The 7 Most Common Types of Fatigue (and How to Fight Them)
Fatigue seems to be the word that best describes us as a society today. whether due to the immediate pace of social media, cultural or political conflicts, or emotional issues, the fact is that we feel less and less motivated to have valuable exchanges, do the things we love, or simply exist.
And this exhaustion can manifest itself in several ways: emotional, mental or spiritual exhaustion, and in more intense cases, existential. Complicated, huh? But don’t worry, there are ways to combat all kinds of fatigue in the modern world.
Next, the psychologist, the sexologist and the lecturer Barbara Meneses explains what they are the most common types of fatigue and how to get around them.
1. Mental exhaustion
The first and most common is that mental fatigue. In it, we experience noticeable changes in common habits such as eating and sleeping. The psychologist explains that at first such changes may seem to be of physical origin. However, when accompanied by poor memory, poor concentration and irritabilitythe possibility that we feel mental fatigue is high.
“Our relationships are affected the most when we experience this type of fatigue. During my daily practice in the office, I realize that the most common reasons are related to financial, social and professional issues,” he notes.
For a professional though the age of intolerance we live in is primarily responsible for draining us so much“We live with religious, racial, sexual and political intolerance every day. Even pleasant objects like football become motives for attack. Rest, which should be pleasant, has become a stress factor. We should stop thinking that what is different is bad,” he says.
2. Emotional exhaustion
Different from mental fatigue which is associated with thoughts emotional is about feelings. Meneses explains that when we’re stuck with emotions like anger, sadness, and anxiety, we tend to enter a state of exhaustion. “Sometimes it causes so much stress that we have flare-ups,” she warns.
In case of this type of fatigue, the best advice is not to suppress your own sensations. “Communicate with fatigue, recognize it’s there. Feeling emotions as they arise is important. Did something sad happen? So be sad, then resign,” he advises.
He also leaves a warning. Everything makes us angry. And then, when we remember a certain situation, we relive all that rage. We think about what we could have said or done, and that feeling wears us down,” he notes. We must definitely learn to feel what we need to feel, in order to reformulate and let it go.
3. Social media fatigue
This is a classic. you know watching laziness to feed From Instagram, Twitter and the like. According to Barbara, this desire to leave is a defense mechanism of the brain, which is increasingly consumed by the information overload of social media.
“There is a term called FOMO: [Fear of Missing Out], which represents our fear of not belonging, of being “out there.” It is this syndrome that keeps us in this looping networks, causing absurd mental fatigue,” he says.
In addition to emotional changes, Barbara Meneses says FOMO causes chemical changes in the brain. “We live in a time when everything is fast and superficial. Information is urgent, life moves fast. The feeling is that if we switch off a bit, we won’t belong. And this fear is a very basic thing in humans, because we need to belong to something.”
However, it is possible to bypass these mind traps. Instead of scrolling through any platform, read a book, meditate, or just interact with the people around you. “This way of constantly updating yourself and reacting quickly is dangerous,” he warns.
4. Social fatigue
Do you know when the social battery dies? This is also a valid type of fatigue. The psychologist advises, when we find ourselves in such a situation, when we can no longer bear to communicate with people, to leave and return home.
“We must respect each other. Now, if you’re at a business dinner or an important birthday party where you can’t go out, try breathing. Go walk in the garden, splash some water on your face, get some air. Look for distractions so you don’t just focus on individuals because that recharges us“, – advises:
And where does this sudden social fatigue come from? For Barbara, the answer is simple. “People can’t get together, let the conversations flow and talk about pleasant things. We always jump into controversial topics. But no matter how important some tariffs are, not everyone is ready to listen and talk lightly and healthily. It is this unpreparedness for dialogue that makes us the most tired of living together,” he says.
5. Sexual fatigue
And when we don’t want to know about sex? Well, sometimes it’s just laziness. But when this becomes a constant problem, it’s time to examine our affective relationships. “It could be that we’re in a toxic or exhausting relationship, and it’s taking us out of the spotlight. In these cases, we prefer to sleep, eat or use any excuse to avoid intimacy,” he explains.
There is no magic shortcut to the solution. the way is to face the cause of burnout honestly to try to turn the script around. “It may be that no one is guilty. In order to regain our sexual appetite, we often need to re-evaluate our relationship with ourselves.”
6. Mental fatigue
Spiritual fatigue occurs when we place high expectations on religion or spirituality; “It’s thinking that all our problems will be solved by God, hopefully Buddha or some other god.”
Barbara gives an example. “You know when people ask themselves: “What kind of god is this that made me get into a car accident?” What kind of god is this that made me get such a disease?’ These upheavals indicate that we look to spirituality as a shield that will protect us from everything. And it’s not.”
In order not to be cut off from any kind of spiritual belief or practice, it is best to reframe our relationship with what we consider to be divine; – suffering. Beliefs are here to motivate us.”
7. Existential fatigue
After all, this is it the most complex (and profound) fatigue, because it has to do with why we’re here. When we don’t know why we wake up every day and don’t discover the meaning of life, we talk about existential fatigue.
In these cases, finding a purpose is paramount. “I always ask my patients. ‘Is this difference positive?’ “What will you be remembered for?” We don’t need to be saints, but when we think of others, existential tedium diminishes“.
The psychologist explains that when we give something, we gain much more than the receivers. “I am not talking exclusively about money and material things. But donation is proof that we have something to offer the worldand it brings us comfort,” he shares.
Therefore, when we feel overwhelmed by the weight of existence, look for volunteer or help work. In addition, engaging in enjoyable activities is also extremely effective. “Meditate, listen to music, take a class, spend an hour doing nothing. Everything goes. We need to connect with who we are and never forget it it’s important to create moments in everyday life to do something for ourselves. This recharges our energy and frees us from all that fatigue,” he concludes.
