Why Am I So Tired?

Sometimes there’s no clear medical reason for flagging energy and dragging drive.  And sometimes the tried-and-true trio of sleep, diet, and exercise doesn’t help as much as we wish.  Savvy Psychologist Dr. Ellen Hendriksen offers 7 possibilities, some common, some not-so-obvious, for why you may be tired

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“Tired” is a slippery word. 

There’s physically tired: heavy limbs, moving through metaphorical mud, or drowsy eyes.  But there’s also emotionally tired: lack of motivation, feeling unable to deal, and the most common: “I just don’t feel like it.”


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Fatigue can be a medical issue stemming from anemia, thyroid issues, pregnancy, cardiovascular problems, or other culprits.  House Call Doctor discusses the top 9 medical causes of fatigue 

here

To round out the possibilities, we’ll look at fatigue from psychological sources.  We’ll use 3 perspectives: diagnosable disorders, exhausting situations that may be sapping your energy, and tiring states of mind.

Let’s start with two diagnosable disorders that include fatigue in their constellation of symptoms:

Tiredness Culprit #1: Depression Depression results in both physical and emotional fatigue—you not only have no energy, you also have no motivation.  Either way, it feels like both mind and body are slogging through knee-deep sludge.  Everything is an effort, perhaps even getting out of bed or taking a shower.
 


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