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.

Trying to Heal When You’re Still in Survival Mode

Healing sounds simple until you actually start doing it. Everyone says, “Just take care of yourself,” like it’s something you can magically do when life is still piling things on top of you. 

Healing is never easy once you start trying to do it. It can take a toll on you and eventually make you feel like is it really worth it? The answer is yes it is worth it. You may feel the worst going through it but once you are healed it feels like you are 10x lighter and nothing really bothers you anymore.

Healing takes time, but survival doesn’t wait.

Sometimes you’re trying to recover from the past while dealing with new stress, financial worries, health issues, family needs, and the everyday chaos life throws at you. And trying to grow while you’re still fighting to stay afloat is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do.

But here’s what I’ve learned: healing doesn’t have to look perfect. It doesn’t have to be peaceful. Sometimes healing is messy, loud, painful, and slow. Sometimes it’s choosing to rest when you feel guilty for resting. Sometimes it’s saying “no” even when people expect a “yes.” Sometimes it’s letting yourself feel emotions you’ve ignored for years.

If you’re doing your best while still in survival mode, be proud of yourself. You’re fighting battles people don’t see. And every step — even the small ones — still counts.

It is hard to let go; It's time to put you first

 

Sometimes, we encounter people in our lives and they end up making a mark on us. No matter how they do us or what they say we always will forgive them and try to be there for them even though they are never really there for us. 

It is like when we try to go no contact, when we try to distance ourself from them, unfriend them, block them or just do whatever it is to pretty much get away from them its like we can't let them go.

 We somehow wind up back in the area where we were once before and we pretty much try and try again but we end up adding them back, trying to patch things up and keep rekindling the fire because we are lonely. 

I know the feels. I know exactly what it is like to get rid of people who no longer serve a purpose to me but end up keep coming back days, months and even years because you want to catch up and feel like there's a piece of us missing or just because you need or want someone to talk to.

When in reality, if we get past the sinking lonely feeling, if we get past the feeling that you need them in your life when you really don't. 

We always bend our backs and do whatever we can for others while they do the bare minimum for us but then when we need them, they are never there. 

It's never the how are you doing but its always can you do this or that? 

It's time to put yourself first and do for you. Remove the negative people out of your life. Remove the gaslighting, remove the jealousy, remove anything and anyone that does not serve you. 

It is time for healing and removing these kinds of people will allow you to do and be better. Never stand lower than someone and remember you are not a door mat so stop allowing people to walk over you and use you.

If a person showed you who they were once, they will do it again and again.

 No one can change on the drop of a dime, it takes time and sometimes they don't even really change, they just say that and use an excuse of why and reasons. Never left a snake bite you twice. 

It is time for peace, we have been at war for so long it is time to let it all go and have peace and heal. 

We owe it to ourselves and deserve to finally be free and happy and don't say you're happy with whoever it was doing this to you because I can honestly say your going to get tired of it and snap and let it all go.