56. Why You're So Exhausted: Reconnecting with Your Human Rhythms

Do you ever feel like you're constantly moving but never truly catching up?

In today's fast-paced world, many of us are living as human doings instead of human beings, running on stress, productivity, and endless to-do lists while feeling increasingly disconnected from ourselves.

In this episode of Nourished with Dr. Anikó, Dr. Anikó explores why so many of us feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and stuck in a cycle of constant doing. Drawing from integrative medicine, mindfulness, Ayurveda, and personal reflection, she shares practical ways to reconnect with your natural rhythms and create more balance, meaning, and ease in your daily life.

• How chronic stress and busyness disconnect us from our human rhythms
• Why many of us are living in a constant state of high alert
• The difference between reacting and responding
• How meditation helps regulate the nervous system and create space for intentional choices
• Simple Ayurvedic morning practices that support wellbeing and restoration
• Why meaningful connection, creativity, and rest are essential for health
• How our culture ties worthiness to productivity—and how to challenge that belief

This episode is filled with compassionate wisdom, practical tools, and gentle reminders for anyone feeling burned out, overwhelmed, disconnected, or simply longing to feel more present in their life.

If you've been running on empty, this episode offers an invitation to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and remember what it means to be fully human.

Connect with Dr. Anikó:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.aniko/

Website: https://www.draniko.com/

Thank you for listening to Nourished with Dr. Anikó! 

It would mean the world if you would take one minute to follow, leave a 5 star review and share with those you love! 

Your presence is truly felt and deeply appreciated.

Disclaimer:
The content of this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you heard on this podcast.

Transcript

Dr. Anikó: [00:00:00] Hello, hello, y'all, and welcome back to Nourished with Dr. Anikó. Today, I wanted to get back to basics a little bit. We've had a lot of really beautiful interviews lately, but I wanted to simplify a little bit today and just have another episode where it's just me and just y'all. And the reason is

I'd like to talk about simplifying today [00:01:00] and

not grinding today

And the reason that I wanted to talk about this was because I am noticing both in myself and in many, many people around me this sense of spinning out almost, of just feeling like you are going, going, going, going, going, and it is not sustainable

And it's not a human being pace of life And so today's episode is really going to be more about

rehumaning ourselves and not allowing our culture our job, others' expectations of us or our own expectations of us

To make us believe that

human beings should or even could operate at the pace of a machine

And something happened this weekend that was actually very sweet, [00:02:00] but it just reminded me of the unnecessary panic and intensity we often bring to situations that don't need that kind of panic or intensity We bring panic and intensity when there could be ease, and we miss out on a real enjoyment and also a real rest.

And sometimes it's not us who's bringing this panic and intensity. It's sort of being foisted upon us because often we have this assumption that if somebody takes something seriously, they will be really stressed about it, really irritable, almost panicky about things as well.

And that's just not the case. You know, sometimes we act that way to give an outward signal that we're taking something seriously when we don't need to, and it's actually burning us out. And so the example is that this weekend, [00:03:00] uh, my family volunteered for a local festival. It was like a fundraiser. And the tent that we worked was the iced coffee tent, and it's something the kids look forward to every year.

I really enjoy it 'cause we get to, like, be part of a team, and I used to work in the service industry, so there's a part of me that's... it's very nostalgic for me. Um, and it's just a lot of fun. And there were a couple points during this weekend that we had a very long line. And to the customers' credit, they weren't really getting bent out of shape about it.

But I have seen customers get bent out of shape about not getting caffeine when they need it because people need caffeine. Um, but just a reminder that not having caffeine yet isn't a reason to treat someone poorly. Anyway, that wasn't happening this weekend. But the kids were getting into sort of a [00:04:00] frenzy about getting these coffees out really, really fast.

And at one point, I told them and myself that I'm not gonna get stressed out about making iced coffee at a festival as a volunteer

It's not like we're running a code, so we don't need to bring code blue energy to iced coffee. And I don't know that they cared that much about it, but it really helped me continue to ground into calm in an environment where people are starting to panic about things that don't really deserve to be panicked about.

