I can’t tell if I’m depressed or just completely burned out anymore. Everything feels like effort, even basic stuff I used to do without thinking. I keep telling myself I need rest, but resting doesn’t seem to bring me back. I wake up tired, put off messages, avoid plans, and then feel guilty because I’m not even sure what I’m upset about.
The confusing part is that I can still have a decent hour here and there. I’ll laugh at something or get a little work done, then wonder if I’m making it all seem worse than it is. But most of the time I feel flat and stuck, not just tired.
I’m trying to take it seriously instead of waiting until I completely fall apart. Maybe burnout and depression can overlap, but either way, this doesn’t feel like something I should just push through.
1 Like
That decent hour here and there doesn’t cancel out the rest of what you’re feeling. I used to treat any brief good moment as proof I was fine, then feel worse when I couldn’t keep it going.
One practical thing that helped was making a tiny daily baseline instead of trying to “rest” perfectly: shower, eat something with protein, step outside for ten minutes, and answer one message. It didn’t fix the flat feeling, but it gave me something concrete to do without demanding a full recovery. I’d also bring this up with a doctor or therapist, especially since rest hasn’t been helping.
1 Like
The tiny baseline is a good idea, especially the part about not expecting it to fix everything. I’ve found that having a few basic anchors can keep a bad day from turning into a week of avoiding everything.
The protein and stepping outside are probably more useful than they sound too. When I’m running on coffee and staying indoors, my mood gets harder to read. Did you set those four things up as a checklist, or just keep them in mind?