How to cope with fatigue: 10 effective tips

Co-founder and managing partner at the Netpeak agency Andrey Chumachenko runs the Sad But True telegram channel. Shares thoughts on marketing, business and teamwork.

We are publishing several of his life hacks on how to deal with burnout.

On the one hand, it’s funny for me, someone who has been working at the same company for over 13 years, to hear about burnout during interviews with 22-year-old applicants. On the other hand, this is a really serious problem.

Between banal fatigue and burnout there is the same gap as between sadness and depression, and it is important to be able to notice it. The seriousness of the topic is also evidenced by the fact that last year WHO included burnout among the factors affecting health.

Therefore, firing an employee because of emotional burnout is the same as firing him because of smoking - there is no reason.

Let’s agree right away: dealing with burnout is the responsibility of not only the employee himself, but also his manager. It is just as normal to support and help him in moments of crisis as during the period of adaptation to a new job.

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Olga Tarasevich, HR Director at Work.ua

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Find out what's wrong with your body

It is normal for a person to be tired after a busy day at work or an intense workout. It’s not normal when fatigue doesn’t go away even on weekends and you’re so tired that you can’t rest. But this also happens. Before you start doing anything, make sure that it is real fatigue and not a symptom of larger troubles.

Fatigue is a symptom of some diseases.

Diabetes, depression, thyroid problems, anxiety, anemia and even snoring are diseases that signal themselves through fatigue. Why am I tired all the time? . It takes no more than a week to get checked by an endocrinologist and do a couple of blood tests, but you will find out what is the reason for your poor health: a disease or lifestyle.

What to do if your feet hurt?

At the end of an exhausting working day, your legs simply become leaden, which causes a lot of suffering. Let's find out how to relieve tired legs after work. There are several proven methods.

1. Massage your feet with stroking movements, from bottom to top, so as not to disturb the blood flow. When you feel that the blood has begun to circulate more intensely, sit on the bed and place your legs on the wall so that they are higher than you. After some time you will feel relief.
2. A contrast shower is also an excellent solution to the problem. As soon as you literally direct the shower stream onto your feet, it becomes easier. Increase the water pressure and massage your tired feet.
3. Buy foot ointment at the pharmacy.
   

   IMPORTANT! Heparin ointment is usually recommended - cheap and cheerful: it dilates blood vessels and prevents the formation of blood clots.

Learn to sleep correctly

It’s trite, but a constantly tired person most likely sleeps poorly: he suffers from insomnia, shallow sleep or lack of time to rest. If you think that you have no time to sleep, remember: you need to sleep not 8 hours, but correctly.

Here's what it means: 10 tips to beat insomnia. .

• Go to bed at the same time every day.
• Sleep in the dark.
• Sleep in silence.
• Sleep in a cool bedroom with an open window (at an air temperature of 16–18 °C).
• Sleep on a flat mattress and under a warm blanket.

There are many more ways to improve sleep, but in practice few people even follow the rule of a cool bedroom. So try to start with this.

You involuntarily fall asleep at work or feel unwell

In science, this is called unconscious sleep, and you probably remember this state from your school days: you are trying to concentrate on something, but your body seems to “turn off” itself, and you fall asleep for a few seconds or minutes. This is a sign of accumulating fatigue, which in the following stages turns from such attacks of a minute's sleep into a general disorder of the whole organism. In other words, you feel as if you are sick, you have headaches, weakness and lack of appetite.

Find fuel

Energy is obtained by burning fuel, our fuel is food. If you fill a car with a gasoline engine with diesel fuel, then, of course, it will go, but not far. It’s the same with our body: if we feed it just anything, we won’t be able to get enough energy. We have written about how to eat healthy many times, but fatigue is a trap. To stick to a nutrition plan, regularly buy the right foods, cook them, and not break down, you need a schedule and strength. But they are not there.

Get started with three simple steps:

1. Reduce your coffee intake Self-help tips to fight fatigue. , no matter how paradoxical it sounds. Coffee and other tonic drinks provide energy on loan. You will spend more than you can afford, and you will have to pay with a lack of strength.
2. Instead of sweets and fast food, snack on nuts and cottage cheese. Protein foods help cope with lack of strength better than candy and coffee.
3. Take snacks based on flax seeds - they are rich in antioxidants. However, more details are needed about them.

Work while standing

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Everyone knows that spending the whole day in a sitting position is very, very harmful. But standing on your feet is not a good prospect. Most likely, you are used to working while sitting in a chair because it is more convenient. But when you feel terribly tired, discomfort fades into the background: the main goal is not to fall asleep. This is another good reason to work while standing.

