Boredom, Depression, Exhaustion OH MY!
Boredom (noun)
bore·dom | \ ˈbȯr-dəm
: The state of being weary and restless through lack of interest.
Depression (noun)
de·pres·sion | \ di-ˈpre-shən
: A state of feeling sad, a mood disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies. a reduction in activity, amount, quality, or force.
Exhaustion (noun)
ex·haus·tion | \ ig-ˈzȯs-chən
:the act or process of exhausting : the state of being exhausted.
Exhaust (verb)
ex·haust | \ ig-ˈzȯst
: to consume entirely, to tire extremely or completely, to deprive of a valuable quality or constituent.
These three words are key words to describe many people in my life including myself. Have these words always been in our lives? Well, Exhaustion as a noun was first cited at 1848 and as a verb in 1531. Depression was first cited 1598, and Boredom in 1853. So these words are not new but they are becoming more common in everyday life.
How many of us feel all three at once most of our day or life? Sure they are linked in many ways to one another but why are they more common now?
Now what might cause these things? Boredom is caused by many things. It is a feeling of being unsatisfied, weary, or even restless, due to lack of interesting activity, continuous repetition of an activity, or difficulty comprehending something. And for those who are also depressed, boredom can pose as a pit of despair as it often gives the saddened brain room to wander and drift into negative thoughts, causing the depression to worsen. Boredom can become destructive over time if not proactively addressed, leading to high-risk behaviors such as increased alcohol or drug use.
bore·dom | \ ˈbȯr-dəm
: The state of being weary and restless through lack of interest.
Depression (noun)
de·pres·sion | \ di-ˈpre-shən
: A state of feeling sad, a mood disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies. a reduction in activity, amount, quality, or force.
Exhaustion (noun)
ex·haus·tion | \ ig-ˈzȯs-chən
:the act or process of exhausting : the state of being exhausted.
Exhaust (verb)
ex·haust | \ ig-ˈzȯst
: to consume entirely, to tire extremely or completely, to deprive of a valuable quality or constituent.
These three words are key words to describe many people in my life including myself. Have these words always been in our lives? Well, Exhaustion as a noun was first cited at 1848 and as a verb in 1531. Depression was first cited 1598, and Boredom in 1853. So these words are not new but they are becoming more common in everyday life.
How many of us feel all three at once most of our day or life? Sure they are linked in many ways to one another but why are they more common now?
Now what might cause these things? Boredom is caused by many things. It is a feeling of being unsatisfied, weary, or even restless, due to lack of interesting activity, continuous repetition of an activity, or difficulty comprehending something. And for those who are also depressed, boredom can pose as a pit of despair as it often gives the saddened brain room to wander and drift into negative thoughts, causing the depression to worsen. Boredom can become destructive over time if not proactively addressed, leading to high-risk behaviors such as increased alcohol or drug use.
There are many of us who have experienced boredom at some point in our lives, but what type of boredom? A follow-up study type published in the journal Motivation and Emotion in 2006, classified 5 different types of boredom:
- An individual will feel calm and cut off from the distant world, described as "relaxation" or "In their own bubble."
- Often described as an unpleasant state of boredom with "wandering thoughts or not knowing what to do" or displaying an openness to unrelated activities, but not presenting activities.
- Described as a more agitated negative feeling, which prompts the person to actively search and explore boredom relief by thinking about activities to engage in or reach out to a person to talk to or spend time with.
- Individuals who experience elevated negative feelings of uneasiness and/or aggression and have a strong desire to escape the boredom and more likely to engage in more fulfilling alternative activities or reach out to a person to talk to or spend time with.
- The person may present as detached, experiences low arousal or unpleasant feelings of helplessness and depression.
So clearly Boredom and Depression and lead to one another over and over again which creates exhaustion. There are many types of exhaustion we feel when the other two things are at play, there is mental and physical as well as emotional exhaustion.
I know I go through all three of these simultaneously even in a span of a day. Emotional Exhaustion is when someone feels overwhelmed by factors in their life. Like believing they have no control over their life or they may not be balancing self-care with their life's demands. Mental Exhaustion has similar qualities as the Emotional kind.Mental Exhaustion can be viewed or experiences as : anxiety, cynicism or pessimism, apathy (feeling of not caring), detachment, anger, feelings of hopelessness, feeling of dread, lack of motivation, decline in productivity, and difficulty concentrating. Many of those things are also defined when you look into depression. So I can see why these are linked with one another.
All three things are able to managed and treated. But when the healthcare provided to you does not include mental health care you are on your own to learn and manage the best you can.
I know I go through all three of these simultaneously even in a span of a day. Emotional Exhaustion is when someone feels overwhelmed by factors in their life. Like believing they have no control over their life or they may not be balancing self-care with their life's demands. Mental Exhaustion has similar qualities as the Emotional kind.Mental Exhaustion can be viewed or experiences as : anxiety, cynicism or pessimism, apathy (feeling of not caring), detachment, anger, feelings of hopelessness, feeling of dread, lack of motivation, decline in productivity, and difficulty concentrating. Many of those things are also defined when you look into depression. So I can see why these are linked with one another.
All three things are able to managed and treated. But when the healthcare provided to you does not include mental health care you are on your own to learn and manage the best you can.
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