If These 11 Issues Are Dragging You Down, You're Not Just Lazy, You're Seriously Overwhelmed & Exhausted
Vergani Fotografia | Shutterstock If you're proud of your work ethic and your drive toward success, few things are worse than feeling like you're lazy. For you, this is such a point of shame, making you feel terrible. But if these specific issues are what's dragging you down, you're probably not lazy, you're seriously overwhelmed and probably exhausted.
The first thing you need to know is that your guilt and shame isn't helping you. With issues like these, feeling bad about yourself only makes it worse. Instead, face these realities and start finding ways to climb out of them.
If these 11 issues are dragging you down, you're not just lazy, you're seriously overwhelmed & exhausted
1. You've lost interest in things that once brought you joy
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One big sign you're not lazy, just seriously overwhelmed, is when you lose interest in your hobbies. This is especially true when you don't feel motivated to join in with friends, trusted family or romantic partners.
You're not ignoring people or dropping hobbies just because; rather, you're doing so because you're drained all the time, most likely from workplace or caretaking responsibilities. A 2021 survey revealed 79% of employees experience burnout, with 26% reporting a lack of interest at work. A separate study concluded that "The reasons for giving up hobbies were what one would expect — lack of time and loss of interest were the most frequent reasons cited."
With that being said, it should come as no surprise if you're bad at texting back or show zero interest in your hobbies. Likely, you're recharging after the intense burnout you've experienced lately.
2. You're tired for no reason
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Feeling tired for absolutely no reason isn't a sign that you're lazy, it can be a sign you're seriously overwhelmed, and that can make you exhausted. Often, this comes from burnout. According to research, there are three dimensions to burnout, one of them being exhaustion.
Your exhaustion is likely due to stress, leading you to feel tired regardless of the amount of sleep you get. To avoid this, find ways to decompress before bed. The Sleep Foundation recommends mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercises, taking a warm bath or shower, or journaling to relax your body.
3. You experience sudden aches and pains
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It can be alarming when you experience weird aches and pains, seemingly out of nowhere. Maybe your chest has been been achy lately or maybe you've been feeling a little woozy, or tingly hands.
Well, the first thing you should do is see your healthcare provider and follow their instructions. Once you've covered those bases, remember that health problems aren't always due to bad luck or laziness. They can be due to being overwhelmed and exhausted. Often, your health issues are made worse because of exhaustion and burnout.
According to compiled research, burnout can lead to health problems such as heart disease, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, insomnia, and depressive systems. That's why taking our stress and exhaustion seriously is an important part of your healthcare plan.
4. You don't feel motivated anymore
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Workdays are long, and often we need to feel inspired and motivated to get us through. Yet, those serious overwhelm and exhaustion don't always have that luxury. Worse, other people see this as laziness, when it couldn't be less true.
Because their energy levels are at zero, they can't even begin to think positively, let alone encourage themselves. They need to solve exhaustion and overwhelm first, or at least start working on it.
This may explain why, according to one study, motivation is a powerful driving force for task completion. The study claims, "People can maintain their performance in a particular task as long as they are still motivated to do the task." But if you don't have any motivation, this can get tricky, leading you to become mentally drained.
5. You feel disconnected from the world around you
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It's one thing to flake on returning texts sometimes, but it's another thing entirely to detach from those around you. You ghost people for months on end, unaware of who's around you or what's going on in your environment. Really, you're just going through the motions on autopilot.
It isn't because you're being lazy or inconsiderate; it's because you're so exhausted and overwhelmed, you're just dragged down.
Licensed clinical social worker Lauren Liverman explains that symptoms of burnout include, "Withdrawing from family or friends because you don't have the capacity to engage in a meaningful way," or, "Going through the motions without really listening or paying attention [to your surroundings]."
6. You're easily irritated
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Another sign that you're not lazy, you're just seriously overwhelmed and exhausted is being unable to control your emotions and, by extension, your irritability. As one study found, "Persistent clinical burnout is associated with exaggerated somatic arousal including tension, irritability, sleep impairment, and above-normal blood levels of cortisol."
If you snap at others, don't be too hard on yourself. It isn't because you can't control yourself or are too lazy. Sometimes, it could be because you're utterly exhausted and might need to give yourself a timeout. After all as we've have already learned in this list, it's also good for your health to enforce some rest.
7. You feel like you're trapped
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Feeling overwhelmed is part of burnout, and no matter what you do, this feeling is inevitable. After a while, you might start feeling like you're trapped. Research has confirmed that burnout is caused by stress, typically at the workplace. And most people cannot avoid working, because bills have to be paid.
It's no surprise, then that you wind up feeling stuck. Not just at work, but also in that terrible burned out, stressed feeling. Soon enough, you're distracted, and avoidant and feeling lazy because you're not getting enough work done. But you're not lazy, you're overwhelmed and exhausted.
8. You struggle to finish your work on time
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If you struggle at work, you may be labeled lazy, but it may be that you're overwhelmed and don't know where to start. Instead of addressing the core issue at hand, most people probably get scolded and told to get it together. The feeling of shame and added stress only adds to the overwhelm.
As a result, it's easy to procrastinate even worse, lengthening the time it takes to complete your work for the day. This makes it all feel worse, but on a technical level is no surprise. One study determined that procrastination can sometimes be linked to discomfort, leading to more stress if we aren't careful.
9. You're quick to jump to conclusions
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Burnout can lead to a plethora of problems, some of which include negativity. And because of this, people who are burnt out jump to the worst conclusions. This only leads to more feelings of overwhelm.
If this sounds like you, it's not your your laziness's fault. According to one study, burnout was found to highly affect depression, while also moderately affecting dysfunctional attitudes and ruminative responses. So, both your attitude and mindset are bound to be negative when feeling burnt out.
10. You're neglecting self-care
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When you're burnt out, you don't have the energy to focus on self-care. You're so busy and stressed, you might skip days at the gym or relaxation time to attend to supposedly more important matters. But this is the worst thing you can do for yourself.
Research shows that self-care partially mediates perceived stress, which enormously benefits well-being. As a result, you might start feeling less overwhelmed, which can make you more productive, which (yes, you guessed it!) can make you feel less lazy.
So, take time for yourself and relax. Put on your favorite chill music or read a relaxing book. Your mental health depends on it, and so does your productivity.
11. You're attracting negative people
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When you're overwhelmed and exhausted, it gets harder to hear the subtle messages from your intuition. That means negative and toxic people might slip past your "red flag detector" and end up influencing you. It's even worse when you start attracting the complainers and lazy people who work with you. Suddenly, things feel even worse.
This can create mounting stress, eventually leading to more drama and stress at work. One study confirmed the "negative relationship between a toxic workplace environment and employee engagement," adding that employees who work in a toxic environment spread those negative feelings to co-workers.
This can lead to depression, bullying, anxiety, and burnout. It's a reminder to keep things positive in the workplace, approaching struggling employees with compassion instead of passive-aggression. First, go back to self-care the best you can so you can get that "negativity radar" back online.
Then, change the story you tell yourself about you. Stop saying you're lazy, start getting real about ways you can creep out of this exhaustion, little by little. After all, even a little break can help you feel more like yourself.
Marielisa Reyes is a writer with a bachelor's in psychology who covers self-help, relationships, career, family, and astrology topics.
