When we are feeling like there are various facets of our lives that are slowly accumulating to the point that we feel overwhelmed, whether it’s workplace stress and anxiety or a nagging feeling of incompleteness, it can manifest symptoms of being overwhelmed. It could be emotional exhaustion stemming from a mid-life crisis or the daily duties of existence making you feel like there is too much to do and not enough time to do it.
The most important thing that we need to do is to rest and recover, but emotional rest and recovery might not be as simple as getting enough shut-eye. Also, the world that we live in means that we’ve got to do what we can to speed it up. So what is it that we need to really do?
Incorporate Relaxation Into Your Life
We can all feel that when we’re on the go, we can’t relax until everything is done. But this means that cumulative stress builds up over time, and so when there is the opportunity to rest, we can’t get into the swing of it. There are many recreational activities people use, such as having a Delta 8 disposable vape in their life, but THC is something that many people use to cope with emotional exhaustion; however, the wrong types can exacerbate the issue.
We should focus on a routine that is founded on wellness rather than a routine that’s founded on the essential duties in life. When we structure our time to incorporate moments of relaxation, deep breathing, meditation, and all of the other essential things, we can then practice unwinding regularly. But it also means that we don’t focus on the wrong things, which, very simply, are those daily duties.
Learn to Focus on the Present
Understanding the present moment is tough when we’re feeling exhausted in one way or another. We think about the past and we think about the future, but we never think about what happens right now. Learning to stay in the moment can reduce stress stemming from anticipated stresses or things that have occurred in the past.
Breathing is a powerful anchor to remain in the present moment, and there are an abundance of tools out there that will help. But one of the simplest is heart rate variability coherence breathing, which you can find at this link, and is very simply about breathing in through the nose and out through the nose for a count of 5.5 seconds each time.
Other ways of getting better at being present can include focusing on the little things you do, such as savoring your food and the feelings of your feet on the ground or the water on your body in the shower. This stopping to “smell the roses” is very useful.
Set Boundaries
If you feel there is too much to do, sometimes we need to have those physical and metaphorical boundaries by communicating our needs to either our employers or the people we care about.
When we struggle to manage a sense of emotional exhaustion, we need to feel like there is a separation between us and the stresses. When we start to do this, we’re giving ourselves permission to rest and recover.