Perhaps your office does not have a special table for this. If this is the case, see if there is a way to rearrange your workspace so that you can stand and the monitor is at eye level. Use a stack of books as a stand, or if you're at home, find a shelf or tabletop that's the right height.

Use antioxidant supplements

One of the reasons we feel tired all the time is due to free radicals. These are unstable molecules, they are usually formed as a result of vital activity, especially after exercise. The body can cope with so many free radicals, but we can get an additional portion from the environment: cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes, ultraviolet radiation. When there are too many free radicals, the body falls into oxidative stress, the consequences of which are disruptions in energy production, cell destruction, the development of diseases and accelerated aging.

Antioxidants are molecules that counteract oxidative stress, neutralize free radicals, protect our cells and restore energy production.

For chronic fatigue, use dietary supplements Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment. which contain antioxidants. Such as the antioxidant complex "Sinergin" - a dietary supplement (not a medicine).

Synergin contains six antioxidants in high dosages: coenzyme Q10, lycopene, rutin, vitamins C and E, beta-carotene. All these substances are found in common foods: meat, vegetables, berries. Another thing is that the amount of antioxidants in food is small, we simply cannot eat enough food to get the required amount of antioxidants. This is what Synergin is fighting against: two capsules contain enough antioxidants to provide the body without exceeding the permissible level of consumption.

While the antioxidants inside us fight free radicals, we feel how fatigue recedes, strength and a desire to do more for ourselves appear.

Drink coffee in reasonable quantities (if at all necessary)

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Caffeine is what most people use to get an energy boost when they are very tired. But its excessive consumption can lead to headaches. If you drink coffee frequently or regularly consume caffeine, you won't learn much. You're probably already brewing your third morning mug, hoping it will help at least a little.

If you are not a coffee drinker, start your day with a reasonable amount of this product (about 65-100 mg, about one small cup). This will help you feel more alert throughout the day. This is because your active brain is constantly producing adenosine as a byproduct of its activity. When adenosine levels are high enough, the brain realizes that it’s time to get some rest.

Essentially, caffeine pretends to be adenosine and pushes it aside, binding to its receptors and preventing sleep from occurring. This effect is especially noticeable if you rarely drink coffee, and almost disappears if your body is already expecting it.

It is important to remember that it is better not to drink coffee in the afternoon, otherwise you will go to bed late again and re-read this article the next day.

Take breaks from work

When there are so many things to do that it is impossible to sort them out, stop! Understand that Bolivar will not endure so much, decide which tasks must be done without fail, and what can wait. On the list of the most important tasks of the day, the first item should be “Rest.”

Do those things that absolutely need to be done, and if after that you have no strength left, rest. The most important things will be completed, and you will be able to switch gears and gather energy without feeling remorse.

Plan your day in the evening, but adjust your plans in the morning. We wake up with different amounts of energy, and if you feel like you’re falling down after barely brushing your teeth, then it’s better to reschedule your plans: leave the most important things in order to devote more time to rest.

How to relieve fatigue after a hard day?

There are stressful periods in our lives when we simply need to exhale and relax, gain energy for new exploits. Especially if you have to work seven days a week.

Sometimes this is not so easy to do: if the body is always under tension, you have to make an effort to come to your senses. How to work hard and not get tired?

For office employees

Many people complain that they are very tired from office work. This also includes fatigue from excess information. What to do in this case? Here are some useful tips.

• The simplest and most effective time-tested method is dream.
  

  ADVICE! If you feel an acute lack of sleep, you don’t want anything, be sure to include an item in your daily schedule with additional time for this wonderful activity.

• Meditations . They are, perhaps, not suitable for everyone: to cope with a course of meditation, you need to have a special character, as connoisseurs say. But it’s still worth a try: relaxing music will be good for you in any case and will help you quickly relieve fatigue after work. It is enough to devote a quarter of an hour a day to this to notice positive changes.

• Review your diet . We are what we eat, and unhealthy chocolates from the machine do not work in your favor. Try to switch to proper nutrition: it is now at the peak of popularity, and this is no coincidence. Well-chosen food can really make a difference in how you feel. To enhance the effect, consult your doctor and find out about the individual needs of your body.
• Surround yourself with pleasant things that please the eye. Let comfort reign in your home. It is very important to be in a comfortable environment after a hard day.

For manual workers

After hard physical work, any person needs peace and rest. Let's find out how to work 12 hours a day and not get tired.

• Again, sleep has never bothered anyone. When you sleep, your body recovers much more efficiently. Therefore, do not torment yourself with lack of sleep - if you have physical activity, you need to sleep a lot. This will keep you from overworking and keep you healthy in the long run.
• Don't forget about massage and do not spare money on the services of a good specialist who will take into account your lifestyle and will be able to select a complex especially for you.
  