And in case you don't know what a code is or a code blue, it's when somebody goes into cardiac arrest, and this is typically, hopefully, in the hospital, and then you run a code. So you intubate, you do chest compressions, you defibrillate, [00:05:00] you give medication. So whatever the appropriate next action is, depending on what kind of equipment you have nearby.

And one of the keys in running a code is to stay calm. And one of the ways that we do that is that we practice that code over and over and over again, so that when you get to that point, you have some muscle memory, and you don't start panicking because it feels familiar. In addition to that, one of the things that I find the most powerful is to have a meditation practice because meditation gives us that few second window between perception and action.

And often it is when we act too quickly without choosing we react instead of respond that we make mistakes. And even in this iced coffee example, [00:06:00] it was when people started to panic and get really

stressed out, that was when people would drop things or knock things over, spill things, hurt themselves And of course, the irony of it all was that we weren't running a code. We were making iced coffee at a festival, which, you know, is a pretty relatively low-stress situation. So what I wanted to talk about today was if you are in a place

aware you are feeling overwhelmed, spinning out

Constantly running but can't catch up then it's time to stop and take a look at your life objectively, where you are pouring your energy maybe in ways that are way too intense, and where you are losing your energy

A lot of times we find that we have taken [00:07:00] on way too much

And we are not prioritizing the things that are really meaningful in our lives

We often feel the pressure of saying yes to everything instead of being discerning and saying yes to the things that really matter so that we can do them really well

we also are sometimes caught in this

sort of demonstrative cycle where we are trying to show that we are taking something seriously by grinding at it instead of allowing there to be some ease in our work

is not only often helps us do better work, but it also prevents us from kind of leaking out energy that we could use somewhere else

And especially in this day and age, it is really important that [00:08:00] we not only reconnect with, but honor

and take care of our humanness, the balance that we need. We need the balance of work and rest and restoration. I mean, make no mistake, the value of work and being active and movement is all really important, but we also need to rest. We also need to connect with others. We also need to connect with our spiritual selves, whether that's religion, whether that is community, whether that's with our culture.

There's so many ways that we can bring in

that sense of there being more than our individual lives in the world. And our lives are sacred and beautiful, but there's more. And how do we

live in that and welcome that into our lives every [00:09:00] day So today I wanted to share a few practices that can help us kind of ground back into the fact that we're human. We're not robots. We're not meant to be working all the time. We're not meant to be on high alert all the time. And so many of us are stuck in this cycle of high alertness all the time that we just feel exhausted because that's not what we were ever meant to do.

So I thought it would be lovely to share some practices from different traditions, a lot from Ayurveda, of how to just human in the world. So in Ayurveda and in yogic traditions, you are supposed to wake up when the sun comes up or a little bit before the sun comes up, and you scrape your tongue. You might do some [00:10:00] oiling, so put oil in your nostrils and your ears

You can also do some dry brushing, so lymphatic brushing, which you can do with a lymphatic brush or you can do it with your hands, you can do it with a towel. There's these great kind of raw silk gloves you can use that's really gentle, but you can just do it with your hands too

you drink a hot cup of water and you do pranayama or breathing exercises. you can do alternate nostril breathing. You can do other types of pranayama

And then you meditate. You sit in quiet observational meditation where you are just listening to your breath going in and out. You're feeling your body in space. You're listening to the sounds around you. You're feeling whatever you're sitting on, you're feeling that on your skin, that pressure on your muscles, and you sit.

And then if you practice yoga, that's when you would do asanas, so the yoga [00:11:00] postures. But if yoga's not your thing, you could go for a walk. Doesn't have to be

super vigorous. Meet yourself where you're at that day. If you're in the mood, you could go for a run, but movement happens first thing in the morning And then you eat a nourishing breakfast, not a super heavy one, not a super big one. In Ayurveda, the biggest meal of the day happens when the sun is highest in the day, and that's midday.

