Please Help! I Need Ideas to Combat Fatigue :/

So I've been struggling for years now with mental fatigue. I'll spare you the big paragraph of details I initially wrote and just say that although I have found great ways to deal at least semi-adequately with every other symptom I've got without medication, constant mental fatigue is the one thing I haven't found a way to deal with. It also gets much worse if I try to concentrate on a serious task. I really feel that regardless of the other symptoms being manageable, that last symptom is truly holding me back from accomplishing much to turn my life around again unless I take Concerta... which I can't afford to do every day.

On methylphenidate, every task I need to accomplish isn't this insurmountable mountain to climb anymore, my mind stops delivering me its usual constant reminders of all the useless time wasting activities I could be doing instead, I go from one task to another without any need for downtime (this is why wiping out that fatigue is HUGE for me!), I suddenly have the patience to see tedious or lengthy assignments through, etc., etc. I know I can't expect a substitute to work as well as the medication does, but I want to be able to function without it at least until I can afford to take it regularly.

So anybody got any ideas for combating fatigue? Or a good system for schedule lots of breaks in (X minutes on, Y minutes off) that doesn't destroy your sense of "flow" when trying to complete a lengthy task? I think strict break scheduling is probably the closest thing I can think of right now...

Hello kanasi: I read your post. And I've been sitting here trying to think about what might help. I'm sorry to say not much is coming to mind. Personally, I walk allot, outdoors, in all kinds of weather. And doing so tends to help clear the fog from my mind. We have a small dog. And he has to be walked every day at least once, but most days twice. And we go for fairly long walks in all kinds of weather.

Sometimes when I'm getting ready to take him out, the last thing in the world I feel like doing is taking him for a walk. But it has to be done & so I do it. And, typically, once I'm out I find myself thinking it wasn't so bad after all. By the time we get back, my energy level is usually up. But I do have some idea of what you're saying. I have always run on my nerves, so to speak. It has been hard on me both physically & mentally. And as a result fatigue, both physical & mental, have always been problematic for me as well. Hopefully other members here on PC will come along with some other, better ideas. I wish you well...

Hi kanasi. Some ideas:
-Scheduling work periods and breaks, like you were thinking, is probably a good idea. Timers can be helpful. I usually do short blocks: 10 or 15 min of work followed by a 5 min break, sometimes other block lengths if I'm actually managing to get things done. You'll have to experiment and see what works for you as to time lengths of work/break periods.

-Maybe try getting active on your breaks. Get up and get your heart pumping--do jumping jacks or run up and down some flights of stairs for 5 minutes on your break, then return to work.

-You said "It also gets much worse if I try to concentrate on a serious task." I've found that if I'm anxious about something or if it seems to big, I experience more fatigue. Break your task down and write out the chunks of work to do. Sadly, I haven't really been able to break things down, but maybe you'll have more luck!

-Sometimes being hungry or thirsty can increase mental fatigue. You could try to see if more frequent small snacks would help

-Maybe see if you can find something interesting to you in the task you're trying to do, or try putting yourself in a curious mindset and asking questions to yourself about it (if it's schoolwork).

I think the first two I listed are the most likely to be helpful. I hope that you discover some strategies that work for you. Good luck! (And if you find something else that really helps, please come back and share haha)

Thank you both. To be honest, even just hearing from other people that they understand what I'm going through is a lot of help. It wasn't why I initially made this topic, but I still appreciate it a lot!

Anyway I'm working with some web-based productivity tools that might help me break up and prioritize everything I have to do. I hope to post about it eventually, and review what worked and what didn't, once I've sorted myself out a little better.

More suggestions (or if anyone wants to chime in on whether they deal with mental fatigue themselves?) are highly welcome, always.