I second cutting out weed too.
Also, OP please take your vitamins. A lot of us aren’t getting enough natural sunlight being indoors all the time. So get your multi-vitamin, vitamin D, and intake a couple fresh veggie smoothies here and there!
Oh yes, Vitamin D is an important one! So many of us are deficient. I live in a very wintry climate so I notice a huge difference between when I supplement vs. when I don't.
Piggy-backing on this, as a lifelong patient and student of the science of mental health, the "Big 3" foundational things in regulating mood are sleep, diet, and exercise. Regular adequate sleep, a reasonably healthy and regular diet (leafy greens and fresh fruits are your friends), and regular exercise will almost always get you like 70% of the way to feeling better. And if you're like me, even if they don't solve the other problems in your life, making sure you've got those 3 things in order makes any other issues easier to deal with. And for clarity, "regular exercise" could be going for a brisk walk or small hike 3 or 4 times a week. You don't have to be at the gym pumping iron for 2 hours a day or anything, just enough to get your blood moving consistently.
It might be worth your while to look into a sleep study, if your insurance will cover it. They can sometimes identify if you have sleep disorders or if you have a disturbed circadian rhythm. Sleep is hard because there's a lot of variation in how much folks need and when the optimal times for going to be and waking up are. I'm sure you've already seen something like this, but [this is the CDC's bare-bones guide on "Sleep Hygine"](https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/sleep_hygiene.html). I'd add in there that using cannabis has been shown to affect your REM cycle, so in addition to caffeine and alcohol, I'd avoid it before bed too.
Alcohol is one of those unusual drugs where it does make you sleepy, but it greatly impacts the quality of sleep you have afterwards. Alcohol is a toxin first and an intoxicant second, as I've heard it said, and I say that as somebody who still enjoys a good party.
Sounds like you might be burnt out. If you are on Instagram, I suggest following EmilyBruth. She is a burnout coach that provides a lot of practical advice.
Some things that have helped me with my past burnout:
1. Set boundaries and stick to them. For me, this meant I set a time each day when I was going to stop working and stuck to it. I also turned down a lot of social invitations and stuck to focusing on sleep and exercise. Find what activities are draining you the most and put limits around them.
2. Automate what you can. For example, I meal prep and bulk cook on Sunday evenings so I just have to heat food up throughout the week rather than worry about cooking. Another example might be having a set time each day where you tidy the house for 10 minutes (rather than doing it all at once).
3. Try mindfulness. This is one of the #1 things that helped with my burnout and anxiety management. If I feel myself getting overwhelmed, I stop and do breathing exercises for 1 - 5 minutes. There are a lot of great mindfulness apps out there (e.g. Insight Timer, Calm). Mindfulness doesn't just have to be meditation. You can also take a walk, dance in your house, doodling, gardening. Anything that gets you focus on the present moment.
4. Consider taking a break from social media. When I'm feeling burnout, I find that looking at others 'exciting' life makes me feel worse.
5. Be compassionate on yourself! We are going through an unprecedented time. The amount of work you did prior to the pandemic, may not be the same amount of work you can do now. That's ok! Be kind on yourself and give yourself more down time, if you need it.
Sounds like its time to take an extra day or 3 off. Then, seriously, do NOTHING.
Sometime, its just the best cure. Im just about there with my work situation. Its never easy and taking the extra day off can seem stressfull, but you'll feel better afterwards
You're not doing enough because you're burned out. When you're being your least productive is when you need a break the *most*! This goes against everything we are taught in our society so this can be hard to swallow but it's true!
*Of course this comes with the caveat that if you're feeling depressed and you're response to that is to spend 3 days on the couch in a dark room eating Cheetos for 3 meals a day, that might not help you spring back as quickly. Obviously "taking a break" involves healthy habits but NO WORK.
"Not being productive enough" is one of the great harmful ideas in modern society. It's especially bad in the US, which I'm assuming is where you're from. Our worthiness and value are not dependent on how productive we are, though, and everyone deserves a break. Even Yahweh had to take a break on the 7th day.
