It’s less than 10 days until Christmas day and I don’t have a present under the tree. This week the excitement of Christmas has seemed to fade a bit. I think it has to do with the hustle and bustle of the end of the year. The kids’ schools and their end-of-the-year celebrations and testing. Also, the end of the year events for their extracurricular activities. End-of-the-year work functions are in full swing too. Did we forget about the ponderosa? Large crowds unmasked individuals and no distance from one another. Everyone trying to get back to “normal,” but Omarion is like nah. This seems like a never-ending cycle. I’m over it and I’m sure you are too.
As I sit in my living room admiring the décor, the word Joy is displayed on my mantle. Joy is defined as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. What happened to my feeling of great happiness? I was just talking about the nostalgia of Christmas and now I’m moping around. How can this emotion disappear so quickly? Is it because I’m exhausted? Is tiredness an emotion? Maybe the many stresses of the holidays have me emotionally exhausted?
Emotional exhaustion is the state of feeling emotionally drained and worn out and drained due to multiple stressors building up over time. When emotionally exhausted you can display physical, emotional, and physical symptoms. These symptoms can range from anxiety, lack of motivation, to fatigue, headaches, and slow performance in duties. One way to combat emotional exhaustion is to recognize your stressors and eliminate or minimize them. Try to stay in the present moment. By doing this, you focus on the positive things happening around you. Focusing on the positive slows down the stress signals the brain produces thereby helping you become more emotionally balanced.
Other ways to reduce emotional exhaustion:
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet
- Exercise
- Get enough sleep
- Consult with mental health professional
It’s human nature to focus and zoom in on the negative aspect of things, but we don’t have to dwell in this negativity. If you’re feeling a bit Scrooge-like or emotionally drained, recenter yourself and be present in the moment. We’re all so close to that time between Christmas and New Year that we have no clue what day of the week it is, and we can do whatever we want with time restraints.
The Hygienist Twist 