  BY THE WAY! Massage perfectly relaxes muscles, restores their vitality, improves blood circulation, which has a beneficial effect on well-being.

• Water procedures. Water can perfectly relax you: take frequent baths with salt and foam, swim in the pool, take a powerful shower to create a massage effect. Even the simple sound of running water calms the nerves and leads to a state of harmony and peace.

• Make sure your clothes are as comfortable as possible, at least during non-working hours. Any elastic bands that tighten the body are not suitable for home wear.

Learn to move

Movement and physical activity are the last things you want to do when you're tired. What kind of gym can we talk about if there is no strength for anything at all? But we are created to be in the Rev Up Your Energy movement. . When we move little, all processes in the body automatically stop: the body slowly processes food, slowly starts working, and slowly adjusts to rest. It turns out to be a vicious circle: we get tired and therefore move little, but as a result, the body reserves less energy for movement and reduces its production.

There is a way out: when tiredness haunts you, you need to start with walks.

And nothing else. Put on something very comfortable, go outside, not somewhere, but just like that, without a purpose. You can’t: sit, wander around the shops, go to the nearest kiosk for fast food. You can: walk.

How to warm up when you need to go outside but don’t want to? Start breathing. Take a deep breath and exhale sharply until you feel you are ready to stretch your neck and do at least 10 squats.

Working ways to make it to the end of the work day.

If Monday is especially difficult for you after a hectic weekend, know that you are not alone. Losing a couple of hours of sleep can have a negative impact on your well-being, especially if you have been under so-called work stress for the past few weeks. Therefore, keep a few strategies that will help you “survive” this difficult day.

But first, let's make one thing clear: it's not easy at all. When you are really tired, work hard, no matter what you do. However, there are effective ways that make your day easier and help you achieve some results. Of course, you won't feel energetic and cheerful, but you definitely won't turn into a zombie.

Essentially, your goal is to give yourself extra energy and try to avoid activities that will make you feel more tired. With a little effort, you can avoid passing out.

Get a massage

At home after a hard day, try the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Other Treatment massage. stop, hands, stretch your neck and face. Of course, it’s great if someone gives you a massage, but if there is no one willing, buy a gymnastic roller or take a tennis ball to stretch the most tense areas of the body: neck, back, feet.

If you are so tired that you suffer from insomnia, cannot concentrate on work and lose your appetite, sign up for a course of therapeutic or relaxing massage. It becomes easier under the hands of professionals.

Moral fatigue from people, clients

Moral fatigue is no less significant than mental or physical fatigue. You can't underestimate her. If you are very tired at work from contacts with clients, partners or co-workers, take note of ways to overcome this psychological discomfort.

1. Be sure to give yourself some privacy . Take time just for yourself: loneliness can sometimes heal a person. Do not contact friends after work, and explain to your household that you need rest.

1. Turn off notifications on social networks after finishing your work day. Unfortunately, working with people often brings with it an irregular schedule: clients write, consult, ask for advice. But everything has a limit: you also need proper rest.
2. More often get out into nature. We underestimate the impact of greenery and birdsong on our psyche.
   

   ADVICE! Walk in parks, observe the world around you, breathe fresh air. Spend the weekend in a country house.

Learn to switch from work to rest

You need to leave your work at work, don’t take it home even in your thoughts. At home, don’t check work email, don’t write to colleagues about unfinished business or questions that can wait until tomorrow (in fact, most questions are just like that), don’t go into the corporate chat if you have one. If an extremely important event is planned at work tomorrow, then worrying about it is appropriate, but such events happen no more than two or three times a year. And the rest of the time - no “overtime” thoughts. Switching things up will also help you relax.

The best way to take your mind off work is to communicate with loved ones. Talk to your family, play with your pets, call your friends, or text someone you haven't seen in years and ask how they're doing. The energy of loved ones will help you feel better.

Three stages of burnout:

#1. Overstrain, fatigue that does not disappear after sleep.

A person may forget words, terms and working facts at the right time. Make mistakes when typing letters on the keyboard or replace some letters with others when writing by hand.

#2. Exhaustion, “inanimateness,” lethargy, nervousness.

A person’s productivity and interest in work decrease, he doesn’t want to communicate with anyone (even outside the office), he is apathetic and dissatisfied. I often have headaches and high blood pressure. The number of respiratory tract diseases is growing, and irritability is manifesting itself.

#3. Psychosomatic illnesses and depression, aversion to everything and complete apathy appear.

