I lived in a “wired-but-tired” state for more than 6 years.

I’d wake up feeling exhausted, then claw my way through each and every day, counting down the minutes until I could finally go to bed.

But then I’d lie there, feeling amped, and struggle for hours, completely unable to fall asleep. 😳

It was crazy making to be so beyond exhausted, but unable to do THE thing that would remedy my bone deep fatigue.

I was also stuck in overdrive. When I had an opportunity to take a break, or sleep in, all this guilt would rise up inside of me. Somehow, I couldn’t let myself rest. My body and mind were stuck in a gear I couldn’t seem to pull myself out of.

We’ve all been taught, from a very young age, to numb out, ignore, or simply override our body’s requests. We’ve all been taught that productivity is more important than what our bodies want or need.

I had a very hard time trusting that taking care of myself was the only thing that really needed to happen, and an even harder time getting my nervous system to agree.

Do you struggle with fatigue or sleeplessness? That wired-but-tired agony? Or never feeling truly rested, even after a decent night’s sleep?

Exhaustion can be a complicated issue, like it was in my case. But there is one thing I started to do that helped me turn things around for myself.

Here is a 3-minute practice that can help you tune into your body:

When you need to decide about something, start getting curious about the feedback your body is giving you in response to the decision at hand.

Close your eyes if that’s comfortable for you. Bring your attention inward.

Take three full, deep breaths, and let your breath bring your attention out of your thinking mind and into your body.

Think about the decision you need to make. It can be something simple, or more complex.

Tune into what your body has to tell you about that opportunity or choice. If your body responds with an exhausted, heavy sensation, or it contracts or clenches at the mere thought of something, that’s clear information. If your body responds with a sensation that feels expansive excited, a letting go or unclenching sensation, or a feeling of relief, that’s clear information, too.

Notice the feedback your body gives you. Now that you have this clear information from your body, you are in a much better place to decide what you will choose for you.

Your mind will give you very reasonable reasons for why something is or isn’t a good idea, and even talk you into things that aren’t good for your health.

But your body is incapable of lying or negotiating with you. It will only ever give you truthful feedback and information that you can take into consideration and follow, or not.

Now, honestly, most women will keep pushing, ignoring, and overriding the messages their bodies give to them – even when they feel tired to the bone and their bodies don’t want to do whatever they tell themselves they have to or should do.

This is what I was doing until I realized how my body was showing me where I was working against it instead of with it.

When I tuned into what my body had to say about my daily choices, I learned how much my life was being dictated by an unhealthy addiction to doing-doing-doing, and a million guilt driven “shoulds” that weren’t as important as my health.

I knew if I really wanted to heal, I had to start prioritizing my body and what it was telling me it needed.

The truth is that getting off the exhaustion spectrum isn’t something that’s going to happen on its own.

How well you are able to listen to your body and respond to what it’s telling you is everything.

Try my 3-minute practice out for yourself. Your body will give you clear feedback about what will help you recover and heal, and what will get in the way.

And then it’s up to you to make the choice that will best serve you. ❤

Lots of love,

Alicia signature

PS: If healing from chronic fatigue and burnout was easy, we wouldn’t have the epidemic of exhausted women in this world that we do.

There are many not so obvious things that drain our energy every day – some of which come from unexpected places. You can read more about that here.