Burnout? Brain fog? Just crazy?

[SadUnicorn]

Hi everyone, 

I've been struggling with life for the last 12 months. There has been a lot happening in my life, but I feel like I should be getting "better", but instead I feel worse. For context I am diagnosed with ADHD (medicated) and take anti depressants. 

I have developed a bad attitude and I feel terrible about it. For example I have lost interest in my job to the point I'll do my hobbies during my working hours and not seem to care about the consequences.

I love my family and friends, but I don't want to do any social activities or respond to their messages. It's not because I don't care it's because I feel so tired and have zero interest in leaving my space. I used to respond with enthusiasm, but now it's usually one word answers so they know I haven't been abducted by aliens. 

I have a wonderful partner who I adore and I feel awful because I barely see them. It's because I feel so exhausted and overwhelmed. 

I seem to be struggling with focus and attention. I used to be able to comprehend complex tasks, but now I find it difficult and overwhelming. My short term memory is terrible and I feel like I can't understand basic things anymore. I have to really really focus before my brain will go "okay, we can do this". 

Do I have early on set dementia? 

What is wrong with me? Will I ever feel like myself again? I feel incredibly sad and vulnerable sharing this post. 

I have spoken to my psychiatrist about this and she says it sounds like burn out from stress, but I don't know if I agree.  I am aware that I should be eating better, following a sleep schedule, doing exercise, social things, seeing a psych, doctor etc etc. The thing is I have done these and I still feel the same. My mind knows what I should be doing, but I just don't care enough to do them or I don't have the energy.

[sbella02]

SadUnicorn,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your story with us. We're glad to have you on the forums with us, welcome.

Regardless of whether or not it's burnout you're struggling with, there seem to be several main aspects that you've mentioned here: 

• Attitude and outlook
• Relationships with others
• Focus and attention

If we start with attitude and outlook on life, you may find improvements in these other areas of your life too. And the more you start to see improvement, it may increase your motivation to keep going and your mood may start to shift. 

I've fallen into this trap so many times where I start to view the world, others, or myself negatively, and the more negative my view becomes of one of these elements, the more negative it will become towards everything else.

You may want to start looking deeper into these attitudes in order to change the way that you feel about things. I've been journalling since high school for instance, and it can really help me understand my attitudes towards things if I feel like I'm losing myself or losing interest in things that I used to like. Expressing gratitude for things in a journal can also help ground you and give you greater perspective, which can help to change your mindset. 

Another thing I like to do if I feel myself slipping into a negative mindset is challenge the thoughts by thinking something positive instead. For example, if I'm on the road and another driver aggressively passes me, I've started thinking "maybe they're having a bad day", or "maybe they're in a rush to get to XYZ". It's a small example but these kinds of small shifts can be really impactful over time.

Another small thing I like to do is surround myself in nature as often as I realistically can. Once again, nature grounds us and causes us to reflect on the bigger picture, which can be good for putting us in a better headspace and giving us motivation for everyday tasks.

Don't be afraid to make small changes. Feeling better is not a linear journey, and some days will be better than others. 

I hope some of my recommendations can resonate with you, please feel free to keep chatting with us if you'd like. We're here to support you.

Take care, SB

[therising]

Hi SadUnicorn

Wondering whether every possible test has been done for the serious lack of energy, including blood tests and sleep studies. While someone can be facing burnout to some degree from an overwhelming amount of challenges and ongoing high cortisol levels, they could also be facing the depressing and exhausting side effects of a B12 or iron deficiency and/or sleep apnea and not even know it. So it's kinda like even if they do all the right things to recover from burnout, as long as the chemical deficiency or 'good quality sleep' deficiency is there, there'll never be a full recovery and that's something that can be felt.

The question could be 'What am I feeling a depressing lack of?'. Looking at everything you can think of that naturally provides or creates chemical energy: Good quality sleep, hydro power (water), nuclear power (found in foods from the earth, preferably organic and non GMO to limit chemical intolerance), solar energy (vitamin D), oxygen, kinetic energy or energy generated through energy (aka exercising) and the list goes on. Then there's complex energy or how the body's energy systems convert all the chemistry going into it. If one of our energy systems is out of whack, let's pick the endocrine system, there can be issues with a conversion of energy. When the body relies on certain chemicals to be converted in order to create more complex chemicals/energy and this doesn't happen because something's interfering with that, it's something that can be felt as a side effect.

While some meds create certain chemical reactions, others will act as suppressants, suppressing certain reactions. Could it be worth wondering exactly what the ADHD and depression meds are suppressing? Are they suppressing too much of what would naturally give you more energy? Maybe something worth speaking to your doctor about.

There can be hundreds of different reasons for a debilitating and depressing lack of energy. I've found a natural reason to be a depressing lack of inspiration and excitement. Inspiration and excitement are things that can be felt. Waking up to the fact that the people and things I used to find inspiring and exciting really don't do it for me anymore can be a hard thing to wake up to. Where to go from there becomes the question. So much to wonder about when it comes to what we're actually feeling the side effects of. We don't feel the way we do for no good reason. There's always a reason. Sometimes it's about choosing the best detectives to find the culprit behind what it is we're actually feeling. I've learned to never settle for a detective (GP) who says 'Sometimes life can become exhausting and it's as simple as that. You'll be right'. A depressing level of exhaustion always has a culprit at play.