People who suffer from anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, may feel tired more often than those who do not suffer from this mental health condition. There are various reasons why someone with anxiety is likely to feel more tired – sometimes to the point of complete exhaustion or burnout. Exhaustion caused by anxiety can be felt physically and mentally and can lead to worse anxiety or other health conditions.
Here are some common reasons why anxiety can make you feel so tired and some of the steps you can consider in order to improve anxiety and fatigue in Clearwater and Pinellas County.
Your mind works overtime worrying
When you suffer from anxiety, your mind typically spends a lot of time worrying about things that are extremely unlikely to happen – and in most cases, don’t happen at all. Spending hours throughout the week worrying about various things that might go wrong is undoubtedly going to make a person feel more exhausted.
In addition to worrying about things that never happen, people with anxiety may worry a lot about how to react or respond when something does go wrong. Even small things can start to feel like big problems that require a huge amount of time and effort to fix. In many cases, these incidents can be rectified quickly or simply, but people with anxiety may catastrophize the situation and spend time worrying further about what to do next.
It knocks your confidence
Anxiety can result in decreasing levels of confidence in yourself, particularly if you find yourself in difficult situations and begin to worry about what to do next. It can also make you take things personally a lot of the time, which can result in feeling like people don’t like you or as though you cannot do anything right. These feelings can lead to questioning yourself and your abilities, wondering about why your friends or colleagues have made certain decisions, and feeling stressed about whether people like you or want to spend time with you. These worries are often unfounded, but anxiety can trigger many unhelpful thoughts that damage self-esteem and ultimately leave anxious people feeling exhausted.
Anxiety can affect your sleep
Anxiety can impact your sleep, which can leave you feeling physically tired and exhausted. Good quality sleep is an important factor in combatting the symptoms of anxiety, so failing to get enough sleep each night can make anxiety worse and create a vicious cycle. When you don’t get enough sleep and wake up feeling tired, it can be even more challenging to get through the day ahead.
How to combat symptoms of anxiety
You can take certain steps that can help to combat the symptoms of anxiety and reduce the risk of feeling exhausted.
Regular physical exercise and relaxing practices such as meditation and yoga are some of the best things you can do in order to combat symptoms of anxiety. Making time for yourself to do these activities is an important part of looking after yourself.
Speaking to somebody who can listen and understand your concerns may also help you to overcome anxiety disorders. Investing time to speak with a qualified counselor can give you the opportunity to talk through anything that is making you feel worried and get some valuable advice about other strategies that might work for you.
Getting help with anxiety
In Clearwater and Pinellas County, you can find professional help with anxiety at Advantage Mental Health Center. No matter how anxiety is affecting your health and making you feel exhausted, there are always steps you can take to find a listening and compassionate ear.
Picture Credit: Crello