Are You Tired of Being Sick and Tired?

Welcome back to the Year of Y.O.U. newsletter!

We’re now in the full swing of the holiday season, so today we will discuss how exhausting it is to keep up and manage our own, often unrealistic, expectations.

Reclaiming rest, release, and real gratitude in a season of feeling mentally drained

The Weight of “Should”

Are you feeling like you just don’t have it in you right now to give anything more?

With the holidays creeping up, you might say to yourself, “I’m tired,” or better yet, “I’m exhausted,” not just from busy schedules, but from the mental drain of expectations.

Maybe it’s the kind of tiredness that sleep doesn’t fix: The heaviness in your chest, the fog in your mind, the quiet ache of wanting to do more, but having nothing left to offer. Every new invitation can feel like yet another thing to do and even joyous traditions start to feel heavy.

You might feel like you should be more grateful, more generous, more giving, even as you’re running on fumes. You might scroll through social media and see others decorating, hosting, or giving back, and a small voice whispers, “Why haven’t I been doing that?” or “Why can’t I keep up?” That whisper can carry shame, unfair comparisons, and invisible pressure.

You might also feel guilty for wanting rest when others are struggling in the world or anxious about showing up when your heart feels heavy. It’s easy to forget that the holiday season often amplifies collective anxiety. Anxiety about money, about belonging, about loss, about really anything that might happen towards the end of the year. Everything feels amplified tenfold when you consider the current state of the world. Even the best moments can feel complicated when layered with grief, worry, or fatigue, and we start performing happiness instead of feeling it.

The emotional labor of “keeping it together” for family, work, or community can leave you feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, and depleted. Many of us wear several invisible hats this time of year: the organizer, the caretaker, the one who remembers to order the meals and gifts, the one who manages the schedule, the list goes on... Each role adds another layer of pressure, often without acknowledgement, let alone gratitude.

Being “sick and tired” isn’t laziness or failure; it’s your body and mind signaling survival mode. Chronic political stress, social tension, financial worry, all accumulate. By November, our nervous systems carry months of unprocessed fatigue. When stress becomes chronic, we withdraw to protect ourselves, making it harder to feel good, have focus, or even rest deeply.

So if you’re mentally drained, you’re not alone. It’s not that you’re ungrateful; it’s that you’re human. Gratitude and generosity should not silence exhaustion. You can be thankful and kind while helping yourself first.

Reframing the Season

What if this year, you gave yourself permission to give differently?

Instead of overextending yourself, you could:

Give presence instead of perfection.

Give rest instead of relentless effort.

Give compassion instead of criticism.

Give honesty instead of obligation.

Real gratitude doesn’t demand that you ignore your exhaustion. Instead, it invites you to slow down enough to notice what’s still sustaining you. That may be little things like the warmth of your coffee, the quiet hum of morning light, or the softness of a blanket at the end of a cold day.

“Gratitude doesn’t require depletion. Giving back doesn’t mean

giving yourself away.”

Reclaim gratitude as a restorative practice, not a performance. Give gratitude for your time, your energy, and the courage it takes to keep showing up, even when you’re weary. When you honor your limits, you honor yourself. Boundaries make generosity sustainable.

Practical Tools for the Mentally Drained

If you’re unsure where to start, these small shifts can help you find moments of peace amidst the noise:

• The Energy Check: Each morning, ask “Do I have energy to give today, or do I need to receive?”

• The 3-Minute Reset: Step away, breathe, and name one thing you’re grateful for within yourself.

• The Releasing Guilt Practice: Write down what you feel guilty for not doing, starting each task with, “I should…” Then cross out “I should” and replace it with “I choose to.”

Remember: Rest is not selfish, it restores your capacity for presence, empathy, and joy. When guilt creeps in, place a hand over your heart and whisper, “I’m allowed to rest. I need to rest.” Let your body hear it before your mind believes it. And when you can, allow others to care for you. If you share how you feel, they might realize they share the same challenge. Rest becomes richer when it’s shared.

Reflect and Release

Pause to ask yourself:

• What am I tired of pretending doesn’t drain me?

• What do I need to release before stepping into the holidays?

• What if gratitude this year meant reclaiming my peace of mind?

These questions are not about fixing yourself, they’re about listening to your limits and needs. You don’t have to fix everything or save everyone. Sometimes, gratitude looks like choosing not to burn yourself out for the sake of “I should” or “I’m the only one who isn’t”. Imagine laying down the coat of obligation you’ve been wearing all year. Feel the lightness of simply being. What if you didn’t do everything you thought you had to do? What if you didn’t do anything you felt you had to do? What if you chose what truly matters and let everything else go?

Your worth isn’t measured by what you produce or how much you give. The people in your life care most about your presence, not your performance. They’ll remember how you made them feel, not how much you did.

Closing Reflection

If you’re tired of being sick and tired, you’re not broken; you’re human.

The holidays don’t need your perfection; they need your presence.

Rest is how we refill what the world keeps taking.

Affirmation:

“I honor my limits. I choose rest over pressure, peace over performance, and authenticity over expectation. I can be grateful and tired; both are true.”

Take a moment, right now. Breathe it in. What does choosing peace look like for you this week?

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