Control Stress - Boosting Your Natural Energy: Chronic Fatigue

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Control stress

The most common cause of persistent fatigue is stress and the emotional response to it (see "Warning signs of stress," below). People who feel fatigued most of the time don't necessarily have more stress in their lives than other people, but they may be more sensitive to its effects. Stress-induced emotions consume huge amounts of energy. Some people are naturally better than others at coping with such emotions, but everyone can learn to modulate them to some degree.

Some of the techniques for boosting your energy described elsewhere in this report, such as exercising, are also good stress reducers. But the strategies in this section focus specifically on controlling stressful emotions at the times when they tend to overwhelm you.

Discuss your feelings with others. Studies show that discussing your fear, anxiety, and other stress-related emotions with another person can reduce them far more effectively than suppressing them or maintaining an upbeat facade. You can talk with a friend or relative, join a support group, or see a psychotherapist. One effective approach is cognitive behavioral therapy, in which the therapist works with the patient to identify the full range of the stress reaction, including feelings, behaviors, and thinking patterns, and then to unlearn or reshape them to stop the stress response.

Use relaxation techniques. Relaxation therapies are effective tools for reducing stress, particularly when used in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy. Meditation, self-hypnosis, yoga, and tai chi are all relaxation techniques. One of the easiest techniques to use is progressive muscle relaxation, which involves systematically tightening and releasing sets of muscles, beginning with your toes and progressing up your legs, torso, hands, and arms. You might also consider other relaxation therapies, including aromatherapy and massage.

Write about your stress. Putting your feelings down on paper helps relieve stressful emotions by allowing you to gain some perspective. Studies show that writing about stressful experiences can reduce stress-related symptoms. For example, a 1999 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that almost half of the 70 patients with asthma or rheumatoid arthritis who took 20 minutes a day over three consecutive days to write about their stressful experiences had "clinically relevant improvement" four months later. That was about twice as much as in a control group, where only 9 people (24% of the total) showed similar improvement. Subsequent studies in this area have shown that writing about negative moods and events improves overall health and well-being.

Last updated:	January 23, 2007