Am I working myself into the ground?

Question

I need your opinion as to whether this is possible.. I work for 40 hours a week, not including lunch breaks, so 45 I guess. I have to travel to my job too, which makes it a lot longer so i've been leaving really early and getting back late at night. Also i'm most likely going to be starting a masters part-time at university soon. When I get home, i'm so tired as it is. I haven't been eating properly because i've been too busy. I've had time off this weekend but feel ill. Am I pushing myself too far or is this just perfectly normal? And are there ways to stop fatigue and give yourself more energy?

Answer 1

Are you physically exhausted AND mentally exhausted?  You could be "working yourself into the ground" if:

You are getting sick more than usual... common cold etc

If on your day off you sleep a lot more than usual to "catch up"

You find yourself falling asleep when you should be wide awake... like driving

You never feel caught up on your sleep

You feel physically fatigued when you wake up

You are losing weight without trying

You skip meals because you are too tired to cook.

IMHO, before you add more to your plate with a stressful masters program, I recommend you do a few simple things and see if you feel human again:

Take a good multivitamin

Prioritize three meals a day... healthy meals

Prioritize 8 hours or so of sleep per night

Try to take one day completely off... no work, no stress, play and relaxation only

Give yourself a day to sleep until you wake up... if you sleep for 12-15 hours, you are clearly needing more sleep.

JennRN

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