Fatigue

Mika Hel
Mika Hel
Jul 10, 2017 · 4 min read

It is inevitable to run into fatigue at times. It can be for any number of reasons; lack of sleep, working too hard for too long, drinking too much coffee, having a fallout with a friend or your partner. It is even possible to get fatigued from watching too much television.

For me personally I find that combinations of these situations are the worst.

Let’s talk about symptoms first. There are so many things your body and mind are telling you in advance if you can just tune in.

Symptoms

1. Mood

Our mood shifts between days, it even shifts from moment to moment but if you find yourself staring with blank eyes into nothing that is a good sign you need to cut yourself some slack.

Frustration and spontaneous outburst of anger in various forms are a dead give away that you might be on your way to collapse.

Regardless of how your mood changes be mindful of how it has changed so that you can take appropriate actions to counter your fatigue.

2. Lack of Focus

I am not talking about having a hard time collecting your thoughts to follow a thin thread. I am talking about having trouble following any line of thinking for more than a few words. It feels impossible to gather yourself, get a grip or man/woman-up.

3. Dehydration

I find that when I get completely exhausted I often run to the toilette all the time. It seems like my ability to keep the liquid down is minimized.

This is just a personal observation but it has never failed. If I have a hard time keeping hydrated I know I am fatigued and that I need to deal with it.

4. Lack of balance

Your muscles might tell you if you are fatigued. Is training harder than usual? Do you have a hard time keeping your balance in some situations? That could be your body’s way of telling you that you need a reset.

5. Lack of motivation

It sort of goes hand in hand with mood but I thought it deserves to stand on its own. There seems to always be this feeling of complete lack of motivation when I get fatigued. I even loose interest in the things that I am passionate about.

First Aid

The most important thing to do when this happens is to take care of yourself. Some people have crazy high energy and extreme discipline but I am not one of them. Those types of people are probably also following their life’s purpose which I will get to in a bit.

The first aid is to do nothing. This was already an article in itself so I am just going to link to it: Productivity Hack: Do Nothingthis is a productivity hack but it works very well for taking back control over your life when you run out of gas as well. Remember that this hack is best used as a preventative measure. Allow yourself to do absolutely nothing.

Surrender

When the worst is over it is time to build up some new strength, motivation and energy. We start with doing something that we are passionate about. For me that is writing and I am writing this now because I am currently trying to build myself up from feeling fatigued. I have already taken time to do nothing.

I love writing and I love playing musical instruments and singing. Unfortunately the latter requires some more energy to be helpful as a tool for rebuilding.

When I am done writing this post I will meditate and maybe do some yoga. That should give me enough energy to pursue the music with all my heart.

I expect that as I am later playing the guitar and singing I will be opening up my heart again to the endless possibilities the universe has to offer.

How I ended up here

It was a number of contributing factors. Financial situations, having a baby in a few weeks, getting married on Friday, trying to make all of this happen while working full time, having an argument with my wife, having a shitty comment on some stuff I did at work.

It is usually not just one thing but it usually is just one big thing:

What is your purpose?

Avoiding burnout and fatigue is much easier if you are following your purpose. Don’t have one yet? That is fine, then maybe you should search for it. I’ll give you a hint, it shouldn’t be about money.

I know that I am currently not following my life’s purpose and it keeps biting me in places I don’t want to be bitten. I am exchanging the most valuable currency I have (Time) for a decent portion of something that doesn’t even matter (Money). Don’t get me wrong, money has its uses but when the money doesn’t come from following your purpose it is worth very little. There is a very different exchange rate for exchanging time for money you get following your passion and exchanging time for money you get from following someone else’s passion.

I strongly recommend to read this very provocative article by Gary Vaynerchuck.

Stay tuned for an article about purpose.

The Ascent

A community of storytellers documenting the journey to happiness & fulfillment.

Mika Hel

Written by

Mika Hel

Mika writes software that matters. His music comes from the heart and his lyrics from his own experience. He often publishes his ramblings too fast to Medium.

The Ascent

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