“Stress and feeling exhausted or tired are subjective phenomena that differ for each of us with respect to frequency, severity and cause,” says Paul J. Rosch, MD, president of the American Institute of Stress.

“In many cases, this is a manifestation of depression that is mild and intermittent and quite different from what is seen in patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. The stress we’re talking about happens several times a day and does not affect your cardiovascular system, but your immune system. Many people who claim to feel tired are really depressed. They don’t want to hear it, but it’s a fact. And caregiving contributes to depression.

“Treatment depends on finding the source of the problem, and therapy also differs since no stress-reduction strategy works for everyone. Meditation, jogging, yoga and more are great for some but prove dull, boring and stressful when arbitrarily imposed on others,” Dr. Rosch explains.

Managing this stress, he notes, “is all about developing a sense of control. You have to list all the things that tick you off—people, situations—and put them into two categories: This is something I can’t control and this is something I can do something about.”