I have been tired. I think you have been too.
A pair of tired people.
I have been so tired that I could not even get up.
Then I thought why?
Do you know why?
If you read the famous book by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi about 'Flow' it gives some idea about root cause of our tiredness. The book itself is not about tiredness at all. Instead, it reads about the opposite of tiredness. He gives the idea of optimal state of the mind which is called 'flow' where an individual is continuously engaged in productive activity without thinking about time. We will dig deep into this idea to understand tiredness. Here I am not talking about physical tiredness, it is mental tiredness. Of course, if it is physical tiredness, you just have to rest. But, as you can understand, mental tiredness is taking a long time to recover, and even after physical rest it won't go away.
Traditional approach to tiredness
Traditional approach to overcome tiredness is to have a rest. We try to take a walk, try some meditation, relaxation and yoga. I think you have tried them all. To overcome tiredness, and these are very good techniques. If they work for you that is really good, you should continue with them. If they do not help, maybe we are addressing the wrong problem.
Flow state of the mind.
Imagine a person who love doing work. Imagine Elon musk, do you think he feels tiredness? He has built a technological empire around him and he is trying to travel to Mars, he has a mission vision and devotion. He is always pushing his boundaries, and his internal motivation drives him. I bet he do not feel tired, and he even feels sad when he goes to sleep as he has lot of working hours spend in sleep. Do you know why someone would feel such energy?
Now imagine a farmer in Tibetan plateau. He wakes up in the morning, drives his cows into pastures, goes to his land plough it, sow it, and look after the crops. Plenty of work at home, plenty of work in field. He may feel physically tired end of the day. But I bet he doesn't feel mentally tired of because it will happen only if he is passionate about his work.
That is the word, being passionate about the work. Which is a natural phenomenon.
Why am I so tired? How to overcome tiredness
If the work you are doing is not something you are passionate about, I suggest you would not fall into a flow state. The 'flow state' is when you do not feel tired about your work. There is a balance in your mind between accomplishment and progress. And you would not feel time passing. If you look at your life, you will identify some experiences from the past where you have been in flow states. And that is the kind of work you should be doing every day. Imagine how much your life can change and how much progress you can make if you get into a flow state on your work. One day you might land on Mars.
So, for anyone who is thinking on a tireless work, and a healthy career advice is to find something passionate about and do not be afraid of changing otherwise. Even if it is less pay than what you are being paid now, in long term it will be beneficial.
Remember, happiness cannot be bought with any amount of money. If you do not agree, ask rich.
In summary
Flow is an optimal state of mind where you can continuously work without feeling tired.
Flow state arise naturally when you are doing an activity which is pushing your boundaries as well as inherently rewarding and is key to overcome tiredness.
To get into flow state you will have to choose work which you are passionate about.
You may be helped by relaxation exercise and meditation, which may or may not improve your tiredness, however 'flow' helps in the long term.
Thank you for reading: Why Am I so tired? How to overcome?
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