The Miserable Maybe: Why Indecision Feels So Draining

150 - Most women don’t suddenly feel stuck…they arrive there slowly. A nudge ignored. A decision postponed. A quiet sense that something needs attention, but not today.

In this episode of the Feel Light Mind and Body podcast, Clarenda Price explores the exhausting in-between space she calls the Miserable Maybe where indecision quietly drains energy, clarity, and confidence.

Drawing on her background as a former nurse and certified life and weight loss coach, Clarenda explains why indecision often feels heavier than action, how ignoring early signals creates mental exhaustion, and how proactive support leads to gentler, more sustainable change.

You’ll hear reflections on:

• Why indecision creates chronic fatigue and stress
• How to discern whether this is a season to pause or a season to be supported
• Choosing your “hard” with intention
• Investing time, energy, and resources into lasting health
• Simple questions to help you move forward with clarity

If you’re tired of starting and stopping, overthinking, or telling yourself you’ll deal with it later, this episode will help you understand what’s really draining your energy and how to take your next right step.

Ready for support?
The next Feel Light Mind & Body group kicks off January 19, and it’s designed to help you work with your brain and body, not against them so change feels sustainable, supportive, and realistic for your life.

Book your complimentary 20-minute consultation to see what it would look like for you.

https://www.clarendasempowerment.com/free-consult

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If you’re local in New Brunswick, Canada join me in person.

Out of the Miserable Maybe
A Live Workshop for Women Tired of Overthinking and Ready to Follow Through

Saturday, January 24, 2026
1:00–4:30 p.m.
Limited to 10 women

See details and save your seat here!

https://www.clarendasempowerment.com/courses/out-of-the-miserable-maybe

You can always find out more at:

https://www.clarendasempowerment.com/

Transcript

0:00

Most women don't wake up one day and suddenly feel stuck. They arrive there slowly. It's usually... a gentle nudge that they ignore. A feeling they override. And it also could be a signal from their body or life that they think, okay, I'll deal with this later. Until later becomes bigger, stronger, louder. And often what makes that so draining isn't the current problem, it's the space that we're sitting in, in that indecision. That's a stuck feeling and gives us a feeling of uneasiness. Have you been there lately? Knowing something needs attention... but not acting on it? Telling yourself that you'll deal with it soon, you'll start again on Monday, or when things calm down. That in between space is what I call the Miserable Maybe. And it quietly drains more energy than most women realize. There's a quote from C.S. Lewis that has stayed with me for years.

