Fatigue or just laziness
I need some help with this issue, please. I am still working a 40 plus hour week. I am a medical research librarian, and work primarily from home and go to the office, usually, 1 day a week. On at home days, I get through my day, make dinner, maybe get a chore done, then I sit and do mindless activity until bedtime. I try to have leftovers ready so on the days I go to the office, I can get to the mindless portion of my day faster. I am slightly more productive on weekends, but still spend a chunk of time either sleeping or on mindless activity. Am I just lazy and need to get my rear in gear, or is something else going on? Does anyone else have this issue?
The fatigue of RA and chronic illness is real and it can be debilitating. It isn't just a matter of more sleep either, unfortunately. It's threefold - it saps your energy faster, it kills motivation, and, yes, it makes physical exhaustion too. So it really is a triple whammy. There isn't much of a cure for it other then to find out what best you can do for your own illness to help lessen it and, yes, sleep may be a part of that, but it also may not! I wish we had a better answer for you but fatigue is not only ubiqutious for RA but also enigmatic! Just know you are not alone! Keep on keepin' on, DPM Thank you. "Lack of motivation" explains it exactly. Even when I know what is on my need to accomplish list or want to accomplish something, many times it doesn't get done if it doesn't directly affect the health or safety of me or my dogs.
, I hear you! It's pretty hard to get the motivation to do things when you just aren't feeling your best. You're definitely not alone in feeling this way!
Best, Erin, Team Member.
I'm trying to do less meaningless, by switching to audio books instead of YouTube
I like this idea! Swapping YouTube for audiobooks still gives you a mental break without wearing yourself out. I can see how this approach would be more "mindless". -Latoya (Team Member) , that's a great idea and I may have to steal it 😉 ! I find myself doing a little too much mindless scrolling/watching on Youtube.
Thanks for sharing!
Best, Erin, Team member.
Don't be so hard on yourself. You’re definitely not lazy. It sounds like you’re using all your energy to get through the workday and basic life stuff, and there’s just not much left after that. Fatigue is just brutal and there's unfortunately not enough that can be done about it. I just want to offer you a few reads from our site that I think you might find some solace in. You can access them here, https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/ra-fatigue-complex-poorly-understood and another, https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/symptoms/fatigue-and-weakness. All in all, being a bit more productive on some days and then needing rest on others is part of the fatigue shuffle when dealing with RA. It doesn’t mean something is wrong with you, it just means you’re operating near your limit. Continue to do what works best for you. You're doing you're absolute best and that's what matters! -Latoya (Team Member)
