Non-alcoholic HANGOVERS

...and why you might be having them

- NATALIA LUBOMIRSKI

Wild nights out and waking up the next day with a headache may be long gone. But if you woke up this morning feeling drained, lethargic, fuzzyheaded and even a little nauseous - and tequila isn't to blame - the hangover you're experiencing may be emotional rather than physical.

Much like drinking excessively, too much social stimulation can leave you feeling drained. But, don't worry, there are things you can do to help overcome emotional hangovers, or even stop them from happening in the first place.

People are draining

An emotional hangover refers to the physical (think muscle tension, fatigue, chest pain) and psychological (feelings of guilt, sluggishness and irritability) side effects you experience after a social or emotional interaction. They can occur after an argument with a loved one, a tense discussion with a colleague or a moment of road rage with a stranger. But they don't always happen as a result of a stressful scenario.

Emotional hangovers can develop following a supposedly positive or joyful event, like an evening with friends or a wedding. Sometimes the action of listening and responding to different people's emotions, or just having to be 'on' for others, can leave you feeling exhausted, emotionally depleted and in desperate need of a recharge.

What's more, it's not the size of the occasion that matters, but the effort you put into engaging with others. 'It's any event that the body perceives as stressful,' explains boundaries expert and life coach Michelle Elman.

Why they happen