He said: 1:04

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. Pain is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world." I don't hear that as punishment. I hear it as information. Because so often what we're experiencing isn't random. It's feedback. And the good news is the earlier we listen, the gentler the correction, and this applies to all areas of life. Health. Relationships. Work. Finances. Faith. And energy. Have you noticed that when we ignore the gentle nudges, they don't disappear? As I've said, they usually get louder. And often louder doesn't look like a crisis. It looks like mental exhaustion, low energy, or being stuck in indecision. If we haven't met yet, I'm Clarenda Price, a former Nurse of over 20 years, a Certified Life and Weight Loss Coach and the podcast host right here on Feel Light Mind and Body. I help women, like you, who are successful in so many areas of life, yet are frustrated with their health, their energy, and that cycle of starting and stopping when it comes to their own wellbeing. They know that they need to take care of themselves, but sometimes they're so busy taking care of everyone else that they don't prioritize themself. I want you to know that my work isn't about pushing harder or solely relying on willpower. It's about understanding what's really driving your choices, working with your brain and body instead of fighting them, and creating change that actually fits your real life. And today's episode is very much about that. Welcome to episode 150, "The Miserable Maybe: Why Indecision Feels So Draining." And if you haven't hit the subscribe button yet, click that follow so that we can reach more women like us. I'll be forever grateful. I think you'll agree that being proactive always creates a better experience than being reactive. For me, investing in my mental and physical health doesn't always save me money in the short term. I buy supplements, support, coaching, tools, anything that I know is going to benefit me now and my future self. I'd much rather spend money now on these things than money on gas to get to various appointments, medications and the time it takes going back and forth trying to then solve for the problem. In fact, it's not even solving for the problem, often. It is just reacting to the problem and trying to make it better, treating the symptoms instead of the cause. Treating something that is now harder to do, it could have been easier if we had addressed it sooner. The same goes for time, energy, and effort. There's always a cost now or later. Does going out in the cold cost me something? Yes. If you've watched my stories or reels lately, you'll see that I am uncomfortable. I resist it. But when I tap into the higher part of my brain, the prefrontal cortex, I can then say, these are the benefits. This is how I'm going to feel afterwards. This is actually increasing my immunity. It's aligning with my goal of staying functionally fit, not to mention that it's good for your mental health. That's been a big theme for me these past few years, choosing my hard, because every choice has a cost. You just get to decide which cost you're willing to pay. Something else that I spent time reflecting on from last time, episode 149, which is part one, the question of "What am I not bringing with me into this new year?" For some women that I got to talk to on the free consult, they said they're not going to take the thought, "It's too hard to lose weight" into this next season. Now for you, it might be a thought like, "It's impossible to focus on my health right now with everything else I have going on." Sometimes that is true. But more often than not, it doesn't have to be. It may take some creativity and some strategic planning to figure out how to include both, but with support and guidance, it's usually possible. The majority of my clients are high achievers, so they do have a lot of stress in their lives. That's why it's such a relief for them to be supported and challenged to prioritize their energy and wellbeing to sustain their health, so they can thrive not just survive in all areas of their life, not just work. One of the most important parts of my work is helping women discern the difference between it being the right or wrong time for them to restart. Most often that happens on the consult. There are absolutely times when I tell someone, "This isn't the right season for you to focus on weight loss." There are other more important areas for them to work on first, and usually the funny part is the weight starts to fall off without them really trying. And there are other times when I gently challenge them and say, this is exactly the right season. This is when you need the support. This is when you need to regain your energy. And I show them that that's just the brain, the amygdala part of the brain, trying to keep them safe in comfort and less effort. Being supported during a challenging phase of your life is one of the most nurturing things you can do for yourself. I've done it and I've had no regrets. There are phases in our lives that we can feel very alone, and I don't want one woman to have to feel that way. We often can kind of get in pride and think, "I'm self-sufficient. I can do this on my own." And I just wanna tell you, it's not being weak. It's actually being strong and it's being wise. It's true wisdom. It really will feel loving and nurturing knowing that you're valuing and taking care of yourself and asking for help to get you through this. Most importantly, why? Because you matter. What you do to take care of yourself is only going to benefit others as well. I want to briefly mention the seven areas of life that I use when reflecting, in case you want to brainstorm and evaluate your level of satisfaction in those areas for you as well. They are mental, vocational, financial and leadership (they can go together), social, family, physical and spiritual/service can also go together. You may notice that when one of these is consistently out of alignment, you will feel it and notice it in all areas. Here's one example of me doing the work on getting clear and increasing my awareness of what I really want. Initially, I thought one of the main things I want this year is travel. Anyone else say, yep, me as well? But when I slowed down and actually thought it through, I realized