The employee does not see prospects in his professional activity, does not enjoy his work, and loses faith in himself.

Let's sum it up

Is it possible to live without work? Yes. There are several ways to do this - a successful marriage, an inheritance from an American relative, and passive income (when you invest a lot of money in something profitable and live off the dividends, or rent out an apartment left over from a kind grandmother). You can also buy a house in the village. Live there in peace and quiet, eating what is grown in the garden. You will still have to work, albeit in a different way. A dubious option, but some will like it. That's all I wanted to say. Share your stories in the comments. Goodbye.

Where does the voltage come from?

Sometimes it's all about losing meaning: the daily challenges are overwhelming, and I can't get the big picture in my head. Sometimes I don’t understand where to start, and the task seems big and super complicated. In the first chapter we looked at how to deal with this:

• describe the problem as it is;
• re-read the sign, which will remind you why all this was started;
• think about how you can simplify the project.

But all this won’t work if you don’t have the strength. The wheels are spinning, but the car does not move - it has stalled. This is tension. Now is the time to remember again about the brain and the amygdala.

This very tension is born in the amygdala, a paired structure of the brain that is the center of pain and helps Amygdala Activity, Fear, and Anxiety: Modulation by Stress to remember behavior during negative experiences in order to avoid them in the future. The amygdala is like a panic button that goes off in any situation associated with pain and suffering. This is good because we learn not to repeat mistakes, but sometimes the mechanism breaks down.

Sometimes this happens when we are tired: there are enemies all around, and negative thoughts in our thoughts, because they are influenced by context and state. Unpleasant thoughts repeatedly Neuroanatomy, Amygdala excite the amygdala, are recorded in long-term memory and return in the form of new unpleasant thoughts. The circle is closed, there is no way out, there is no one to look from the outside.

In this state, the algorithm from the first chapter will not work, because everything is annoying and you don’t want to deal with the signs and the benefits - even that is difficult. If you force yourself to wade through things and plans, then, most likely, everything will become worse and more complicated: the freedom-loving brain does not like coercion.

Therefore, I follow the precepts of Bruce Lee and do not train in bad shape, so as not to develop bad habits. Instead, I reboot.

Sometimes depression occurs on cloudy days. Previously, this was explained by high levels of the hormone melatonin, which is released when there is little light, and therefore you want to sleep. But in December 2018, Scientists Find A Brain Circuit That Could Explain Seasonal Depression, two new studies that say it's more likely to be a special brain circuit that connects light-sensitive cells in the retina to areas of the brain that affect mood. Be that as it may, the conclusion is still the same: there is not enough light - turn on the lamps.

It's time to figure out what might work after all.

Stop doing what you were doing

As soon as I realize that I'm stuck and everything is pissing me off, the first thing I do is stop putting pressure on myself and change the situation. This is necessary to get rid of negative thoughts that form the context of perception. I just stop following the plan and do something opposite.

At first, it is difficult to break out of the current activity. For example, I noticed that it’s hard for me to tear myself away from work if I haven’t reached the logical point yet (haven’t completed a meaningful paragraph) or music is playing in my headphones (the song hasn’t ended—it’s too early to stop). But it's an important skill to learn: it helps you shift quickly and reduce braking distances.

I have a rule: as soon as something ends, don’t immediately rush to the next one, but set an alarm for 15 minutes and do nothing.

Previously, I tried to follow my breathing or sit in silence, but then I realized that I needed to give up activity altogether - just sit and look in front of me. This is a good technique for reducing anxiety - I will return to it later.

Driving practice around the city unsettles me. Heavy traffic, nervous instructor, lots of distractions. If you drive in the morning, then immediately after class it’s difficult to get back to work. That’s why I’m in no hurry: I came to work, ate, read, slept for 20 minutes, and only then went into battle. It’s better to collect yourself for an hour than to sit at work in wild frustration and rage.

Listen to yourself and understand what you want. It is important to understand: you can always drop everything and renegotiate. Working in sweat and blood with the hope that you will get the hang of it and happiness will come is nonsense. It's like bailing water out of a leaky boat with a leaky mug. Everyone understands this rationally, but it is very difficult to overcome your impulses.

What diseases can office work lead to?

Office work provokes a number of diseases. When they appear, a person begins to get tired even faster and stronger. Among the diseases of office employees, the most common are:

• back problems (pain, protrusion, hernia, etc.),
• stomach problems (gastritis, ulcers, etc.),
• phlebeurysm,
• dry eye syndrome and vision problems,
• carpal tunnel syndrome (the hand and fingers become numb from a monotonous position),
• depression.

The woman is working.

