Struggling With Fatigue [journal entry]

fatigue
fatigue

I used to be a stranger to fatigue

I’ve been struggling from minor fatigue these last few months or so. Really, if I think about it, it’s probably been dogging me since last November—but it’s become very noticeable in the past eight weeks.

What’s worse is that I’m getting hit with bouts of insomnia on top of the fatigue.

Last straw: fatigue jacking up my running & writing

It’s unlike me to have trouble sleeping. I typically sleep great! And I normally have more energy than I know what to do with.

Insult to injury: I’ve recently reclaimed my running time and writing life, but I can’t take advantage of it due to this fatigue. I feel mentally and emotionally spent before I really start writing; and I am way more worn out during my runs than I used to be.

Self-diagnosis

So I’ve been going through a list of typical causes of fatigue and a few items have jumped out at me.

Boredom and stress are among the possible culprits. I’ve worked in retail for two decades in total. I used to love retail, but I can’t bring myself to care about it anymore. The work has managed to become simultaneously boring and stressful for me. It’s hard to continue to do something when you’re heart ain’t in it.

A recent promotion only amplified my obvious need for a career change. (I’d hoped a promotion would make the work interesting again. It only made it more stressful, but still just as dull. Epic fail.)

Another two items on the list: Too much caffeine and poor diet. Guilty on both counts. I’d been working some very long weeks. So long that, after a while, I was having trouble finding the time for basic care, like doing laundry.

When life gets that hectic, coffee becomes a crutch and the diet goes out the window. I need to limit the caffeine to morning-only, and I need to pay attention to what I eat again. Thankfully, this will be an easy fix for me.

Lastly: Not enough exercise. Funny how not moving the muscles enough can lead to the muscles not wanting to move at all, ain’t it? The business led to not enough energy. That, in turn, led to a decrease in running—and a total elimination of other exercise.

I used to incorporate strength training into my weekly routine. Looking back, my workout routine began to slip last year and today it is non-existent.

This is going to be the hardest fix for me. I’m not sure why but I feel like it’s easy for me to get back into running on a regular basis, but not strength training. Maybe it’s because I enjoy running. I’ll put this particular fix at the last place on my list.

Need time to decompress

It’s important to remind myself not to beat myself up over the lack of energy.

I’m in the midst of a job / career change. I’ve got a list of fixes. I’m just going to ease into them slowly. The job issue is being addressed right now, and that will honestly fix a lot of the issues.

Also, I need to be mindful of the fact that I’m still getting settled after a major move. (Moved from the Great Lakes area down into Tennessee just last year.) So I probably need to give myself a break, and just get settled back into running again; and learn just write for the sheer enjoyment of it.

That’s partly the point of this particular blog post. I’m just writing, and happy to be doing it.

Also, I’m not worrying about the times on my runs. I’m just glad to be running.

Next on my list: I’ll start easing off the caffeine and getting back into a better diet. I’m making the changes one week at a time, and before I know it I’ll have my energy back and I’ll be running the miles with very little effort.


Photo by JR Korpa on Unsplash


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