Extreme Anxiety Fatigue: What Is It?

The feeling of tiredness is one of the most frequent, but also one of the most ambiguous. Fatigue, listlessness, and a lack of energy are so normalized that we usually don’t even bother to find the source of the discomfort. And the fact is that there are so many situations and pathologies that can give rise to this manifestation that it is difficult to identify its origin. However, extreme anxiety fatigue is more common than we think.

This goes beyond simple physical exhaustion; It also includes mental wear and tear that impedes or greatly hinders our daily functioning. Getting out of bed, participating in social gatherings, or even practicing our favorite hobbies can feel like a world when tiredness is present. However, although we generally associate it with depression and other similar affective disorders, stress and anxiety can also be the cause.

What is extreme anxiety fatigue?

Extreme anxiety fatigue is a subjective feeling that can generate both physical and psychological symptoms. As a rule, it manifests itself as exhaustion and lack of strength, but also as reluctance, apathy and discouragement. These sensations last over time and are present even when the person rests for enough hours.

Beyond being a personal discomfort, this condition leaves its mark on the day to day, affecting our cognitive, affective, motor and social processes. For this reason, performing adequately in this state or with this feeling is difficult. Some of the more common manifestations include the following:

• Lack of concentration and difficulties in maintaining sustained attention.
• Memory problems may appear .
• Irritability, restlessness and inner restlessness.

• Lack of interest in participating in social and recreational activities, rest is prioritized even if it is not restorative.
• Abulia .

Why is it produced?

To understand how anxiety works, we can make a simile with a burglar alarm installed in the home. This in itself is necessary, it fulfills an important function: to warn of a danger and to mobilize us to take action. However, if it breaks down and the thunderous sound does not stop for hours, days or months, not only will it be incredibly annoying but it will make it very difficult to lead a normal life inside that house.

The same thing happens with anxiety. The physiological activation that is triggered in the body is vital when we are faced with a real and specific danger; but, when activated for long periods of time or in innocuous situations, it is truly harmful.

And is that the human body is not designed to sustain continuous alert states, to deal for long periods with increased heart and respiratory rates, with muscle tension and with high levels of cortisol. For the same reason, fatigue arises due to activity derived from sustained psychological tension.

How to identify if you suffer from extreme anxiety fatigue?

If you suspect that you may suffer from extreme anxiety fatigue, here are some signs that can help you determine if this is the case.

There are no objective physical causes that account for the discomfort

The main characteristic of extreme anxiety fatigue is that it occurs even when there are no physical reasons to support it. That is, the person does not perform strenuous physical activity or sleep fewer hours than necessary. If so, the fatigue would probably be due to these causes.

In addition, rest is not restorative : lying on the sofa or taking a nap or a night are not actions that are useful to reduce discomfort. And it is that its origin is a different one.

You suffer from sleep disturbances

Sleep is one of the first indicators that something is wrong with our mental health. Anxiety can make it difficult for you to fall asleep or make it restless or fragmented. Frequent awakenings are common and worries tend to crowd the mind when trying to rest.

Presenting this type of alterations will make fatigue more pronounced and the consequences during the day more visible.

You suffer from muscle aches

Psychological tension usually manifests itself on a physical level as well. For this reason, many of the people who suffer from extreme anxiety fatigue also suffer from bruxism, back pain or frequent contractures.

You feel overwhelmed

The emotional exhaustion suffered by those who suffer from extreme anxiety fatigue is due to the fact that the person is in constant conflict with himself or with his life situation. Work or personal stress, dissatisfaction, frustration and the desire to change current conditions without achieving it exert great wear and tear that ends up taking its toll.

Fighting extreme anxiety fatigue is possible

If you have felt identified with the previous statements, it is time for you to make some changes. Maintaining states of anxiety can be very harmful to your health.

For this reason, if you want to reduce the fatigue you feel, it may not be enough to spend time resting or increase the hours of sleep (although a good night’s rest is essential); In addition, it is important that you reduce the load of tasks in your life or the way you deal with them.

It is not always possible to reduce work responsibilities, but perhaps we can delegate a part to our team; We could apply the same rule for the home. Learning to regulate anxiety is also essential; counting and using certain resources can make the same daily routine lighter and more bearable.

In this regard, you can start in the practice of meditation, take a training in relaxation techniques or learn to restructure your thoughts.

There are trained professionals to help you achieve this change in perspective and train you in the use of these techniques that can be extremely useful in your day-to-day life. Don’t hesitate to seek help if extreme anxiety fatigue is affecting your life.