that what I really wanted was restoration. So instead I'm planning a staycation. I'm not quite sure yet when that's gonna happen. It'll be February or March. It may look like long weekends, like extended long weekends, or I may take some days off right in the middle of the week. I'm not quite sure yet, but I know some of the things I want to do. I want to go and spend an overnight, one or two nights with family. I want to read just for fun, get a massage, declutter. That always brings me more peace of mind and less chaos. I would rather take that money and put it into some home repairs that's been lingering on the back of my mind, like, I really need to do that. Or maybe I'll paint that section, uh, from where I replaced my air exchanger myself. And I know it's not the most exciting, but I want to buy a new box spring and mattress 'cause mine is old and literally it's not supporting me well. So part of that restoration is getting an even deeper sleep. My sleep is good, but I notice that when I wake up it's mostly because I need to change a position. I'm feeling it. So some of these are temporary pleasures, like reading a book for fun or getting a massage, but most of them will support me for the rest of the year and not just for that week. I'm sharing this, not to say that travel is wrong, I hope to get more travel in later in the year, but for this first phase of the year, this is what feels right for me. So I'm sharing so that you will pause and ask yourself, what is it that I really want? And most importantly, what is the feeling I think I'll get by doing or getting that? If you notice a desire to escape is really strong, get curious and ask yourself, hmm, what is it that I need for support in my life right now? When you address that, your next trip doesn't come from exhaustion or desperation. It comes from overflow, from a peaceful mind, and then you enjoy it so much more. As I plan for this year, I also revisited things sitting on my "someday" list. And guess what? Pickleball is back on the list. Consistent 5-6 workouts a week is also on the list. So is actually finishing the books that I ordered because I wanted to read them, but maybe I stalled on chapter two. I'm going to start going back through them to completion. I want to volunteer at church again. I miss that. I love that combination of connection and service. It's a beautiful thing. Another important piece in moving forward is acknowledging and celebrating your wins. Last week I mentioned that our brains naturally look for the things we didn't complete, so we have to intentionally look at what went right. Recently my ring notification popped up and it showed that I went from average resting heart rate for the year of 49 down to 44, and that's a good thing. It's a significant win. It's anti-aging. It's a direct result of consistent choices. That's rewarding, my friend. I don't know about you, but I know that I am intentionally choosing again this year to spend my time, money, and energy on things that last, not on temporary fixes. We only have so much of each, so let's be intentional about where we invest them. Next, a simple practice that I recommend is choosing one primary focus per month. If you're listening to this in January, ride the energy of the fresh start. For some that might be getting back into weightlifting. For others, it might be setting an alarm and getting up every hour and walking around the house or the office or going up and down stairs at work. Often when one thing shifts, other things follow naturally, food choices feel easier and energy improves. I just ordered a heavier weighted vest because my previous one is now... I don't even really notice that I'm wearing it. And continuing to build my bone density really matters to me. I also revisited a big question. Do I want to remain self-employed or do I want to seek out a salaried position? This year I invested in my brain DNA, and those results were very informative. I'm a protector, not a chaser, so that impacts how I look at things, how I deal with things. It holds a lot of powerful information. And that awareness helped me remove a lot of self-judgment and also make decisions that are going to align with me. Another win was being a guest speaker. It had been a while since I spoke to others who were outside of my circle. I thought I'd be nervous, but I wasn't. I think it's because I was more focused on serving them than what it meant about me. That shift came from doing the deep values and identity work. Maybe your wins this year looked different as well. Maybe you just started listening to podcasts. Maybe you became a grandmother or a great-grandmother, an aunt or a pet mom. Maybe you picked up a hobby, slowed down, or was just more present. All of that matters, so celebrate it. I'll leave you with three final prompts. Ask yourself, what would make my life more fulfilling this year? How would I rate my energy right now, and where do I want it to be by the end of the year? What has to be put into place to make that possible? So if you're feeling stuck in what I call the Miserable Maybe, just know that you're not alone. The Miserable Maybe is that exhausting in-between space, wanting change but not fully committing. Not fully letting go. Replaying the same thoughts, telling yourself you'll start soon, or you'll start next Monday. It's far more draining than making a clear decision. That's why I am hosting a local in-person workshop for a small group of women. It's called "How to Get Out of the Miserable Maybe." It's for women tired of overthinking and are ready to follow through. In this afternoon workshop, we'll focus on all areas of life with a special focus on health and relationships where indecision quietly drains the most energy. You'll learn how to step out of hesitation, understand what's really driving it, and leave with a clear next step that you trust yourself to take. The details are in the show notes. I'll also include the link for the free 20-minute consult in case you want more support in feeling lighter in your mind and body, this year, or in any area of your life that you want to dive deeper into. And remember, clarity isn't about having all the answers. It's about choosing your next right step with intention. That's it. Thank you for joining me. I always appreciate it, and until next time, make it a fantastic week!