Who among us doesn’t feel stressed out these days?  We have plenty of reasons to!  Ayurveda says that fatigue comes from on overuse, misuse, or non-use of the mind, emotions, or body.  Overuse is overwork, and we do this a lot.  Misuse is when we know something is bad for us, but we do it anyway – this can happen with relationships that engage our emotions in a strenuous way.  And non-use also causes fatigue because our whole physiology is equipped for “use it or lose it.”  So if we don’t engage our muscles, our minds, and our emotions, they can fade away.  We need to remember that the “stressed out” feeling is not the way we are intended to live.  Instead, we are living in our true nature and expressing ourselves fully when we experience a flow of calm energy in the mind and body.  So, the first step is to figure out what you’re doing to cause your fatigue, and then cut it out!  Meditation is good for both preventing, and overcoming, any kind of fatigue.  Also, eliminate caffeine and work to set your body clock into a natural cycle of rest and activity.  Ayurveda has further recommendations for us to deal with fatigue:

-Mental fatigue is caused by an excess of Vata through mental activity, worry, anxiety.  Follow a Vata lifestyle routine to help recover.

-Emotional fatigue is caused by an excess of Pitta through anger, guilt, ambition, desire.  Follow a Pitta lifestyle routine to help get over it.

-Physical fatigue is caused by too much Kapha.  Make sure you balance rest and exercise, work and play.  Follow a Kapha diet and lifestyle routine.