Tired is a Thing
A plea to stop demonizing this basic human experience.
To those who typically listen to the audio track: Please forgive me. I’ve been under the weather this week and therefore was unable to record.
Oh, and don’t forget your Reflection Points at the end.
“Fatigue has become the kryptonite of the modern world.”
MORE HOURS IN the day. If only they existed.
How often do we hear this as someone laments their never-ending to-do list and the lack of bandwidth to get it all done?
I’ve said it often myself, but lately, when I hear these words uttered, I chuckle.
Because in the event a magical fairy did grant me some extra time, you know what I’d do with it?
Sleep.
And I know I’m not alone.
That’s because at least once a day, someone that I greet with a sincere “how are you?” responds with 3 syllables: Exhausted. Be it a client, team member or the frustrated stranger in the checkout line who mumbles a barely audible “is it Friday yet?” this seems to be the baseline sentiment.
We’re weary. A bit worn.
And we’re expending an awful lot of energy (ironic, right?) trying to diagnose why that is.
Maybe we need to move more. Or drink more water. (Yes and yes).
But maybe putting this collagen + greens + protein powder in my coffee will do the trick and prevent me from having to put any real effort in (because again – fatigue).
Oh and hormones. Those pesky hormones. Always dragging me down and in a state of flux.
Isn’t there something I can take for that now? A pill, a patch, a shot?
My neighbor said her household cleaning products were disrupting her hormones. Switched to all natural potions and her energy shot right up.
And what about peptides? I heard on a podcast that they’re magic. Capable of making me feel like my 25 year old self again.
Imagine that: 25-year-old-energy with a few extra decades of wisdom and experience.
I mean, sign me up.
And so it goes. Round and round we chase our tails for a solution to put more pep in our step to sadly fill all hours of the day – even the hypothetical ones – with more stuff.
Funny, isn’t it, that we can’t seem to recognize that the pace at which we’re living is the problem?
And the solutions we’re haphazardly introducing are just a way of attempting to override our bodies’ natural defense system in order to just keep up?
Because here’s the thing, Gang: Tired is a thing.
It’s our nervous system’s way of asking for rest.
Of saying, “Hey. Stop.”
It’s actually an incredibly effective mechanism of our biology. Yet somewhere along the way, it became the enemy and something to snuff out.
Because heaven forbid we don’t feel like superheroes 24/7.
Yes, fatigue has become the kryptonite of the modern world.
In an era of optimization, we seem to have lost scope that our bodies are living, breathing organisms that fluctuate, which means that while some days we’ll feel good, on others we may not.
And this means that not every ache and pain needs fixing, nor does every dip in energy need to be diagnosed.
But in our paranoid world of wellness, every less-than-perfect sensation is viewed as a symptom and something we want to address so – wait for it – we can feel some semblance of control.
So while I hope fatigue finds you as your crawl into bed, signaling the end of a productive day, in the event you’re living in a sea of it, I beg you to resist the temptation to try to eliminate it.
And instead, heed it.
Like slow down.
Take off the damn cape.
Put your feet up.
***
Coming Up Next Week: Longevity — The New Luxury.
A rose by any other name.
Like what you just read? Create a ripple effect by supporting and sharing the love.
Write them, think them, talk them. There is no right or wrong way to navigate these prompts. Except to go into them without judgment or expectation. Be curious. And honest. Have the courage to sit with yourself.
When you feel that wave of exhaustion hit, is your first instinct to listen to what your body is asking for, or to research a new way to override it? Look at your supplement cabinet or your saved social media folders—how much of your precious energy is being spent trying to solve the “problem” of being tired instead of just honoring the requirement of rest?
Ask yourself: “What am I afraid will happen if I admit I am simply depleted?” Does your optimization routine feel like a path to health, or does it feel like a frantic attempt to maintain a sense of control over a biology that is allowed to be imperfect?
Consider the superhero version of yourself that the world expects — the one who is perpetually efficient, resilient, and always “on.” We often treat our fatigue as a secret identity we have to hide, fearing that if we “take off the cape,” we’ll be exposed as weak. Can you find the dignity in the version of you that is simply, humanly tired?
Take off the cape!