When people with depression say that they’re “tired", "exhausted" or "fatigued", it often has a different meaning compared to when someone who doesn’t have depression says that they’re tired, exhausted or fatigued.
Consequently, a little while ago, we at The Depression Project recently asked our 3,000,000+ person social media community:
What do you really mean when you say you’re "tired", "exhausted" or "fatigured"?
And below, we’d like to share with you some of the responses.
Quotes About What People With Depression Actually Mean When They Say "I'm Tired", "I'm Exhausted" Or "I'm Fatigued"
- “I’m mentally exhausted, sad and frustrated.”
- “I’m drained and am barely making it through the day.”
- “I have no energy or motivation left to fight this illness.”
- “I’m in survival mode.”
- “I don’t have the mental, physical or emotional capacity for this.”
- “I’m exhausted from having to deal with the same crap 24/7.”
- “I’m exhausted from hiding my symptoms.”
- “I’m really struggling to keep going and make it through the day.”
- "I'm tired of giving my all and still feeling like I'm always falling behind"
- “I’m struggling to survive.”
- "I'm tired of life ... I just need to exist for a while until I feel myself again."
- “I’m sad and numb. I barely have the energy to move or speak.”
- “My depression is really bad right now, but I don’t have the energy to explain it to you.”
- “I really need someone to talk to / hug / support / help / all of the above.”
- “I’m really overwhelmed.”
- “Everything is too much for me and I need help.”
- “I’m tired of trying my absolute hardest and not seeing any progress.”
- “I don’t have enough energy to pretend that I’m fine.”
- “I’m emotionally exhausted.”
What To Do If You Know Someone With Depression Who Tells You "I'm Tired", "I'm Exhausted" Or "I'm Fatigued"
In light of the above quotes, if a loved one with depression tells you that they’re “tired”, "exhausted" or "fatigued", then please:
- Firstly, understand that they’re likely feeling something much deeper and more intense than what you might tend to associate the words “tiredness”, "exhaustion" or "fatigue" with.
- Secondly, please don’t dismiss what your loved one may actually be going through by saying something a little bit flippant like, for example, “make sure you get a good night’s sleep tonight”, or “just have a lie down – then you’ll feel better”. Comments such as these can be really upsetting and frustrating to people with depression, because “depression tiredness” is not the consequence of not having enough sleep – it’s the consequence of fighting a debilitating, crippling illness that can affect every single aspect of a person’s life. And, for this reason, “depression tiredness” cannot be solved by just “having a lie down” or “getting a good night’s rest".
- Lastly, instead of casually saying something like “just have a lie down” or “make sure you get a good night’s sleep tonight”, we encourage you to ask them if there’s anything you can do to make their life easier. After all, when your loved one is feeling “depression tired”, this may be something that they’ll particularly appreciate, because “depression tiredness” tends to make everything a struggle – including the “little things” like doing the grocery shopping, preparing dinner, washing the dishes, taking the trash out and cleaning up around the house, for example. Consequently, any help you can give your love one – such as by helping them complete these everyday tasks in particular or by doing something else that they specifically ask for – is something they’ll almost certainly be very grateful for.
We really hope you've found this blog post helpful.
All our love,
The Depression Project Team.