Physical or emotional exhaustion is not uncommon and is fairly easy to diagnose by looking at all areas of that person's life and this will then highlight whether they have been under an extraordinary amount of stress.

Also known as ‘Burnout', this sense of exhaustion can be through over-work or through stressful relationships or having too many responsibilities. Initial symptoms of experiencing a ‘burn out' are when someone feels as if they are just going through the motions and have just lost interest in everything that they are doing. These symptoms have a detrimental effect on their work and home life as they essentially start to be ineffective and they lose any motivation which would help them push through the feelings of hopelessness that they experience.

Additional symptoms include:

• Little or no energy
• Fatigue
• Illness or general feeling of being unwell
• Feeling depressed
• Hopeless
• Frustrated

Physical or emotional exhaustion happens when the pressures are too much for the mind and body to cope with. Career pressure is often the cause of ‘burnout' as too much work, increasing pressure, little or no rewards and not enough relaxation time.

If work is the problem, then it may be wise to speak to someone within the company and try to identify the source of the problem, whilst this may seem difficult if you are the one suffering with symptoms of frustration and hopelessness, a simple chat may be all that is needed to put things right and you will also feel a sense of empowerment.

It could be that you have naturally assumed too many responsibilities and some of the workload can be taken from you. Learning to say no to more work and responsibility is important.

There are Self- Help steps which can be taken such as:

Escape

Take a holiday, a weekend break, even disappear and do something different for a day. Clear your head, take a break from the mundane and recharge the mental and emotional batteries.

Counseling

Counselors will be able to provide support for individuals who are suffering with emotional or physical exhaustion. Having therapy can help to increase skills needed for coping and to be able to reduce stress.

Meditation

Meditation can be useful to help the sufferer deal with the stress overload. Breathing techniques help to still the mind and allow the sufferer to find inner peace.