Why We’re All Exhausted — And What We Can Do About It

If you’ve been feeling mentally drained, emotionally checked out, or just tired for no reason lately, you’re not alone. A lot of us are running on empty, trying to hold everything together while the world keeps throwing new challenges our way. Between work, family, bills, and all the pressure to “keep up,” it’s no wonder so many people feel burnt out.

The truth is, burnout doesn’t just happen overnight. It builds slowly. It shows up in smaller ways first — losing interest in things you used to enjoy, feeling irritated over little things, or waking up tired even when you slept enough. Most people push through it thinking it’s normal, but it’s really your body and mind begging for a break.

One of the biggest reasons burnout feels so common now is because life never seems to slow down. We’re reachable 24/7. We’re constantly comparing ourselves to others online. We feel guilty for resting. And when life gets overwhelming, it’s easy to forget that we matter too — our health, our peace, our energy.

So how do we deal with it? The answer isn’t fancy. It’s actually simple:

Start taking care of yourself on purpose.
Not when you break down. Not when you’ve hit your limit. Not when you “have time.” On purpose.

That means saying no when you’re overwhelmed, even if you feel bad about it. It means resting without feeling guilty. It means taking small steps each day to slow your mind down — whether that’s journaling, breathing exercises, reading, disconnecting from your phone, or just letting yourself do absolutely nothing for a moment.

Most importantly, it means remembering that burnout doesn’t make you weak. It means you’ve been strong for too long without giving yourself the same care you give everyone else.

Life will continue to be busy. Responsibilities won’t magically disappear. But you can make room for yourself. You deserve that. Your peace matters. And taking care of yourself isn’t selfish — it’s necessary.

If you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, or running on fumes, this is your reminder to pause, breathe, and put yourself first for once. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and you don’t have to feel guilty for refilling it.

It has gotten old...

 

The repeating myself has gotten old. 

The me expecting you to do something has gotten old.

Me explaining my stress, worries and fears seems to do nothing until I start crying and screaming at the top of my lungs for you to do something because I am sick and tired of living like this. I am tired of you saying you'll do it and you'll get it done and you fail to do it. 

I am so tired of this.

You said it wouldn't be like this and I believe you... That was my fault for believing you that you are actually going to do something. 

My expectations were always to high for you. It's like you have taken me for a joke and don't even act like my cares, my fears, or anything I want mattered. 

The stress that I feel daily is getting old... 

I have lived far to long like this and I am not living like this anymore. I am going to start doing things on my own and not depend on you because it doesn't matter, the responsibility that you were suppose to take as a man, as a provider, your not doing it but making excuses and I am no longer listening to them.

I'm sick of the back and forth and yelling, I am sick of it all. I'm so tired and I do not want to continue to live this way.