Spiritual Awakening Fatigue

Many people undergoing a spiritual awakening experience extreme fatigue associated with their awakening. Spiritual awakening fatigue can occur for a number of reasons;

• Some parts of the awakening process require a lot of energy. A LOT.
• Overcoming the resistance of the body to the process can be exhausting
• Over analysing the process and progress can take its toll
• Disturbed sleep patterns leading to sleep deprivation
• Letting go of old beliefs and undergoing transformation is tiring

Fortunately there are things we can do to help alleviate these issues and restore our energy.

But first consider this;

Is It Spiritual Awakening Fatigue or Is It Something Medical?

This is a tough question to answer, but it’s important that you consider the possibility that something medical may be playing into your fatigue. To ignore chronic fatigue and blame it on spiritual awakening fatigue would be a form of Spiritual Bypassing and is definitely one of the more dangerous reasons why bypassing should not be engaged in.

If you’ve noticed changes in bowel habits, changes in skin tones or textures, unusually heavy periods, or any other medical issues alongside your fatigue you would be very well advised to seek the input of your local medical practitioner. Some fatigue symptoms can be caused by things going on in the body that need remedy, such as anaemia, hypothyroidism or raised inflammatory markers which can only be correctly diagnosed with blood tests. It would be best, if you’re experiencing chronic fatigue symptoms that you think may be due to a spiritual awakening that you make an appointment with your doctor anyway just to be sure.

If you’ve recently had a viral infection, particularly if you’ve had even a mild case of Covid-19, you could be one of the millions of people struggling with Long Covid Syndrome^[1] for example. Get yourself checked and then if everything is OK, and you are actually experiencing a spiritual awakening, then we can accept it as a spiritual awakening fatigue.

Spiritual Exhaustion Symptoms

The following symptoms can be associated with a spiritual fatigue, although not everyone will experience all of them, and some people will experience them differently to their neighbour.

• Extreme fatigue. A tiredness in the bones is one way to describe it.
• Irritability. When one becomes fatigued one can become irritable and tetchy. Things that would not normally irritate us suddenly do.
• Depression. Sometimes this can come out of nowhere, and be consuming.
• Physical pain. Particularly in joints or larger muscles such as shoulders, back or thighs. Larger joints can hurt, such as knees, shoulders, elbows, hips.
• Gastrointestinal symptoms such as IBS, or just a feeling of discomfort in your tummy.

Extreme Fatigue

For some people the fatigue can be so great that, at times, you will need to stop whatever it is you’re doing and simply lay down. Your head may be spinning, or have that muggy, almost detached from reality feeling. You may also feel nauseous, although not as if you were going to vomit necessarily.

This can occur even if you have had enough sleep, or only recently awoken. And it can be debilitating.

Irritability

To be fair, who doesn’t get irritable when they’re tired. I don’t think I know anyone that copes with tiredness by being extra specially happy and jolly. But the irritability associated with the spiritual awakening fatigue can be less easy to recognise initially.

This can sometimes come from a prolonged ride through the darker stages of the awakening as frustration (perhaps rather than fatigue itself) takes hold.

Physical Pain

Extreme fatigue can manifest itself as physical pain for some people. This will often present as a burning in the larger muscles such as the shoulders (where we carry our burdens) or hips and thighs. This means that yes, spiritual awakenings can cause physical pain.

It can be an overall body-ache, with heightened pain in specific areas. Headaches can be present (but if you’re experiencing regular headaches that are not usual you must speak to your doctor or primary healthcare provider), and in some cases even a sore throat can be present.

The symptoms can often feel like you’re “fighting something off” like when you’re going down with a cold or flu. Aches, pains, shivers and sore things.

For more information about why spiritual awakenings hurt, click here.

Depression

The constant fatigue, irritability and pain can often lead to depression and to wonder if all this suffering will ever end. It can even lead to thoughts of how to make it end. If you experience any feelings of wanting to hurt yourself, or kill yourself, to end the pain then you should seek immediate professional help. A spiritual awakening should back off if you begin to have these sorts of feelings and if they continue then it’s probably not a spiritual awakening that’s causing it.