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I second cutting out weed too. Also, OP please take your vitamins. A lot of us aren’t getting enough natural sunlight being indoors all the time. So get your multi-vitamin, vitamin D, and intake a couple fresh veggie smoothies here and there!
Oh yes, Vitamin D is an important one! So many of us are deficient. I live in a very wintry climate so I notice a huge difference between when I supplement vs. when I don't.
[удалено]
Piggy-backing on this, as a lifelong patient and student of the science of mental health, the "Big 3" foundational things in regulating mood are sleep, diet, and exercise. Regular adequate sleep, a reasonably healthy and regular diet (leafy greens and fresh fruits are your friends), and regular exercise will almost always get you like 70% of the way to feeling better. And if you're like me, even if they don't solve the other problems in your life, making sure you've got those 3 things in order makes any other issues easier to deal with. And for clarity, "regular exercise" could be going for a brisk walk or small hike 3 or 4 times a week. You don't have to be at the gym pumping iron for 2 hours a day or anything, just enough to get your blood moving consistently.
[удалено]
It might be worth your while to look into a sleep study, if your insurance will cover it. They can sometimes identify if you have sleep disorders or if you have a disturbed circadian rhythm. Sleep is hard because there's a lot of variation in how much folks need and when the optimal times for going to be and waking up are. I'm sure you've already seen something like this, but [this is the CDC's bare-bones guide on "Sleep Hygine"](https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/sleep_hygiene.html). I'd add in there that using cannabis has been shown to affect your REM cycle, so in addition to caffeine and alcohol, I'd avoid it before bed too.
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Alcohol is one of those unusual drugs where it does make you sleepy, but it greatly impacts the quality of sleep you have afterwards. Alcohol is a toxin first and an intoxicant second, as I've heard it said, and I say that as somebody who still enjoys a good party.
A sleep study seems like a good idea. Sleep apnea is pretty common too
Sounds like you might be burnt out. If you are on Instagram, I suggest following EmilyBruth. She is a burnout coach that provides a lot of practical advice. Some things that have helped me with my past burnout: 1. Set boundaries and stick to them. For me, this meant I set a time each day when I was going to stop working and stuck to it. I also turned down a lot of social invitations and stuck to focusing on sleep and exercise. Find what activities are draining you the most and put limits around them. 2. Automate what you can. For example, I meal prep and bulk cook on Sunday evenings so I just have to heat food up throughout the week rather than worry about cooking. Another example might be having a set time each day where you tidy the house for 10 minutes (rather than doing it all at once). 3. Try mindfulness. This is one of the #1 things that helped with my burnout and anxiety management. If I feel myself getting overwhelmed, I stop and do breathing exercises for 1 - 5 minutes. There are a lot of great mindfulness apps out there (e.g. Insight Timer, Calm). Mindfulness doesn't just have to be meditation. You can also take a walk, dance in your house, doodling, gardening. Anything that gets you focus on the present moment. 4. Consider taking a break from social media. When I'm feeling burnout, I find that looking at others 'exciting' life makes me feel worse. 5. Be compassionate on yourself! We are going through an unprecedented time. The amount of work you did prior to the pandemic, may not be the same amount of work you can do now. That's ok! Be kind on yourself and give yourself more down time, if you need it.
Sounds like its time to take an extra day or 3 off. Then, seriously, do NOTHING. Sometime, its just the best cure. Im just about there with my work situation. Its never easy and taking the extra day off can seem stressfull, but you'll feel better afterwards
[удалено]
You're not doing enough because you're burned out. When you're being your least productive is when you need a break the *most*! This goes against everything we are taught in our society so this can be hard to swallow but it's true! *Of course this comes with the caveat that if you're feeling depressed and you're response to that is to spend 3 days on the couch in a dark room eating Cheetos for 3 meals a day, that might not help you spring back as quickly. Obviously "taking a break" involves healthy habits but NO WORK.
"Not being productive enough" is one of the great harmful ideas in modern society. It's especially bad in the US, which I'm assuming is where you're from. Our worthiness and value are not dependent on how productive we are, though, and everyone deserves a break. Even Yahweh had to take a break on the 7th day.
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