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When to stop and take a break

Health & Science

By Dr Margaret Mwenje

I once took a ride in a bus that didn’t have enough petrol to reach the desired destination. I was sitting in the front seat and I could tell that if the driver did not refill the tank, we would get into a big mess. The fuel indicator was on E (empty) but the driver didn’t seem to care much. I thought maybe he had carried an extra container of petrol for use in an emergency. I didn’t say anything because in those days, nobody could complain in a public bus and passengers were at the mercy of drivers and conductors. If a passenger complained about something he or she got a rude retort.

Finally, when we got to a hilly part of the road, the bus just stopped. I almost asked the disappointed driver whether he was expecting anything different when he ignored the oil indicator pointing at E.

The E indicator is very important and there is a reason it is there. It is a warning signal. Our bodies too, have an inbuilt E indicator, which warns us when we are about to become ‘Empty’ and ‘Exhausted’ emotionally, physically and spiritually.

If you want to keep going, you need to make sure your emotional tank is full. Otherwise when you become emotionally exhausted you will not be productive. When your gauge is on E you start feeling fatigue. You are tired physically and emotionally. You feel you don’t have energy even to get out of bed.

You are no longer excited about the break of a new day and you force yourself out of bed. When you finally get out, you don’t have energy to do anything and can stay in your pyjamas the whole day. If this goes on for more than a week, you need to seek professional help.

When your gauge is on E, you may also lose appetite. As a result of not eating, you may shed some weight and experience general body weakness. You may have joint aches, backache, headache, stomach problems and other pains.

Moody and easily agitated

Another indicator you are approaching E is insomnia. If your gauge is on E, you will also find yourself becoming very moody and easily agitated. You will not be the most pleasant person to be around and people will start pulling away from you. Then you start feeling isolated and unloved, but still you are too exhausted to reach out to anybody.

When your emotional indicator is on E you may find yourself having crying spells. You start feeling depressed and hopeless. You don’t see any need to keep living a life of exhaustion and emptiness. Suicidal thoughts may start kicking in.

Just like a car engine, when you are exhausted, there are high chances of burning out. If you have not yet burnt out, there are some measures you can take to prevent it. Start eating a well balanced diet. A strong healthy body can withstand stress and help to increase your energy levels.

Avoid biting more than you can chew lest you choke. Do not overstretch yourself because you are likely to get exhausted fast. You can’t be everything and everywhere. Some people have a habit of wanting to please everybody but they end up pleasing nobody, not even themselves! It is okay to say No. You are a human being and not a machine. Take care of yourself first.

Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. People carry a heavy briefcase packed with issues and emotions that they don’t want to talk about. At some point they get tired, exhausted and stuck with the heavy brief case. Talk to a trusted friend or a professional counsellor who can help you to empty your briefcase.

Develop a positive attitude about life. Avoid irrational or negative thoughts. Negative feelings invite negative results. Develop an attitude of humility; this can take you a long way.

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