I can relate, I suffer from anhedonia which sounds like what your describing, I wish there was a quick fix for it because and life can be a chore…very hard to overcome but I believe one day it will happen for us!

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.

Definitely echoing the talk to a medical professional comments. I have pretty severe depression and that sounds a ton like the fatigue I’ve been dealing with. Especially if youve also been feeling hopeless, irritable, had problems with appetite (too much or too little), problems with sleeping too much or too little, or anything like that.

Get a sleep lab done and check if you need a CPAP machine.

There is so much most want to do in life. Perhaps you are stretching yourself to thin, trying to do it all at once. Don’t see the current lack of something as “killing” your hobbies. They aren’t dead, you’re working towards those things. It’s a plan for the future. Right now you’re focusing the energy you have right now on something else (for now).

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You are suffering exhaustion as a symptom of your depression? That is what this post sounds like.

Not sure we can help with that.

When I have exhaustion from overwork and cannot immediately adjust my circumstances, giving up (acceptance of what is going on) and more exercise, even if it means less sleep time available, has been the most helpful but it’s a short term strategy. The exercise improves my sleep and raises my spirits.

Then eventually the stress ends and I get a migraine :( and then back to my normal.

But I have never suffered depression.

Classic burn out.

Something to consider when we talk about disconnecting and “touching grass”… it’s not an immediate thing. You need to be vacation for several days before you can genuinely begin to relax and feel and positive effects. So this idea that we can just nip out for 20 minutes and leave our phone behind for serious benefit is pretty much worthless.

So if you’re “disconnecting” and you spend the first few days just sleeping or staring at the TV, that’s pretty understandable. You’re paying off a fair bit of “rest debt”.

WRT your update: That’s great that you’re getting professional help. Make sure (if you aren’t already) that the feels you’re sharing here are being thoroughly conveyed to your doctor. Medication can be fantastic, but you may benefit more from a different medication. All good things to bring up with your professional.

Good luck!

Having one good friend is worth more than a thousand aquantances.

Obligatory: this is not medical advice. This is merely my personal experiences. In fact, the only thing I will advise anyone on is that if they feel overwhelmed, they seek advice from a licensed therapist.

So I’ve had a similar problem for the past 9 years. For me, I have to come to the conclusion that I’m in a freeze-state of my dysregulated nervous system.

I’m in weekly talk therapy, and have been working on recognizing the things that have been causing me the most stress, and ways I can deal with or mitigate those things.

And that’s been all fine and good, but I still struggle with getting started on actual activity to help deal with my compounding responsibilities. It’s hard, and some days are better than others.

I used a combination of calendars and reminders to help break down and organize my tasks. I give myself grace if I can’t get them all comply when I initially wanted to finish them, and I try to do at least 2 or 3 things a day ( o matter how small).

Have you tried therapy?

Check for Iron and B vitamin deficiency if doc didn’t already suggest it.

Work less.

You’ve received a lot of great advice that I’ve seen. Definitely getting labs would be a good first step. I’d suggest working with your therapist on this, honestly. Supposing that you’re not dealing with a deficiency or medication issue, it might be important to figure out how long you’ve been feeling this way, what way it is exactly that you’re feeling, and figuring out what to do about it.

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

Before you put the blame on everything outside - not being judgemental, it’s definitely not going great out there - have you gotten checked out by a doctor? Exhaustion might just be because the world is in shambles, but it’s just as likely to be because of something fixable - depression, some thyroid disorders and iron deficiency all present in the same way as what you describe.