Fighting Exhaustion and Fatigue

It is difficult finding the energy to do a high performance job, but what if the job itself leaves you exhausted every night and weekend leaving no time for any personal fulfillment or activities? Personally, I find this one of the biggest challenges of having both a chronic illness and doing a high performance job.

Working in journalism over the years, I have regularly worked odd shifts, piled up overtime and been on a schedule that was less than consistent. Currently, I’m at a job where I’m on call 24/7, work with employees spanning 5 time zones, and put in 60+ hours on a regular basis. If it sounds challenging – let me tell you it is.

I also know there are lawyers and doctors who regularly need to bill 70-80 hours a week in order to successfully run a busy practice. There are also people who work in factories at all hours of the morning – so I’m not the only one out there dealing with this problem. I can tell you from experience that giving 95 per cent of your energies to your job and only leaving a pitiful 5 per cent for yourself is a sure way to eventually hate your job and ruin your health.

So how do we tackle this difficult problem? The first thing is make sure we’re doing everything we possibly can to maximize our energy. It’s easy to feel there’s nothing we can do about fatigue and let it go, but there are many things we can try and some – or all of them – may eventually make a difference.

Fatigue can be caused by a number of factors. Working too many hours may not help, but there may also be other reasons you are feeling tired. Make sure things like blood sugar, iron, and vitamin levels are okay.

B12 injections can make a dramatic improvement

Many people get B12 shots to improve energy and for those with certain illnesses it’s a must. Many medications also have an impact on your energy levels or ability to sleep. Changing the time of day you take them could help.

Depression can also be a cause of fatigue. Dealing with the stress of work, plus the stress of being sick at the same time can leave us vulnerable to this. If you add in the effect that common medications such as prednisone can have on brain chemistry, depression is something to ask your doctor about.

The main thing is not to be complacent about fatigue. I went over three years where I slept less than four hours a night. My body and mind seemed to be constantly humming and I couldn’t shut them off. I thought it was an unavoidable part of my chronic illness until a doctor noticed the goiter on my neck and I was diagnosed with a hyper-active thyroid.  Shortly afterwards they gave me some radioactive iodine therapy  and it cured the problem. If only I had checked it out sooner I would have spared myself years of grief.

A good night’s rest is crucial to all of us. Sleep is not only when our body repairs itself, it is also when our mind relaxes, rejuvenates and solves problems (ever had a difficult issue to deal with, slept on it, and found the problem solved itself in the morning? It works).

I deliberately avoided taking sleeping pills for the first 40 years of my life. Why? I was worried about getting addicted or being a zombie throughout the day and not being able to do my work.  I have changed my mind about this. Being without sleep put so much stress on my body that I’m not sure how many years of my life I have taken off of it. My doctor feels the benefits of proper sleep outweigh any of the risks that come with taking a pill. I now agree with him. What is best for you is up to you and your doctor to decide.

When you’re putting all your energy into a job, it means you’re neglecting your family.  It means your coming home dead – both physically and emotionally. Ask yourself a few questions: Do you laugh with your spouse and your kids every day? Do you have fun with them? Do you actively listen when they talk to you, or are you constantly thinking about the next deadline or work-project?  If you’re honest with yourself you’ll be able to answer these questions pretty quickly.

If you are single, being exhausted means you aren’t putting any time into finding a soul-mate. It doesn’t matter if you’re not looking for a wife or husband right now, but it does help you to have someone you can share your experiences with. Maybe it’s someone in the same relationship headspace as yourself – not looking for a long-term commitment but willing to get together on a regular basis to hash out the week, discuss favorite interests and provide a physical diversion.

My spouse is extremely forgiving of my illness and my work. She’s dealt with many years of me getting up each morning achy, nauseated, disoriented and easily frustrated. She’s also endured many evenings where I’ve come home late and then did nothing but complain about work or zone-out in front of the computer. Her capacity to ignore my outbursts of random frustration at the world and laugh at me when I take myself too seriously has been the mechanism that has helped our relationship survive. Still, if negativity and neglect was all I brought to the relationship it wouldn’t last. I constantly remind myself how wonderful she is and consistently let her know how much I appreciate everything she does. I also try to keep things lighthearted by laughing at myself and some of the frustrating situations I end up involved in.

Nothing beats spending time with those closest to you. Time is limited, and that’s why it’s so precious. Make sure you spend it on those people you value the most. Actively participate in something they like and have them do the same to you. Sometimes the best moments are watching our loved ones doing something they enjoy.  Don’t deprive yourself or your family of those special times.

In addition to spending time with your family, make sure to keep some of your energy to see friends as well. Old friends in particular have a way of keeping us grounded. They may have known us when we were eating paste in kindergarten or making awkward advances to the opposite sex in high school. They’re not intimidated by us and tell us like it is.

There have been many times that I have forced myself to go to a party or event even though I was tired. Some times, I’d go and feel awkward, have a few stilted conversations with people in my exhausted state and leave. Other times, I found that being around others gave me more energy. I enjoyed myself and felt more invigorated than I did when I started. That doesn’t mean you should feel pressured to say yes to every social invitation, but give it a try once in a while and see how it feels.

We’re so wrapped up in our digital, virtual worlds that we forget that humans are animals who evolved, like all other animals, in a state of nature.  Recent studies on the keys to happiness suggest that people who regularly spend time in nature tend to be happier and more relaxed than those who don’t.  You may find a walk in the park a few times a week a way to get some of your energy back and put the world in perspective.

Tagged as: excercise, exhausted, family, fatigue, friends, sleep, sleeping pills, tired