I, probably like many others, am struggling with exhaustion that seem hard to shake. It kills my hobbies and interests one by one, it makes doom scrolling and watching stupid shows seem like the only valid activities I can handle.

I have tried the “touch grass”, I regularly switch off my phone to take breaks from social media, but it is hard to find motivation to anything but sleep and watch TV on the weekends.

Are there methods to deal with this sort of exhaustion from… gestures broadly at everything ?

Edit: after the initial replies I realized I probably should mention that I already do regular therapy and take prescription drugs for depression.

Edit 2: Thanks everyone for replying and handing out advice. My plan moving forward is to get some labs done to make sure I don’t have any deficiencies and have my meds adjusted if they need to be. I will try eating better, be more conscious about sleep and regular exercise.

  • @[email protected]English
    13•3 months ago

    You may consider getting some labs done. I was deficient in B12 and found taking vitamins did help a bit. Cutting out / back on carbs and beer helps even more.

    Not to entirely discount depression, but I have the opinion that we’ve become so addicted to a life of instantaneous everything that even brief moments of nothing happening can feel like withdrawal.

    One suggestion: instead of regularly turning off your phone, just permanently put it in silent mode. Really consider what you must know immediately (for me it’s family phone calls) and allow only those notifications to come through. Everything else can wait for you to find the time to get to them.

    I also struggle with this so I’m interested in the conversation. I love to read but have a really hard time choosing a book over television. I’m mindful of “blue light” and try to stop using any screen at all after 8pm but that can be difficult if I just want to unwind after a long day. People did it before tv though. I think maybe a less fulfilling life, or life fulfilled less, may actually be more healthy.

    • @[email protected]OPEnglish
      3•3 months ago

      One suggestion: instead of regularly turning off your phone, just permanently put it in silent mode.

      These days, I even set it to flight mode and vibration only for notifications, and I usually never check my phone during working hours.

      I love to read but have a really hard time choosing a book over television.

      Have you tried audio books or podcasts? I usually switch off my screens around two hours prior to sleep and tend to listen to podcasts and audio books until I fall asleep. Important to remember is that the voice of the narrator is super important, so make you get one that make you feel comfortable.

      • @[email protected]English
        3•3 months ago

        I don’t even have vibration on. The display will turn on to show notifications but the vast majority of the time my phone is in another room on the charger. I even leave it at home some times.

        I’ve had trouble listening to podcasts while I’m home doing other things. Perhaps I should try audio books and sitting down to do nothing but that. Generally, I don’t like audio books for a bunch of reasons but they could be applicable for this issue. Thanks for the suggestion.