Nearly every woman I speak to is living somewhere on the “exhaustion spectrum”.

She’s tired, a lot of the time she doesn’t sleep very well, she feels like she just can’t catch up to herself, and she wishes she could just sleep – for a month straight.

And yet, these same women, when given the opportunity to take a break, sleep in, go on vacation or even take a sabbatical, they can’t actually give themselves permission to do just that…

Stop
Unplug
Walk away
Truly rest
Not check emails
Not take on a new project or client
Not go into fear that everything will fall apart…

…and trust that taking care of herself is the only thing that really needs to happen.

If you’ve gotten into the habit or routine of ignoring your body, overriding its needs, and willing it to do whatever you need it to do in the name of productivity and efficiency, it’s going to feel completely foreign, scary, and maybe even a little bit shameful to you to slow down or stop.

So, first thing’s first:

If you’re exhausted, the best thing you can do for yourself right now is to start getting curious about what your body is saying to you throughout the day. Because your body is talking to you all day long, every day. The question is, what are you doing with that information?

Does it tell you to go to bed earlier?
Does it tell you not to schedule anything before 8am?
Does it tell you a gentle walk outside feels better than that long training run you’d planned?
Does it tell you caffeine gives you the jitters and keeps you up at night?
Does it tell you to get outside and breathe some fresh air?
Does it tell you to stop what you’re doing and just go pee already?

How do you respond to what your body is telling you? Do you accommodate for its needs? Or do you resist, numb out, rebel or get demanding?

If you are dealing with fatigue and exhaustion, I invite you to consider this:

Before you agree to that 4-month contract that’s going to have you pulling 70-hour work weeks on a regular basis…

Before you pay for that 10-pack HIIT class at the gym…

Before you agree to travel on the red-eye to and from visiting family this holiday season with no recovery time…

Before you jam pack your vacation calendar with things to do…

And before you plan to host loved ones for the big holiday meal this year…

…Check in with your body first.

How does it respond to doing more? Does is agree without issue? Does it hesitate? Does it quietly groan but it will find a way to do it? Or does it feel exhausted just thinking about it?

Your body is a vessel of wisdom. It is incredibly wise. In fact, your body is completely incapable of lying to you. So, whenever your body speaks, know that it is only ever speaking truth to you.

Your body will go to fantastic lengths to adapt and keep you as healthy as possible for as long as possible. It’s on your side. It wants you to live.

And, your body has limits to what it can do, and how long it can do the things you demand of it for.

Instead of feeling like there is something wrong with your body because it doesn’t want to do what you’re asking it to do, or it doesn’t do it as well as it once did, can you get curious?

You can choose to feel inconvenienced or betrayed by your body, or you can go into anger and resentment because it’s not doing what it’s “supposed to do”.

Or you can trust that it’s telling you something that is ultimately for your benefit.

What wisdom is your body sharing with you right now?
What favor is your body doing you via its symptoms of pain, fatigue, bloating, brain fog, etc.?
What could become possible for you if you chose to listen to your body instead of fight it?
How would your life change if your body became your ally instead of your foe?

Listening to and honoring your body are the fastest ways to recover from fatigue, exhaustion and burn out. You only have one body, and it’s got to last you an entire lifetime.

So… will you listen to and honor your body today?