Stop speaking to yourself like this
When we’re feeling constantly exhausted and have no idea why, it’s really easy to let the inner critic get the best of us. Things like “how can I be tired when I’ve done nothing today” or “why do I always feel tired and depressed” are just the beginning of the rabbit hole.
In any situation, my first point is to always practice self-compassion. Through self-compassion and awareness we can look at our habits and delve deeper. We can figure out why we struggle to stop being lazy & depressed, or tired and unmotivated and see what we can do to help us get going again.
So before you get started remember to be gentle with yourself in the process. The fact you’re here, reading this means you’re practicing self-awareness which is the most important part to creating any change in your life.
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How much time are you giving others vs yourself
When you feel tired from doing nothing, it’s worth reflecting on whether it’s “nothing” you’ve actually done. For example, I came back from a holiday recently where I would’ve considered myself doing “nothing” yet I came back exhausted.
Upon reflecting on why I was feeling constantly exhausted after just being on holiday, I realized that despite being on holiday, I was still giving a lot of time to others. This didn’t change when I got back. I spent the rest of the weekend with family and friends despite feeling like I had no energy, I kept going. I gave myself no rest and did nothing for myself.
To help stop feeling lazy & depressed or tired and unmotivated, it’s worth looking at how much time you give others vs yourself. When we give time to ourselves and practice self love, we’re practicing a deep type of rest. By sitting and reading a book, taking a walk, or even taking ourselves to our favorite café it’s a different type of rest. We’re giving ourselves time to do the things we love. Even though we’re not physically resting, we’re allowing emotional and spiritual rest by giving ourselves time and space to do things for ourselves.
This has helped me to stop feeling constantly exhausted. I realised that feeling lazy and tired can also be doing too much for others and not enough for myself.
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What are you doing in that time?
When we’re trying to figure out how to stop being lazy and depressed we need to think about what we’re doing in our times of rest. I was always tired. I used to be tired from doing nothing and then I used to wonder why.
When we spend all of our rest time watching Netflix or TV it can mean we’re actually avoiding doing the things that nourish the soul. It’s really easy to get caught up in a mind numbing movie instead of reading a book or getting outside. However how we feel is usually linked to what we do.
If we practice rest time by also making sure we get in things that we love to do, we’ll feel a lot better. For me, resting is also reading, walking outside or getting in the sun for a bit. If I spend some time doing that as well as watching my favorite shows, I genuinely feel good.
What are you doing in your time of rest? What things can you do to help you feel not only physically rested but mentally and emotionally as well?
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Don’t feel guilty for needing time
Our society is built on the idea that sleep = rest. We’re rarely encouraged to slow down. Instead we’re encouraged to hustle, to work hard and to keep going no matter what.
Our bodies are not built to keep going consistently without rest. If they were, we wouldn’t feel this way! A big point of feeling is exhausted is never resting properly because we spend our time feeling guilty that we’re resting.
If you’re stuck feeling guilty, remember that when we rest we actually put ourselves in a better space mentally, physically and emotionally not just for ourselves but for our loved ones.
A lack of rest and constantly pushing ourselves can lead to deep resentment and frustration that is easily taken out on ourselves and the people that surround us.
Some of our most rewarding reflection and work can come during or after rest.
Listen to your body and don’t push it
No matter how physically tired my body felt when I got back after the holiday, I didn’t stop. This is something we all do. We push our bodies even when we feel or see signs of physical illness.
Often, when we run ourselves into the ground we get sick or manifest other physical ailments. This is our body telling us to stop.
If you’re feeling constantly exhausted, listen to your body and take a rest. Again this might not mean lying on the couch, it could mean anything that defines rest for you. Our bodies have the beautiful capability of telling us things if we stop and listen to it without feeling guilty.
Do you feel like you deserve the break?
Often pushing ourselves and exhaustion comes from a lack of belief that we deserve the break. The inner critic tells us to keep going, to hustle, to work harder. Our lack of rest comes from a lack mindset. Whether we feel we don’t deserve the time or we are too hard on ourselves, it’s usually the beliefs we have behind us that can cause exhaustion.
I know I tell myself to work harder, keep going and feel like I only deserve the break when I see some level of success. I’ve had to delve into my beliefs and see why I think this way and how it holds me back from resting and working in a better, more productive way.
Think about the beliefs you have behind all the feelings you have and see how that is linked to your feelings of not being able to stop being lazy & depressed.
