Is there such a thing as emotional exhaustion?

Of course emotional stress is real! You're doing all you can and it's a Lot and you keep on going. But, are you getting Any time to just rest and do something you enjoy for yourself? That's hard to do I know but necessary!
In the Bible the Lord says to remember the Sabbath and I don't think He is just talking about remembering Him and all He's done. I believe He is saying that we are not made to keep going and going but we need to take a break. I find if I do not take one day a week to just unwind I get stressed. I also, find if I do not take time to spend in prayer and worship (where I can get a good cry when needed on my Father/God) then it makes for a, more than usual, challenging day.
Philippians 4:4-7 Rx for Peace.
I'm praying and hoping you can find what works for you! SHALOM

Google "Compassion Fatigue." It's real. I learned about it from my sister who is an RN. I bet 100% of us on this forum can relate to it. I know I certainly do! I'm starting my 8th year taking care of my MIL. NYDaughterinLaw also mentioned compassion fatigue in her response to you.

Briefly:

"Non-workers, such as family members and other informal caregivers of people who are suffering from a chronic illness, may also experience compassion fatigue. It was first diagnosed in nurses in the 1950s. People who experience compassion fatigue can exhibit several symptoms including hopelessness, a decrease in experiences of pleasure, constant stress and anxiety, sleeplessness or nightmares, and a pervasive negative attitude. This can have detrimental effects on individuals, both professionally and personally, including a decrease in productivity, the inability to focus, and the development of new feelings of incompetency and self-doubt."

Do all you can to pace yourself and care for yourself. This stuff isn't easy.

Sending warm fuzzies! :-)

YES. It's very real. And, wait a minute. Give yourself some slack here. All of this is tough. Maybe stop comparing yourself to others. You have your own struggles, and comparison rarely serves any good purpose. It's ok to feel how you feel. All a part of this journey.

Things will change. Even though this is a difficult moment, you've got a lot in your favor, which most people don't have. Again, realize this difficult moment is going to change and hang in there. Also, be as supportive of your support group, and especially your husband. He & they deserve it. Only the very best wishes.

This is my first time answering. I don’t think it matters how much help you have it is still your problem and your life. It’s hard and no one knows how long it will go on. You don’t want to lose your loved one but you wonder how long you can go on. I have no help. I live in a new area and all my friends have given up. I can’t get out and I can’t have them in. At this point he is not ready to have someone in to help or go to a respite center.
Take a deep breath

Yes, there is! After I had been living out of state - having had to leave my state, my home, my family, my pets and my life and move in with my mother where she demanded to live alone in another state 500 miles away from mine - she died. I had been there 8 months - the sole caregiver! My daughter then arrived for the funeral. She said I had to make coffee for those who came back to my mother's house after the funeral. I simply COULD NOT MOVE ANOTHER MUSCLE OR THINK. My daughter of course took over.
Good luck and prayers sent!

Oh MY Goodness YES..... It is so hard to deal with. I have to say that the emotional exhaustion did eventually take a toll on me physically. Mom had a stroke and was unable to move her entire Left Side. She was taking care of herself prior and this was a real blow for her. I cared for her 24/7 cooked, cleaned took care of all her needs, hygiene picked up her medications because the siblings were calling in for refills of the opiates trying to get the medication for themselves. So the doctor and the pharmacist said I was the only one who could pick up and/ or refills. I have two older brothers who did "NOTHING" during the entire year. All they did was complain about me.
Yes exhaustion comes from various sources but you HAVE to give yourself a break. At least you have caregivers I was the only one. If I could give you one piece of advice is delegate. Good Luck

What I do which has some limited results. Is I step outside of the parent child bond that would of applied to a different time in life. During this time you are the leader. and say to her in your son but I'm also almost a 50 year old man. I'm old as well, and you have to have consideration of our age. No one here is 18 anymore. I am reminded her not as a child but as a regular person who she is affecting that she needs to be more considerate. that it's having an impact on me as well. And she has understood a bit. This disease affects regions of the brain associated with empathy. Being considerate would be under empathy, so you have to remind them cause they are sick, so they have lost the ability to execute the act of consideration. Which I speculate might be to.mcuh work. But I speculate they haven't forgotten what consideration means. These are impaired brains remember they are not inoperable. They can learn even in this state.

Superstring- first of all, I’m praying for you. You are doing the best you can. I’m so glad you have received some good support, and great responses for taking care of yourself and the true reality of compassion fatigue and results of long term trauma form watching a loved one slowly fade from this earth.
There is nothing easy about it.
It does trouble me that some are so bitter that they can’t see past themselves to just be kind.
This forum has some beautiful souls.
ones who use their struggles to give others a lift when we can hardly breathe. Grateful for them.
Praying for an evening of peace for you, mind, body and spirit. 🤗

Thank you for asking this question because it just made me realize that it’s what I am going through and it’s extremely frustrating and exhausting. I know my husband is in the same place but he won’t admit it. He avoids going to the al that his dad is at unless he has to. It’s not the dad he knows. He thought his dad would have a heart attack and die on the soccer field. Unfortunately we don’t get to choose our end. I just worry about him. I also just posted about my physical and emotional exhaustion. Again thank you and be good to yourself

I hear you. There is no big or small concerns regardless of how many resources and how much help you have. You feel the way you feel and it's important to acknowledge you and your feelings. To me that's one of the ways to manage your self control.🤗

I think I already answered but too tired to look back.