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Observe thoughts and actions

Remember the states that correspond to calm perception and inadequate perception. I observed myself and divided my behavior into two types: when I’m on fire and when I’m calm and orderly.

If I am on fire, but try to reproduce the actions characteristic of calm perception, then I gradually come to a neutral state. This is an amazing thing that often saves me. And it works best after 15 minutes of doing nothing.

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Another cool technique that helps you emerge from the mental pool and help your internal attention switch is “see-hear-feel.” The point is to look in front of you, register all incoming information and sort it into shelves:

• a car passed by - I heard it;
• I feel a prick in my shoulder;
• the smell of fried potatoes has reached me - I can feel it;
• A bird flew in front of the window - I saw it;
• a birch branch swayed - I see.

This helps shift attention from the context of tension and internal thoughts to what is happening outside. Helps.

Principle 3 - Follow a Routine

A work routine will help you use your strengths effectively. Do the most difficult and time-consuming work in the morning, when you have the most energy. (I also wrote about this in the article on how to force yourself to work) If you put off completing tasks until later and are lazy, then you may have to complete them at a time when there will be less strength and the work will be harder, and you will get tired.

If you need to do work by tomorrow, don't put it off until evening. In the evening you will want to relax a little. Therefore, do everything as early as possible. Don’t waste your morning on all sorts of nonsense, try to get everything done as quickly as possible, and only then, rest.

Principle 4 - Work remotely

Why not try asking your boss to transfer you to remote work? If your work activity does not require constant presence in the office, then transferring you to remote employment will only save your company money! There will be no need to pay for your workplace, rent extra office space, carry out cleaning and other maintenance, etc. Why not?

Remote work will allow you to save a lot of effort, time and money that you spend on travel. At home, you will be much less tired, even if you do the same amount of work as in the office! Why? Because at home you can always lie down, relax, pet the cat or take a refreshing shower. If you have completely finished work, say, at 16-00 and you have nothing to do for that day, then you do not need to pretend to be busy and wait until 18-00 to leave your workplace, as if you were working in an office.

In addition, a regular office is a public place. Employees scurrying back and forth, endless phone conversations of others, extraneous sounds - all this creates an unpleasant distracting background that affects you with fatigue. Add to this the road to work and the restrictive business style of clothing. The average office worker sits on pins and needles at work, spending days on end in a public place with a bunch of strangers, surrounded by constant bustle. It is very difficult to relax in such an environment!

Someone will answer me that they cannot work at home because of laziness and lack of discipline, while in the office there is a boss who is watching you and, if anything happens, will urge you on with an imaginary stick. There is nothing good about not being able to organize your work on your own, in the absence of bosses and colleagues. People drive themselves into office walls thanks to their lack of independence: “We need a leader, a guy with a stick! We cannot work on our own!” It's time to learn to be independent and organized. Develop willpower and self-discipline. Create a daily routine and follow it. Learn to work without a supervisor or driver.

Why not ask your boss about the possibility of remote work? Just ask, they won’t do anything to you for it!

Bosses know that most office workers are as undisciplined as children. They must always be encouraged, praised and scolded, monitored and kept under constant tension so that they do their job. For this, they are ready to pay the costs of your workplace and bear other costs. Prove to your boss that you are different and can work independently! Then you have a better chance of getting remote employment.

Did not work out? Well. This is not your last work. You can always find a place where you will be allowed to work remotely. Does your profession not allow it? Change it. Learn new skills that will enable you to telecommute. If you set such a goal for yourself, follow it, and not just complain about the circumstances, then you will definitely get what you want.

Imagine how good it will be when you don’t have to stand in traffic jams, travel on public transport, listen to colleagues’ conversations and sit in the office from bell to bell.

Reduce detail

If you can’t tear yourself away and make tea, reduce the level of detail: close your eyes for 30 seconds, get up and sit down immediately, turn off the music.

When an internal storm begins, reducing the amount of incoming information and demands on myself helps me. This is a repeat of the story that sometimes you need to reschedule all but one thing. This happens, it's normal.

It’s also useful to focus less on plans. I chose three projects for the week, and that’s what I’m doing. I wanted and was going to do something else - I’ll choose these classes at the next one. It is also important to lower your expectations and give yourself the opportunity to improve in time. So that mistakes are not perceived as something critical and irreparable.

I wrote the course in two stages: a draft for the test group and a clean draft for the main group. In a draft, I can write crudely, use simple phrases and not go into explanations - no problems, it’s not scary to make a mistake. When I send it and it passes the first check, I will have enough strength and energy to bring everything to a readable state: it has already been checked for nonsense and errors. Beauty.

The main thing is to start moving and enjoy it. The further you go, the more confident you become.