When Emotional Exhaustion Makes Every Step Feel Heavy

There are times when every step feels heavy. This could be from physical tiredness or from mental, emotional, or spiritual exhaustion. Some days are just HARD. That doesn’t mean you aren’t getting things done, it just means you’re moving slower than you think you should be.

This morning I woke up to the feeling of not wanting to face the day. I was thinking of all the things on my list that I have been putting off because I didn’t want to face the emotional work that is required to face those little demons. This has come about because I’ve been facing a much bigger trauma demon that has been overwhelming me emotionally.

I’ve been actively procrasti-hating on these little demons and letting my Little Me brain take over. What I’ve also been doing is facing ONE little demon each day. Not the whole hoard, because that would be too much for my system, just one.

We all live in the real world and work still needs to be done, but it doesn't have to be completed at the same rate. We can allow ourselves to slow the pace down and concentrate on the smaller, most important needle movers.

When Emotional Exhaustion Changes What You Can Do 

The Pareto Principle (aka, the 80:20 rule) generally states that 80% of results come from 20% of the effort. SO, whenever you find yourself in a place where you can only give limited energy, focus on the 20% that will make the biggest difference. And sometimes the most important 20% isn't work! Sometimes it’s eating, saying no, or doing the one thing you can actually focus on, and the rest of the day is recovery.

When you’re used to going 1000 miles per minute, this slowing down can feel really hard. That voice inside that says you must perform can get really loud and a little vicious. But when that voice realizes that you ARE doing something, even if it’s just a little tiny baby-step, you’re building evidence that slower doesn’t mean stopped.

Your energy isn’t only consumed by what is seen from the outside, but what is churning within. What’s possible when your mind is free and clear is not what’s possible when you’re carrying something heavy and worrisome.

Making hard decisions, worrying, waiting for news, or holding a family together takes focus. Processing disappointment, trying to figure out what happens next, having the same unresolved thought running through your head for the 847th time takes time.

None of those things show up as check boxes on a to-do list, but they still consume energy.

Give Yourself Compassion When You're Emotionally Depleted 

When you recognize the difference between what you're capable of with a clear mind and what you're capable of while carrying a heavy emotional load, it becomes easier to practice compassion and consistency. You will start to fill your evidence bucket up and build the trust in yourself that you are not going to let your BIG Dream down.

It’s really important to allow yourself to fill your bucket up in order to continue moving forward. When you’re coming from a place of emptiness because you’ve been caregiving, dealing with uncertainty, and carrying a heavy mental load, it’s detrimental to continue giving at 110%. Your body, mind, and soul will give out.

You don't have to wait until you're completely empty to give yourself permission to recover. Rest isn't something you earn by running yourself into the ground first. By putting your oxygen mask on first and taking the time to slow it down a bit, you’re allowing your reserves to be replenished.

Find what works for you: a walk in the forest, a day of binging Netflix, a dark room listening to an audio book, whatever fills your bucket and ask yourself, “Is this helping me replenish, or is this helping me avoid?”

Either way, be honest. Seeing avoidance for what it is, an emotional yield sign, can help you see when you need a moment to slow down and take stock of your mental, emotional, and physical load.

Slowing Down Isn't Failure, It's Part of Moving Forward 

These moments are NOT failure, they are recuperation. They are the natural ebb and flow of your energy and when they are honored for what they are, they become a powerful rhythm of continuous movement, BIG and small, that yields amazing results in the long run.

And whoever said you should always be running at 1000 miles per minute all the time? There will be moments in which you can go at full speed and make amazing strides, and then there are moments in which you will move at a snail’s pace…but you are still moving!

It’s similar to baking bread. There is the whirlwind of putting all the ingredients together and mixing them up thoroughly. Then there are the hours that the dough must sit and be still, covered in a warm space to allow the yeast to do the work that will make the dough rise.

From the outside, it looks like it’s just sitting there but amazing things are happening within. And if you refuse to give the dough that quiet time because you're impatient for bread, you ruin the bread.

You don't have to move at full speed to stay connected to your BIG Dream. Sometimes the most important thing you can do is give yourself space to recover while remembering what you're moving toward.

If you've been carrying a heavy load and your BIG Dream has started to feel far away, download my BIG Dream Visualization. Give yourself a few quiet minutes to step away from everything demanding your energy and reconnect with the life you want to create, so you can keep your dream on the horizon even when today calls for a slower pace.