Decrease in stress, decrease in joy

nogreenthumb

Odd title, I know.

For the last three years (give or take) I've been dealing with tons of stress. It either came in the form of work stress or family stress. For three years I was the one who put on the brave face and acted as the support system. Keep on plowing through, I thought. There's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Now, things are looking up. Work is great, and the family stress has dissipated considerably. So, I should be happy, right? Wrong. I'm even more worn out now than I was trying to deal with everything I had on my plate. I'm tired most of the time, feeling physically, mentally and emotionally drained. It's strange, I should be so much more happier now, so much more relieved. I thought for sure I'd have such a brighter outlook and be so much more joyful, but I'm not.

Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry to sound like a Debbie Downer first thing in the a.m., but I had to get this out.

L.

pinktoesjb

It's a come down/recovery/bounce period.

Stress is exhausting, you need to recuperate now. Don't beat yourself for not being little miss happy immediately and get some rest.

americangirlok

You could be a total weirdo like me that prefers interesting to "happy". Like when everything's crap and irritates the hell out of me I get a sort of perverse enjoyment out of it. Like I'd rather things be interesting and even piss me off than be smooth and "good". I accept this makes me a nut job. And, when things are like so out of control, I find myself here and losing weight. I think it's like I can exert control over this even if I can't fix all that...

Not sure that's a helpful answer.

Kalici

I think you should make an appointment with a psychologist or counselor. What you just listed are all symptoms of depression and should be taken seriously. I wish you well.

WillLift4Tats

I agree that you still may be coming down from that stress and still exhausted. Also, now that you have less stress both in work and family life, have you used any extra time to get back to doing things you enjoy? Things you used to love to do, but were too busy and tired to do before? Maybe you just need to take some time to do things you enjoy, instead things that you NEED to do. Allow yourself to relax, and find something that creates happiness, even just a little every day.

jwats8

L.-

It could be that maybe all that time you were dealing with work and family you weren't taking care of the things that you needed and wanted. Maybe you don't even know what those things are anymore....... I kinda went through the same thing. Massive stress from work, full time single mom with deadbeat ex, finishing graduate degree, life!! When things calmed down I felt the same way- kinda blah.

I have always been a runner and athlete- before I got stressed and fat!! I'm back with that now, and back into my skinnier clothes- these are two things that make me happy that I couldn't do through the stress time. So, my two cents::- try to do the things that make you happy now that you don't have to worry so much about all the other things in life??? I hope this helps even a little..

mbrough58

Your current mood seems reasonable. After a long time of using all your resources to keep on track and keep everyone happy, you are feeling blue and exhausted. Quite possibly you are actually exhausted. Your body wants a break, and it is forcing you to pay attention. Some people suffer from adrenal fatigue after they work very hard under extreme stress for long periods of time. There is an old book call Tired of Being Tired. It is written by a doctor who explains that stress and over work can wear our bodies down so much that we need to rebuild. Your need rest (lots of sleep, even naps, go to bed as early as possible), take supplements (stress can deplete us), eat only clean foods (do not eat fake fast foods until you feel better), relax (exercise gently - this is not the time to train for a marathon), and say NO when people ask you to do all the extra things. You may be able to find this book at the library. Take care of yourself - you are worth it!

Maryam2014mfp

Get your basic bloodwork done, including b12, d3, TSH, etc. Some of these things could be causing you to feel crappy if they are low. Taking a good multivitamin also helps. I say this from personal experience. The d3 supplement drops have made the biggest positive impact. I hope you are feeling better soon.

nogreenthumb

Thanks so much for all of your replies. It means a ton to me. On the positive side, I have started taking better care of myself by improving my diet and I did pick up some supplements/vitamins last week. I know it will take some time to improve though. In the meantime, I will start exercising again, but lightly. I will dedicate this weekend to napping . And as luck would have it, I have a mini-vacation coming up.

Thanks again