What should you know about emotional exhaustion?

You may feel detached, unusually irritable, tearful or unable to enjoy familiar activities. Concentration can become harder, decisions may feel overwhelming, and sleep may be unrefreshing. Emotional exhaustion is a description of how you are feeling rather than a diagnosis by itself. Similar tiredness can accompany Burnout, Anaemia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Kidney Disease, Coeliac Disease, COVID-19, Dehydration or Alcohol Use Disorder.

Reduce non-essential demands temporarily and tell a trusted person what has changed. Keep meals, fluids and sleep times as regular as you can; gentle movement may be more realistic than intense exercise. Note your sleep, mood, workload, medicines and physical symptoms for a few days. A clinician can look for emotional, lifestyle and physical contributors rather than assuming stress is the only explanation.

Arrange a medical appointment if symptoms persist, worsen, interfere with work or relationships, or come with unexplained weight change, fever, breathlessness or marked weakness. Seek urgent help for thoughts of self-harm, inability to stay safe, severe confusion, chest pain or serious breathing difficulty.

Could a physical problem, medicine, sleep issue or mood condition be contributing? What changes should I make first? Which symptoms mean I should seek urgent help?