What’s wrong with me? I always feel exhausted

December 8, 2021
Griff

As a former firefighter, Griff understands that we live in a stressful world, and now as a qualified meditation expert who holds popular seminars teaching us how to love ourselves and others, he wants to help you nourish your soul. Beyond that, he’s also a nutritional and emotional guide and strongly urges everyone to seek their optimal best.

We frequently get MindEasy users asking us, well almost everything…and we love it! So we’ll do our best to answer your questions. Feel free to contact us if you want to ask Griff… anything!

Dear Griff,

What’s wrong with me? I always feel exhausted. I don’t have the mental strength to do anything and it’s as though I have a ‘brain fog’. I find it so difficult to get motivated and these negative emotions are making me feel like I lead a meaningless life. What can I do?

Arthur, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Dear Arthur,

I’m truly sorry to hear that you’re feeling like this, your mental health is obviously suffering, and it’s not uncommon for most people to feel this ‘exhaustion’ – either emotionally or physically – at some point in their lives.

Firstly, let’s ascertain that it’s not a deficiency in your vitamin intake. During these darker and colder winter months, most of us are likely seeing the sun less, which can lead to lower levels of vitamin D. It’s worth going to a doctor for a routine blood test to also check your vitamin B, magnesium and potassium intake too. Your doctor may suggest some supplements.

Diet and exercise are major factors when it comes to feeling ‘exhausted’, if you’re overeating junk food or drinking soft drinks, you’re probably not getting enough nutritional value, and your depleted energy levels could be due to lower magnesium levels. Try eating more nuts, dark chocolate or leafy greens, and cut out processed foods which are too fatty and artificially sugary.

Importantly, are you drinking enough water? Being dehydrated can often lead to feelings of lethargy. Sometimes it’s as simple as having a bottle of water constantly near you to remind yourself to hydrate. Remember coffee and tea are diuretics and will make you urinate more, so it’s good to cut down on these. Plus, their caffeine is likely to keep you unnaturally ‘wired’ and awake, especially if you need to rest.

Now exercise is a funny one – if you’re exercising too much this can lead to physical exhaustion, but by the sound of your tone, it sounds like you could do with doing some more exercise. Simple, gentle activities like walking for 15 minutes every day can help release endorphins, the feel-good hormone. Make exercise part of your daily life, and get outside of the house. There is nothing quite being out in the fresh air to help blow away tiredness.

Let’s look emotionally now. It’s hard to determine what’s causing these feelings without knowing your life story, but you may be suffering from depression which may be making you feel like you want to hide away and can’t face life. Have you recently lost your job, suffered a personal loss or are you in a difficult relationship?

In order to overcome this ‘exhaustion’, it’s essential to face any issues you’re dealing with head-on. You can make an action plan, like writing down the problem and how you’re going to solve it. A good way to help overcome emotional pain is through meditation. Try a guided meditation where a teacher will help you how to acknowledge and accept your feelings and provide you with techniques on how to deal with them.

I hope this helps,

Griff