Tired while thriving – Part II

Author: Che Marville

“Joy is not a luxury. It is a signal that you are still connected to yourself.”

Welcome back to Ask Che! Last week, I ended off by reminding you to pay attention to how your fatigue expresses itself. We discussed that exhaustion rarely announces itself calmly. It comes out sideways and it is often the precursor of burns out. To close off this series, we are going to focus on what energizes us.

Here is something worth sitting with: when did you last feel joy? Not relief. Not the satisfaction of finishing something. Joy is the kind that is light and a little spontaneous and has nothing to do with being productive. If that question is hard to answer, that is important information. Joy is not a luxury or a reward for when the work is done. It is a signal that you are still in contact with yourself. When it goes quiet, something needs tending.

Here is the other thing I want to say, because it often gets left out of conversations about rest and recovery. Movement matters. There is a real and documented relationship between the body in motion and how the mind functions. Sometimes what we experience as exhaustion is actually the opposite: a body that is under-stimulated, under-used, held too still for too long. Before you decide you are too tired to move, try moving first. A walk. Something that asks your muscles to engage and your breath to deepen. See what shifts. You may be surprised.

Where to begin:

Recognize your tiredness without judging it.

Sit with the question: what is this fatigue actually telling me? Not what caused it. What is it asking for? Your body knows things your schedule hasn’t accounted for.

Notice how your feelings are showing up.

Agitation, withdrawal, irritability, numbness are often emotions in disguise. Instead of managing them away, get curious. What is underneath? What have you not let yourself feel?

Choose your company with intention.

If you are going to be around people, be around people who genuinely like you and whom you genuinely like. Energy is exchanged in every interaction. Protect yours.

Tell your own story to yourself first.

You have a story. It belongs to you. You do not need anyone else’s permission or validation to honour it. Start there. That is where the finding of yourself begins.

Rest and move. Both.

Rest is not optional. But rest alone is not always the answer. Find a way to move your body regularly not to perform fitness, but to come home to yourself. The mind follows the body more than we admit.

You are not lost. You are just a little far from yourself, and the way back is not as long as it feels right now.