t healthy to feel such negative emotions without any triggers. Moreover, it might end up with you coming out at a loved one or a colleague, causing irreparable damage.

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4. Reduced focus

One of the key factors we need to succeed in life is sustained focus and a good concentration level. Working on your goals with focus each day ultimately results in you attaining what you want. However, being emotionally exhausted can affect our mind in a way that we’re not able to concentrate on things.

You might feel absent-minded and experience confusion, resulting in reduced concentration on the tasks at hand. In fact, this reduced focus might add to your frustration.

If you can identify these symptoms, it is best that you seek healthy ways of managing stress. Reach out to friends or family. If need be, don’t be shy to seek out professional help. Emotional exhaustion can be dealt with as long as you’re ready to do so.