MENTPSYCH Meet Your Self
When your spirits are low and your body and mind are out of sync, you may not want to do anything. Everything weighs you down and exhausts you, and every task feels like a mountain to climb. Although these sentiments are common and you usually recover your motivation, a problem emerges when the feelings of discomfort persist.
Stress, for example, might significantly reduce your motivation. However, there could be other underlying physical and psychological issues that are causing you to feel as if you don’t want to do anything. In fact, such behavioral and emotional pictures are frequently accompanied with despair and unresolved trauma. Understanding what is causing you to feel this way will assist you in determining what you should do about it.
“Emotional exhaustion is often more disabling than physical exhaustion.”
Feeling like you don’t want to do anything
At some point in their lives, everyone feels as if they don’t want to do anything. It’s a common complaint, and you’ve probably heard it before. We’ll explain exactly what the experience means.
Not wanting to do anything indicates a psychophysical state that extends beyond physical tiredness to include emotional or mental exhaustion. These circumstances usually resolve themselves after a few days, if you’ve taken a break or fixed whatever was bothering you. They can, however, become persistent with time.
When a lack of motivation and feelings of discouragement and fatigue last more than two weeks, they may be symptoms of a health problem or psychological disorder. The following are characteristics that often accompany these sensations:
- Feelings of hopelessness.
- Muscle heaviness
- Irritability and bad mood.
- Difficulty reflecting.
- A tendency to procrastinate
- No enthusiasm to start the day.
- Feelings of exhaustion and lack of energy.
- Lack of initiative and motivation.
- Difficulty making decisions.
- The need to sleep more than necessary.
- A lack of interest in leisure or social activities.
- Zero performance at work or when studying.
- Anhedonia or the inability to experience pleasure.
Why do you feel like you don’t want to do anything?
When you have a lot of duties and can’t afford to stop, feeling like you don’t want to do anything becomes an issue. Work, household duties, family, and life goals all necessitate movement and action. However, your strength and support can fail at times. In these cases, you must understand what is underlying your emotions.
Health problems
Feelings of discouragement, apathy, and tiredness are common in patients suffering from thyroid disorders. An article published in the journal, Frontiers in Physiology states that some women, as a result of adverse experiences, develop alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis.
When dealing with unmotivated and fatigued patients, specialists must rule out difficulties like these. However, there are several other physiological considerations to consider. As an example:
- Migraines.
- Fibromyalgia.
- Hormonal changes.
- Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME)
- A weakened immune system.
- Insomnia and other sleep disorders.
- Poor diet and lack of nutrients.
Boredom and routine
At times, we all feel a lack of optimism, inspiration, and interesting ambitions. The brain corrodes as a result of routine and boredom. As humans, we require stimulus in our daily lives to give us the motivation to keep moving, planning, and pursuing our aspirations and goals. When these fail, feelings of annoyance and discouragement emerge.
Chronic stress
You may ignore the impact that uncontrolled and excessive stress has on your physical and emotional health at times. A study published in the journal, Future Science states that the activation of certain neuroendocrine circuits can alter multiple processes, affecting the immune system and cardiovascular health, etc.
As much as possible, try to acknowledge that these feelings of concern, tension, and misery arise infrequently and do not remain long. Try to employ appropriate coping mechanisms.
The weight of unresolved problems
When you have too many difficulties and don’t know how to cope with them, you don’t feel like accomplishing anything. Disagreements in your relationship, for example, could be combined with a lack of work or terrible working conditions. This is accompanied by dissatisfaction as a result of unrealized aspirations, a lack of time for yourself, and the looming shadow of uncertainty.
In truth, life can be overly confusing at times, and your mind will respond by telling you to stop. As a result, exhaustion is only a warning sign that you need time to ponder and make some judgments.
Exhaustion could be a symptom of depressive disorders
Tiredness and lack of motivation are two recurring characteristics of depressive disorders. Research published in the journal, Frontiers in Immunology explains that it’s common for depression to occur with an inflammatory activation of the immune system that impacts the central nervous system.
This explains why you experience heaviness, muscle aches, and weariness even after sleeping for 10 hours straight. There are other criteria that will inform you if you have a depressive disorder. As an example:
- Feelings of hopelessness.
- Low self-esteem.
- Sleep disturbances.
- Negative thoughts.
- Suicidal or autolytic ideation.
- Changes in eating patterns.
- Inability to solve problems.
- Anhedonia or inability to feel pleasure.
Unresolved trauma
Most of us have experienced trauma at some point in our lives. To name a few, it might be a loss, an emotional breakdown, an accident, an assault, or witnessing a violent event. You can usually overcome these events. You don’t forget them, but you learn to live with their memories without them becoming too burdensome.
However, some people are unable to forget, particularly if the terrible event occurred during their childhood. This is because youngsters have fewer coping resources available to them. It’s critical to understand that the neurobiological mechanics of trauma are profound and devastating, affecting both the mind and the body.
One example is highlighted in a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. It claims that childhood traumas increase the risk of developing chronic fatigue syndrome.
How to address your lack of energy and motivation
If you’ve been feeling unmotivated to do anything for a long time, the best place to start is with a medical check-up. The first step is to rule out any potential medical problems. If there are no medical factors, such as a thyroid condition, you must make some modifications to regain your energy and well-being.
To begin such a change, you must first commit to yourself. You frequently prioritize others, but now is the moment to exercise self-care. Consider the following:
- Set yourself new goals and purposes.
- Learn problem-solving techniques.
- Learn relaxation techniques and deep breathing.
- Integrate resources to manage stress into your daily routine.
- Improve your mental focus and rationalize your negative thoughts.
- Organize your routines so that you have several hours of leisure time.
- Make small changes in your life. For example, sign up for a course and meet new people.
- Enjoy art therapy. Painting and writing are wonderful cathartic exercises.
- Be aware of the activities or people that bring you more stress than well-being.
- Give yourself some rest and disconnection time. It’s time to listen to yourself, to get to know what you want in your life.
- Apply behavioral activation. Even if your mind is telling you that you don’t feel like doing anything, get moving and go for a walk. Often, when your body kicks into action, your mind changes.
If your feelings of discouragement and lack of energy don’t disappear, you must request expert help.Finally, don’t hesitate to ask for professional support if this discouraging and empty feeling is starting to blur who you are. After all, you deserve to enjoy your life and be an active person, capable of fighting for what you want to have in the life you deserve.
Thanks for reading. I hope this article helped you. <3
Source: https://exploringyourmind.com