Yes, you bet there is emotional exhaustion..... I think it's what used to be referred to as a nervous breakdown.... or at least the pre-stages of it.

Indeed. Church people get it; churchly people get it, older mothers may get it; dads getting ready to retire in a few years may get it, a father that feels they can't handle their Autistic daughter may get it that otherwise drives her places; what we feel may be a divorced friend or grandma can easily have it; it can be a type of frustration or almost like a panging or migraine headache time; it can more or less be true of those that may be suffering from the loss or conversing of their siblings that never get in touch hence or smokers, people can have it of fear, maybe a panic attack, Grand Mal seizure recovery or a wife trying to take care of her husband with Lou Gherig's Disease i.e; a poet can feel it, one about to get Dementia, Alzheimer's or Depression can get it; it may be known more in people with Sciatica or backache(s); people with Bronchitis-like problems may have it or those with bad teeth and root canals the same; snorers and people that can't fight the cold weather may have it; people that have thyroid problems may have it, and people with Adrenal Fatigue can easily have it.

Your question hit home for me. I'm only at the beginning stages of this challenging journey with my mother but, like you, there are times I feel exhausted from the sheer emotional side of feeling so helpless. The other day, as I was cleaning up after my poor old puppy, another journey in itself, I just snapped. Tears came and I was forced to take a moment to reflect on myself. Helplessness can certainly overwhelm you, but it's important, as I found out, to not forget who you are in the scheme of everything. My mother always said, 'count your blessings and not your troubles.' Pray. Meditate. Count your blessings. It's amazing how much healing can happen in just a few minutes taken for yourself. In seeking understanding, I have found a purpose. I can offer hope and love and hugs and peace...just like my mother has done for me all my life. As she leaves us, I will know that she knows her life created something very beautiful...and that she is loved. Your husband is loved. You are amazing.
Blessed Be.

There definitely is emotional exhaustion. It’s worse than physical exhaustion. Your body can rest after physical work and recover in hours. Not so with being emotionally wiped out.

I remember in 2016 I was dealing with the worst part of mom’s Alzheimer’s and I had found out my son is a heroin addict. I lost it mentally. I could not force my brain to keep it together no matter how hard I tried. I lost some hair, lost weight and had trouble concentrating on anything. I was so emotionally wrung out that I went to see a psychiatrist. He prescribed meds that turned me into a zombie. I quit after 3 days and asked God to help me keep it together. My mental exhaustion has never been that bad since.

I feel for you, as the only way to end this exhaustion is to remove the source of what causes it. I’m sure that isn’t an option at this time.
Take plenty of time for yourself and have other outside interests. Also ask the Good Lord to intervene in those moments.

Good wishes are sent your way.

Yes there is definitely emotional exhaustion! Talk to your Doctor about your emotional issues.. with everything you’re going through there’s no shame in asking for help for you. I have been caring for my elderly parents for 9 years. I had similar issues an was diagnosed with depression. For now using prescribed anti depressants and also went to some therapy sessions.. take care 💗

I can't respond to everybody personally although I really would like to. But again, I am so uplifted by the outpouring of support from all of you! Both hubby and I are a lot better now and it's a bit easier to focus on things other than his condition. I do want to emphasize for a couple of posters that the support group I attend once a week is invaluable. Not because anybody can "fix it" but because it keeps me aware that I am NOT the only one, and also gives me an opportunity where perhaps some of my experience can benefit others going through situations I've already experienced.

I too was diagnosed with severe major depressive disorder, first in 2003 and again in 2007. I didn't realize it at the time but the first time coincided with the first signs of his cognitive decline. The second time was when we were desperately searching for answers to my husband's declining mobility. Since then I've been on a big fat dose of sertraline, and I'm not thinking of going off it anytime soon!

I also want to mention that until 2010 I had been my husband's caregiver (on and off) since 1990 when his physical problems started. He had a spinal cord condition which took 19 months to diagnose during which he was increasingly unable to walk, and in the middle of all this he had a kidney cancer which resulted in a big operation to remove one kidney, ureter, and a piece of his bladder in 1991, followed by two operations on his spine in 1992 to find and fix what turned out to be a circulation defect. He had to re-learn to walk and was left with quite a lot of sensory abnormality (position sense the most disabling--he doesn't know where his feet are unless he looks). Then in 1993 he had a small bowel obstruction and the recovery was pretty interesting given that he'd lost some bowel and bladder control due to the spinal cord difficulties. He did roar back to life and was very active & involved for the next few years until he started to develop spinal curvature in about 2001 and increasing difficulties with his walking. Needless to say I've spent a lot of time in doctor's offices and researching medical conditions over the last 30 years! Yet, I never thought of myself as a "caregiver". Even when his cognitive decline was obvious to everyone else starting about 5 years before his diagnosis, I never thought of myself as a caregiver. This is just what we DO! And it would never have crossed my mind to ask for "help" in those days.

Sure it's called burnout. Get some assistance with these caregiver issues or it will only get worse

Compassion Fatigue.
I was just reading about this the other day and it totally makes sense. It’s different than “burnout”. First responders, ER staff, military, caregivers all can be victims of it.