Exhaustion and laziness often have similar signs. Sometimes, it is almost impossible to distinguish between the two. However, while similar, they have very different methods of recovering.
When you are exhausted, all you need to do is get some rest. However, rest is something that you shouldn’t do too much when you’re lazy. Below, we’ll guide you on how to tell if you are exhausted or lazy.
What’s the Difference Between Exhaustion and Laziness?
Both exhaustion and laziness are problems that prohibit us from being productive in our day-to-day lives. However, they have a few key difference that distinguishes them.
Exhaustion has a lot of uncontrollable physical, mental, and social symptoms. When you are exhausted, you need to reset your body and mind to feel refreshed. Your motivation will quickly come back to you once you’ve had your proper rest.
Meanwhile, no amount of resetting can boost your productivity when you are lazy. You should work hard to motivate yourself. Laziness usually does have a physical symptom that prohibits you from being productive.
Tell-Tale Signs of Being Exhausted
Intense Desire to Sleep
When your alarm goes off, you feel the dread of the day that comes. Sometimes, you even squeeze in another nap for five minutes before your alarm clock rings again.
At various times in the day, you might also feel yourself dozing off. During a meeting or a bus ride home, your eyes will find a way to steal a nap. This is the most tell-tale sign that you need to rest your body.
Similarly, at the end of the day, all you really want to do is sleep in your bed. You do not want to do simple house chores and would rather doze off in your bed and sleep until the alarm clock goes off again.
This is a cycle that prohibits you from having enough rest. When this happens, you need to reset your entire body clock. You can also do some restorative activities such as yoga and meditation.
Your Body Is Aching
When your mind is tired, your body will also start acting up. Usually, it starts with a headache, which is common among people who lack sleep. You might also feel dizzy.
Since you lack sleep, your body has not produced enough Human Growth Hormone (HGH) responsible for repairing the tissues in our bodies. When this happens, your muscles are much weaker. They easily get strained and tired.
Even sitting for long in your chair at school or work can strain your back muscles. You might start hunching over because your spine can no longer hold the weight of your body. You also have no stamina to stand for long.
Exhausted people are not in the right state of mind to feel alert and energetic. Because of this, their response and reflexes are extremely limited. This might cause them to be a little clumsier.
Irritation and Other Negative Emotions
We’ve all had days where we lack sleep and wake up extremely irritated the next day. Imagine this scenario being your daily life. You feel more irritated easily, even over minor things.
Other negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, and hopelessness can also be a sign of having a lack of rest. These are due to not getting enough rest. Sometimes, you need to take a step back and evaluate how you are handling your life emotionally.
Social Withdrawal
Physical and emotional signs are not the only ways to tell if you are exhausted. Your social life will be extremely affected if you feel exhausted. Lack of energy doing important tasks will also drain you from engaging with other people.
Sometimes, people simply do not want to talk to other people. But an extreme change in how you interact with the people around you is a sign of exhaustion.
Tell-Tale Signs of Being Lazy
Desire To Do Other Things
When you are lazy, it’s often associated with a certain work or task. You refrain from doing things that will not grant you enjoyment.
For example, you might be feeling too tired to wash the dishes, but you do not mind playing a video game. Or, you might not want to do your homework, but you can stay all night watching YouTube videos.
Finding Ways To “Escape”
Lazy people often find creative ways to avoid their workload. You do not mind going the extra mile just to be excused from doing things. You also feel a thrill or surge of energy when you can escape doing the assigned tasks.
Sometimes, escaping responsibility means you find ways for others to do the tasks in your place. If you find no way to escape the task, you often simply refrain from doing it until completely necessary.
This is another sign that you are being lazy. Exhaustion revolves around lacking energy. Meanwhile, laziness is just the reluctance to do certain things.
Procrastinating Everything
Because lazy people are more prone to doing everything except their tasks, they often run behind deadlines. They would rather do enjoyable things now and do hard tasks later. Procrastinating is a sign of laziness.
Exhausted people might also procrastinate some of their tasks. But they will never be on the same level as lazy people. The key difference is that exhausted people procrastinate when they truly have no other choice. Meanwhile, lazy people will keep pushing tasks later.
Buying Unnecessary Things
While not related to the amount of energy you put into your work, this can be a sign that you are lazy. Buying unnecessary things that promise to make your life easier is a sign of being a lazy person.
One example of this is gadgets connected to the Wi-Fi that you can control with your smartphone. There are smart lightbulbs that you can turn on and off without getting up from your bed and flicking the lights off.
If you have a big house and it’s difficult to keep track of which lightbulbs are on, this technology is good. But if you buy a smart lightbulb because you simply can’t be bothered to stand up from your bed is a sign that you are lazy.