isolation

Feelings of Heaviness?

word job on someone's back

In the poem, “For One Who is Exhausted, a Bleassing” the Irish poet John O’Donohue writes:

Weariness invades your spirit.

Gravity begins falling inside you,

Dragging down every bone.

Can you resonate with those words? Do you find yourself having strong stressors and emotions when you listen to the news or read the newspaper? You may find yourself experiencing personal challenges, financial stress, high-pressure jobs, parenting, caregiving, or dealing with a chronic illness. I find myself wondering what’s next or what else am I going to be expected to handle. If you too find yourself with a sense of struggle, being irritable, difficulty concentrating or lacking motivation. Those are sign’s you may be emotionally exhausted.

Emotional exhaustion tends to happen slowly over time and people can find themselves feeling worn out and drained. According to the Mayo Clinic, emotional exhaustion includes emotional, physical and performance symptoms.

person sitting down with head between their knees

Emotional symptoms can include:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Feeling hopeless
  • Irritability
  • Lack of Focus
  • Lack of Motivation
  • Negative Thinking
  • Sense of Being Trapped
  • Tearfulness

Physical symptoms can include:

  • Fatigue
  • Headaches
  • Lack of Appetite
  • Muscle Tension
  • Poor Sleep
  • Upset Stomach

Performance symptoms can include:

  • Difficulty Completing Tasks
  • Increased Absences
  • Isolation
  • Lowering Commitments
  • Not Meeting Deadlines
stones on the beach at the ocean

The middle of the poem goes on to talk about getting out of the heaviness and shifting your focus.

Draw alongside the silence of stone

Until its calmness can claim you.

Be excessively gentle with yourself.

Strategies to reduce emotional exhaustion can include:

  • Balancing Your Thoughts
  • Eating A Balanced Diet
  • Exercising
  • Minimizing Stressors
  • Practicing Mindfulness
  • Sleep

Heaviness can lift. That temporary state can be overcome and when it does, you will feel light again.

Gradually, you will return to yourself,

Having learned a new respect for your heart

And the joy that dwells far within slow time.

You are stronger than you realize—every challenge you’ve faced has built a resilience within you that can carry you through this too. You will rise stronger than before.

Written by: Amanda Bohlen, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Washington County

Reviewed by: Megan Taylor, Family and Consumer Sciences/4-H Educator, OSU Extension Union County

Our Epidemic of Loneliness

Social connection is vital to human existence, but we have become more isolated over time. In fact, loneliness and isolation, which threaten our health and well-being, have become a major U.S. health concern, according to an advisory from the Surgeon General.

Over the past few decades, U.S. social trends indicate that companionship and engagement with friends and family have declined while isolation has increased. Trust in institutions and in others, an indicator for social connectedness, is reported to be on the decline in our country.

Approximately half of U.S. adults report experiencing loneliness. Loneliness affects people from all age groups, socioeconomic conditions, and geographies. Possible causes for the downward trends in social connection include decreasing social participation, demographics, reduced community involvement, and use of technology.

In May 2023 a press release announced a new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiative, the Commission on Social Connection, focusing on the importance of social activities to our health and well-being. Social connection reduces the risk of premature mortality. It can predict better physical and mental health outcomes and ease stress. Higher levels of connection can even impact educational and economic achievement.

two men having coffee and giving each other a high five

The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, is challenging us to take the “5-for-5 Connection Challenge” to build and strengthen relationships and inspire others to incorporate connection in their daily lives! Here are the steps:

Step 1: Commit to connect

Pick 5 actions and 5 days in a row to connect with people in your life.

Step 2: Connect each day for 5 days

Each day, take 1 simple action of your choice to express gratitude, offer support, or ask for help. For more ideas, see the card deck.

Step 3: Reflect and share.

Take a moment. How did connecting make you feel?

Let your loved ones know about your experience and invite them to join in! Use #MadeToConnect on social media and share this link.

You can share your stories by emailing MadeToConnect@hhs.gov to inspire more connection.

Together, we can foster social connection and improve our nation’s public health. Improving social connection requires that each of us commit to our relationships and communities. Our actions today can create sustainable positive changes to society and improve health for everyone.

Writer: Shannon Carter, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Fairfield County

Reviewer: Erin Ruggiero, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Medina County