You know that feeling ...

[exhaustedallthetime]

...When you're just so exhausted 24/7 and feel like you're on a hamster wheel and can't get off it? And there's no one to talk to and the nights are just so lonely.

Anyone else? No point to this really! Just needed to get that out somewhere.

It's ok, just breathe it out op. This feeling will pass. I've just sat with my teen DD who has also woken up with anxiety. I'm here if you need me.

Anxiety is horrible isn't it. I hope your daughter is ok. You sound like such a lovely mum

That's kind of you to say OP, thank you. You also sound like a great mum to your little ones. I also suffer with anxiety and I worry that I've passed it to DD. I want to make it all better for her but I struggle to know what to say or do to help, so I just listen and tell her that her feelings are real and it will pass. So your feelings are valid OP, this will pass, you will get some rest and tomorrow is a new day. Do you have something nice planned to look forward to? Doesn't have to be big. We are going for a short walk to the shop for chocolate after lunch.

Your DD is lucky to have you ❤️ That sounds like a lovely day. I am planning a little walk around a park near me, it has a little pond with ducks and it sounds silly but it always makes me smile just pushing my baby around there in her pram and feeling like I'm in nature. I wish it was daylight so we could go now.

Thank you so much for this little chat. It's meant more than I can tell you

Have you got a sleep app like Headspace or Calm? There are free versions. Highly recommend for soothing you in the night.

Hold on, op. Dawn is just around the corner.

The birds will start singing soon. Can you open your window a crack so you can hear their song and feel the cool breeze? It’ll keep your senses in the moment and help calm you. Well unless you’ve got a flock of bloody great crows living in your tree!

I hear you OP. Daily can be relentless (very much my life for the last three + years) and sometimes it feels like all we are doing is trying to get through it. The pond sounds lovely - it doesn't sound silly at all. Take joy in the small things!

Hope you've manage some rest. The pond sounds lovely. Sounds like nature may be the key. Are there other places in the local area which you could plan to go to, get a few lovely nature walks in the diary?

Good morning OP, it looks like a perfect day outside for your walk. It's important to take joy in whatever you can, no matter what it is. I wish we had a park with a pond with ducks nearby, my DS would love that. I hope you have a lovely time, I'll be thinking of you so you know you're not alone. Come back later if you like and tell us how it was.

I hope you had a walk with the pram and felt the sun on your face @exhaustedallthetime

I’ve just had two weeks off work with exhaustion. I pretty much slept for the first week. Before that I felt so tired and emotionally awful j thought I was having some kind of breakdown. I felt much better after a rest. Is there anyway you can get one?
I have a counsellor and she said that she has noticed collective experiences during Covid and the current one is exhaustion. She says that if you have difficult personal circumstances which cause stress, the added pandemic stress means that we’ve had too long with raised cortisol that is not good for the body.
I’m just optimistically hoping things will improve x

Thank you all.