Exhaustion, when it hits, takes over everything. The inbox beeps and you want to throw your phone across the room. You are tired of your apartment and cannot bear to leave the apartment. Get stuck in words: Tell your friends you’re tired, fried, or done.
How do you know if this wave of fatigue indicates a condition Burnt Or total depression? We asked experts for ways to distinguish between the two and how to relieve symptoms of both.
What is the difference between fatigue and depression?
The concept of burnout or burnout comes from workplace psychology, said Angela Neal Barnett, professor of psychology at Kent State University and author of Calm Your Nerves: A Black Woman’s Guide to Understanding and Overcoming Anxiety, Panic, and Fear. ” [Acalme seus nervos: o guia da mulher negra para entender e superar a ansiedade, o pânico e o medo, em português].
Therapists typically associate burnout with work, although researchers also study burnout. Parental depletionWhen caregivers feel chronic fatigue. Fatigue has become a widespread term in the cultural lexicon, especially during that pandemic.
On TikTok, trend “Quit smoking quietlyor doing the bare minimum at a job, has gone viral as people share stories of feeling overwhelmed by work burnout and a terrible “rush culture”.
Workers can become overwhelmed when they feel they have no control over their daily lives, and they get bogged down in the details of tasks. Exhausted people may feel tired and despise their jobs. They may resent their tasks and those of their peers.
They may also feel irritable and ineffective, as if they can’t do anything. As for people who interact with others at work, such as healthcare professionals or workers in the retail and service industries, they can begin to lose empathy, thinking of patients or clients as just another number or a chore to complete.
There are also a number of physical symptoms that can come with endless stress from exhaustion: insomnia, headaches, and digestive issues.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has included burnout in the International Classification of Diseases, and its Diagnostic Manual, describing it as an “occupational phenomenon,” not a medical condition.
The depressionHowever, it is a clinical diagnosis. People with depression often have anhedonia, an inability to enjoy activities they once enjoyed. “You could read a book that you loved and now you hate,” said Jesse Gould, a psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis.
“Or you love watching Bravo, but now it just doesn’t make you laugh anymore.” With burnout, you may not have the energy for your hobbies. Bennett, an assistant professor who studies the health effects of stress at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, says Janet M. Bennett, with depression, you may not find anything pleasurable or enjoyable.
As with fatigue, people with depression may sleep too much or too little and may have difficulty concentrating. People with depression may isolate themselves from others or feel that bathing or eating takes a lot of energy.
Depression can lead to overwhelming feelings of sadness and hopelessness. In severe cases, people may begin to believe that they are worthless or that life is not worth living. Gold and Neil Barnett said these symptoms tend to persist for at least two weeks.
The main distinguishing factor is that fatigue improves when you take time off work, said Rebecca Brendel, president of the American Psychiatric Association. When you take a vacation, or a mental health day, you at least feel a little recharged. Depression does not go away if you change your circumstances. “There is no such rebound effect,” she said. “It takes more than that.”
A complex of genetic and environmental factors can contribute to depression. People who experience a traumatic event, or go through a major life change, are more likely to develop depression, as are people who have family members who are depressed. Neil Barnett said fatigue itself can also be a risk factor for depression.
And you can experience both fatigue and depression at the same time. “Given the effects of Covid, given racism as a public health crisis in this country, it’s important to keep this mix in mind,” she said.
What to do if you think you are sold out
Taking a day off from work, if possible, can relieve your symptoms. Gould admitted that if you’ve always felt overwhelmed, you could consider a career change — easier said than done.
“Being able to say, ‘This is a bad workplace, that is, I’m quitting’ is a privilege that transcends privilege,” she said. There are also smaller ways to set limits, such as turning off notifications from work email or the Slack app at certain times.
If there’s a meeting you’ve always hated, try setting aside five or 10 minutes right afterward to do something that helps you relax, Gold suggested. “Being able to control something is preventing burnout,” she said.
You can also try to highlight the elements of your work that you think are important. Perhaps that means mentoring a younger colleague, Gold said, or offering to hand over responsibilities you don’t particularly like to a co-worker in exchange for helping them with a project you care about more.
Exercise can help relieve work-related stress, Bennett said, and can also take a few minutes to decompress — without the phone.
“If you’re sitting at a computer to work, then you’re on the phone on the go, and then you come home and watch any Netflix series you like, it’s all very motivating,” she said. Your brain needs a break to help combat stress — which means stepping away from screens, but also giving yourself a few moments of silence, alone with your thoughts, without distractions.
If you’re having a hard time dealing with burnout, consider talking to a mental health professional.
What to do if you think you are depressed
Visit a mental health professional, who can help create a plan to treat and manage your symptoms.
In the meantime, start small and simple. If you tell yourself you’re going to walk for five minutes, you might end up walking longer, Gould said.
“But when you’re stressed and sad, it’s hard to get yourself to do anything.” She said getting out of the house won’t relieve all symptoms, but any type of movement can help you feel a little better.
Write down what coping mechanisms have been helpful — call a friend or take a quick ride — and keep the list on your desk or dresser when you need it. Watch what works, Gould said. “If you don’t like Full concentration of the mindDon’t force him.”
“Do the things that really help you feel better when you feel bad.”
Translated by Luis Roberto M. Gonsalves
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