Exhausted? We're about to explore 7 signs that everyday life could be undermining your health. They'll be brief. And we'd might as well start with the most obvious.
Sign #1: You're tired, exhausted, drained.
This sign is so obvious that you may have noticed it briefly, then tried to ignore it. You figure it'll go away, you'll feel better tomorrow, the sun will come out. Or you figure there's nothing to be done about it, so why bother?
But here's why it's worth your while to bother. When you feel exhausted, it means that your energy is literally draining out of your body. Life-force energy. Vitality. Aliveness.
Enhancing life-force energy brings more aliveness and vitality into your experience here. Allowing it to run down the drain simply isn't a good idea! It leaves you vulnerable to all kinds of opportunistic conditions and situations you'd surely rather avoid.
Exhaustion is a little different from fatigue. When you've worked in the garden all day, or taken the dog for a brisk walk, or completed an exercise class, then you might feel fatigued. It's a "good" tired that usually comes after physical exertion. After you've rested from fatigue, you feel refreshed.
Exhaustion doesn't resolve so easily. You're tired to the bone. Not physically tired. The kind of tired that shows up after your boss calls you on the carpet yet again, or the third of three clients doesn't show up for a scheduled appointment, or you find out your spouse is cheating on you. Or maybe all those events happen in one big shot.
Exhaustion, simply put, is a sign that something isn't going well in your life. Maybe several things. Had you been feeling more resilient, you could have handled this one little thing. But today, you're not.
Exhaustion can sneak up on you. You "think" you're managing, until the one last little straw comes along to topple the whole load. Unfortunately, at that point, it may seem like you're too exhausted to do anything about it.
Knowing that exhaustion is generally the result of cumulative stress, it makes sense to nip as many minor stressors in the bud as you can. (Turning stress into success, which creates resilience.) And that comes through two things: awareness and the skill of managing your energy.
Readers: Think you don't have time to manage the little stuff? Well, maybe it's not about time. Maybe it's about energy. Preview the new Word Cures "Less Stress; More Time" mini-course to get the connection.
Important: If you're already signed up for the Healthy Living Update, don't sign up again on the mini-course page. On the other hand, if you're new to our community, we welcome you!
Elizabeth Eckert can help you explore how simple everyday choices create health — or undermine even the best of intentions. With a background that ranges from energy medicine to structural bodywork to developmental psychology, this "Stick-To-It Coach" has the experience to support you in creating the healthiest possible expression of — you!
Take our free Less Stress; More Time mini-course!
Comments (1)
I keep trying to figure out why I'm so tired, sleep all of the time and have no energy. Wow this article definitely hit home for me. It made me realize that I really need to sit down and make a list of what it is that bothers me because I haven't done it. These are all mini-stressors that are causing me to feel so exhausted. Elizabeth has helped me realize that if I finish what needs to be done then I can't stress over it and will feel so much better. Thanks!
Posted by Judy Klein | November 30, 2007 11:03 PM
Posted on November 30, 2007 23:03