So you eat a good breakfast, but not like huge, ginormous brunch level

And that's how you start your day

I offer this just as an example, as like an invitation into what might a morning routine look like for you And I will tell you that when I offer this to patients or clients, a lot of them say, "I don't have time for that." Which

is a beautiful opening into [00:12:00] examining why. Why don't you have time for that? Is it that you have to sleep until the absolute last minute because you're not going to sleep early enough? Why aren't you going to sleep early enough? Are you staying up on your phone?

Maybe watching a show

maybe worrying about something, maybe you're not sleeping well. It's a really wonderful opening into what's really going on

Because a morning routine does not have to be as extensive as what I just described. But it feels like a lot of us right now are so disconnected from our human rhythms, from our natural rhythms

We're so busy doing, we've forgotten how to be, how to just be people in the world

And when you start sitting with what is the point of my life? Like what do I really love? What's really important to me? You may find that there are [00:13:00] ways you could use your energy differently Maybe you start calling a friend who doesn't live close to you every week, or a friend who does. Maybe you start making a phone call during your morning commute to connect with somebody.

Maybe you meditate, maybe you read, maybe you create, maybe you wake up and you write for 30 minutes in a journal that's next to your bed. A lot of people think change is really hard, and I would challenge that because change is really replacing habits. So if you wake up and you check your phone every morning Take your phone out of the room.

Get an alarm clock And see what you do with your time when your phone isn't around. Maybe you reach out to someone you live in the home with and you want to have a conversation. Maybe you read, maybe you write. Creating is one of the most human things we can [00:14:00] do And maybe it's missing from your life.

Maybe you could be writing or drawing or knitting or gardening or creating a conversation. That's a type of creativity as well

And witnessing the art of others is also deeply human. Maybe listening to someone perform music, sing a song, go to a play

I recently went to a play with my husband, and it was such a profoundly different experience from witnessing a recording of that, right? It was the immediacy and the humanity and the presence of the performers, and it was also the immediacy and humanness and presence of the audience. Like, we shared a moment together.

And I think in this world of Zoom calls and social media and telehealth visits, there is [00:15:00] so much that we've gained from a lot of this, right? We can now connect with people we love no matter where they live. We can now have a medical visit with many practitioners that used to not be available to us. So there are beautiful things and wonderful things that have come of this

But most of us are kind of starving for meaningful human connection, including with ourselves. And so a lot of times we seek externally what we are lacking internally, and most of the time it's an inside job. So if you are feeling

a little disconnected from meaning in your life, a little disconnected from people, from just being in your life like a human being, right? Instead of a human doing. I would invite you to start

a [00:16:00] practice that is rooted in love for yourself, for your humanness, and that will begin to radiate outwards

And it kind of reminds me of a story that I read as a kid in some kind of

anthology book. I don't even remember what the book was, but it was a couple who owned a home, and they didn't really like the home very much. They wanted a home that was red and looked nice on the inside and had a garden. And so they decided that they would sell their home and buy a different home. But when they went to sell their home, the first person who came said, "Well, you know, I'd really like a home that's painted on the outside."

So they painted their home on the outside, and they painted it red. And then the next buyer came, and they said, "Well, the outside looks nice, but, you know, I really wanted a house that was more finished on the inside." So [00:17:00] they painted the inside, and they made it look really nice. And then the next buyer came and said, "You know, I... The house is nice, but I was really looking for a place with a garden." so they created a garden. And then they realized that they didn't wanna sell the house because they had made their house into the home they had always dreamed of. And I think of that a lot when I think about how we try to fix how we feel or fix our lives from the outside in, right?

When the real healing, the real transformation, the real

Answer comes from the inside out

Often when we are too busy, endlessly tired, never have time

There are real reasons why we have ended up designing our life this way. Some of it is because of beliefs [00:18:00] that our worthiness comes from our productivity. Those are beliefs that maybe our family taught us. Certainly our culture has taught us that. And I invite you to start celebrating your being as well.

The doing is powerful, but many of us are missing the being. Many of us are missing

the human being that's doing all of this. So I hope this inspires you to try out a new practice this week

Maybe wake up just a little bit early, go to sleep just a little bit earlier, and start to create space in your life in places that will nourish you. It can make all the difference. So take good care, and I'll see y'all next week [00:19:00]