Struggling with Fatigue and How It Affects Mental Health

I'm tired. I did not sleep well last night, so I did not get enough sleep to function well. I'm dragging through the day trying my best to get myself together in order to be productive. I am failing.

Adding to my struggles to get things done while I battle fatigue, a combination of a feeling of defeat and a diminished ability to focus is taking a toll on my mental health.

Memory issues caused by excessive fatigue

Several hours were spent trying to remember what I needed to do and which item on my to-do list needed to be completed first. My list of things to do is rather lengthy, and I could not remember all of it, nor could I decide what needed to be done first.

As I sat staring blankly out the window, time marched on and the morning slipped by me. I realized I would get very little done. Knowing I was wasting an entire day because of fatigue made me anxious. Realizing it was going to put me behind schedule made me feel bad for being unproductive.

Productivity is linked to my mental health

Dealing with fatigue makes it much harder to accomplish my goals and complete tasks on time. This is something I struggle with on a regular basis, and it has a huge impact on my mental health. I feel insignificant if I'm not working on something. I struggle with self-worth if I can't complete needed tasks.

My self-esteem and self-worth are greatly affected by my accomplishments. It's an ongoing battle of trying to do more and more to boost my self-esteem. Trying to balance it all is like walking a tightrope, and I keep falling off and failing. It starts chipping away at my self-worth and depression starts creeping in while I'm too tired to notice.

Fatigue can cause anxiety and depression

It always starts with the blues. I'm too tired to get things done, and then I feel blue. I feel like I'm incapable of accomplishing great things because I can't accomplish small things. It makes the blues a bit darker. This cycle continues until I either get enough sleep to get things done or it spirals into depression.

This is an ongoing struggle. Insomnia has a big impact on both my physical and mental health. Fatigue can cause anxiety or lead to full-blown depression. Of course, anxiety and depression can also cause sleep disturbances but oftentimes my sleep disturbances lead to anxiety and depression.

Fatigue causes anxiety and anxiety fuels insomnia

At the end of the day, I'm left worrying that I will spend another night tossing and turning. I worry tomorrow will be even less productive. All this worrying causes more anxiety, and the anxiety keeps me awake. I get stuck in a rut of being unable to sleep because I am worried about being able to sleep.

If you are battling fatigue, be mindful of the effect it has on your mental health. In my personal experience, sleepless nights cause anxiety and can lead to depression. Has fatigue affected your mental health? Have you noticed a connection between lack of sleep and mental health issues? I would love to hear about your experience.