Whatever the cause, if you’re feeling depressed, reach out to qualified people. Qualified people can be professionals or simply someone who’s been through it and come out the other side. Significant depression should always involve professionals though.

Overcoming Spiritual Awakening Fatigue

The first step to overcoming the spiritual awakening fatigue you’re feeling is to resist the urge to fight everything. You may not even realise you’re doing it – but acceptance of the process (and the fatigue) can relieve some of the pressure you’re feeling and help you let go.

This is especially true if your fatigue centers around shoulder aches and pains, or pains in your arms. This is a sign you’re carrying too many burdens and need to let some of them go.

Don’t Try To Rush

Secondly, don’t try to rush the process. The awakening will take as long as it takes and you trying to rush it will wear you out and fatigue you quickly. Think of the awakening as a journey rather than a destination and accept the scenery along the way – both the good and bad.

Get Enough Sleep

Make sure you’re not trying to burn the candle at both ends. It can be tempting, particularly if you’re wanting to hurry the process along, to try to put off sleep in order to read more spiritual material, or watch more YouTube about it. Or even to put off sleeping in order to meditate on something specific which you feel will aid your awakening.

But sleep is an important part of the awakening process (perhaps counter-intuitively) because your answers can often be revealed through dreams and sleep.

Eat Properly

A poor diet will lead to fatigue. Your body and mind are working hard at this time and they need the right fuel to be able to operate efficiently. A motor car engine that doesn’t get the right fuel and air mixture will build up deposits inside and begin to run poorly. Your body is the same.

If you’re eating too much sugary processed food you could be clogging up your body and creating an extra burden which it doesn’t need. If you’re not sure what you should be eating and what’s good for you, it’s worth consulting a properly qualified dietician to help you navigate the appropriate menu correctly.

Avoid excessive alcohol intake as too much alcohol will impede your spiritual awakening (causing it to be more difficult and last longer) and will reduce the quality of your sleep and leave you feeling fatigued.

Relax and Switch Off

Sometimes you’ll just need to relax and switch off. A nice hot bath with some lovely fragranced bath bubbles can work wonders. Don’t think about your awakening while you take your bath, just exist for no reason.

Taking a leisurely walk in nature can help you ground and switch off for a while. In a forest or by the sea, or just walking through the park. Where-ever you feel comfortable.

Simple Meditation Can Help

We use the term simple meditation here because many people will use meditation as a way to speed up their spiritual awakening process and to find answers to what they need to learn to grow. But if you’re experiencing fatigue then it’s important that you practise a more simple meditation.

Managing stress and anxiety during a pandemic is an article we wrote earlier in the year, and can provide some pointers for how to meditate more simply, as opposed to a spiritual meditation focus. When you’re fatigued with your spiritual position it’s important to take a more relaxed approach to your meditations if your intention is to help re-energise yourself.

A quiet corner, an empty mind and some relaxing chill-out meditation music in the background can help work wonders to relieve the fatigue. But it should not be done at the expense of actual sleep, unless doing so will actually help you fall asleep faster and in a more relaxed way.

Reach Out To Others

Above all, realise that you’re not alone in this process. You aren’t the first and you won’t be the last person to experience this. Others have been through it. Others are going through it right now. Join a forum or support group and share experiences. Sometimes just knowing that you’re not alone in your experiences can help settle the mind and aid restful sleep. And restful sleep is the single most powerful antidote to spiritual awakening fatigue.

Remember, above all, make sure it’s not a medical issue – and even if you’re certain it’s an awakening fatigue you’re experiencing – you should reach out to your doctor for assistance if you’re feeling in any way overwhelmed by it.

If you’re experiencing this kind of fatigue yourself and have any further questions or comments – or if you’ve been through it and come out the other side, please leave a comment below and let us and others know.

All the very best and good luck!

References:

1: Office for National Statistics (2021). Prevalence of ongoing symptoms following coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the UK: 1 April 2021. Fetched from Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 4th October 2021.

Featured Image by Ratna Fitry from Pixabay