S3E39: Why You Feel Drained All the Time (And How to Get Your Energy Back)

Feeling drained all the time, burnout, low energy, and constant exhaustion are not random. A lot of people are asking why they feel tired all the time even when nothing is “wrong” on the outside.

We get into why so many people feel exhausted even when life looks productive, structured, and on track.

The pressure to stay productive all the time. Pushing through work, chores, and responsibilities when your body is already asking for rest. Expecting every single day to feel like your best day. These patterns shape your energy more than most people realize.

There is also a simple practice I’ve been using that changes how you see your entire day. And what it shows you is not what most people think is happening.

If this sounds like you, press play.

Transcript

Intro
Welcome to Cue the Real, the podcast to get unstuck and manifest the life that's calling you. I’m your host, Lindsay Brand, a military veteran who built success in the private sector until the Universe guided me to something deeper, helping people move from stuck to fully aligned through manifestation. I blend neuroscience, personal stories, and the most practical tools to shine a light on what’s holding you back so you can manifest the life you truly want.

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Hey friends, lately I’ve realized how many people are completely drained without fully understanding why.

We wake up and immediately start giving our energy away.

To responsibilities. To work. To other people.To trying to hold everything together.
And then we wonder why we feel emotionally exhausted all the time.

One of the biggest messages I’ve been receiving lately through meditation, spiritual experiences, and deep reflection is to stop and smell the flowers.

You cannot constantly pour from yourself every single day and expect to feel mentally clear, emotionally balanced, spiritually connected, and physically okay.

That’s not how humans work.

A lot of people have become disconnected from what nourishes them versus what drains them.

Not everything productive is nourishing and not everything on your to-do list is urgent.
I started paying attention to this in my own life because I noticed I was putting pressure on myself to feel my absolute best every day.

The best mood. The best energy. The best mindset.

And that expectation alone will drain you.

Because your best is not going to feel the same every day.

So today, we’re going to talk about how to stop living in a constant state of energetic depletion so you can bring yourself back into balance.

Let’s cue the real.

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Energetic Audit
One thing I started realizing is that exhaustion is not always about doing too much. Sometimes it’s about doing too much of the wrong things for you.

And I think a lot of people have completely lost touch with what makes them feel alive versus what drains them. So I started doing this practice that my life coach taught me that has changed my awareness around my own energy so much.

I started looking at my life like an energetic audit.

I would think about everything I do regularly throughout my day and label it with a plus, a minus, or sometimes both.

A plus means it gives me energy. A minus means it takes energy. And both means it depends, could be both.

I’ll run you through some of my examples

Pilates? Huge plus.
Working on this podcast? Plus.
Meditating? Plus.
Going on a walk? Plus.
Spiritual events like sound baths? A plus.

Even running errands can be a plus for me because I genuinely love feeling productive and getting things done.

On the other hand, doing chores is a minus.
Being in an uncomfortable environment? Minus.
Pushing myself too hard physically without taking breaks? Minus
And social events are interesting because they can be both.

Some people energize me so much that I leave feeling inspired and others make me feel completely disconnected from myself and like I want to go crawl under a rock.

And this is where I think people get stuck. Because we normalize feeling drained.

We normalize constantly overriding ourselves by pushing through and calling it discipline or productivity.

But if most of your life is sitting in the minus category eventually your mind, your body, and nervous system are going to start responding to that. It’s super helpful to put your minuses on one side and pluses on the other on a piece of paper so you can really see the comparison. 

Something else I’ve realized is that a lot of us have been conditioned to believe that every task deserves immediate attention.

That resting is irresponsible. That if there’s something to do, we should be doing it. But that mindset will run you into the ground.

If your laundry is piling up a little but you still have clean clothes to wear, maybe your nervous system matters more in that moment.

If your body is asking for rest and your mind is asking for peace, maybe forcing yourself to keep pushing isn’t actually productive anymore.

Because what’s the point of checking everything off your list if you feel disconnected from yourself while doing it?

And I’m not saying avoid responsibility. I’m saying balance matters.

Your cup has to keep getting refilled too for you to keep pouring from it.

And I think some people are so used to depletion that feeling calm or rested almost makes them uncomfortable.

Like they always need to be proving something. Fixing something. Doing anything.
But human beings are not machines and that mindset, like I said, will run you into the ground.

And if that’s you, I really want you to hear me on this.

You are allowed to exist without constantly proving your worth through exhaustion.
You are allowed to rest before you completely burn out. You’re allowed to have slower days. You’re allowed to have days where your best looks different.

Because your best is not always going to look productive. Sometimes your best is protecting your peace instead of forcing some kind of output.

And honestly, I’ve been noticing this within myself lately too.

I realized I was putting pressure on every single day to feel incredible.

And when reality didn’t match that expectation, I would almost subconsciously label that day as not great.

But your mind and body move in cycles.

You’ll find so much more peace by releasing the expectation that every day has to feel perfect and instead trusting that each day is serving a purpose, even if that purpose is simply to slow you down and help you reconnect with yourself.

Some days are meant for expansion. Some are meant for recovery and some are meant for reflection.

The more you learn to work with yourself instead of against yourself, the more balanced you’ll start to feel energetically.

Close
So this week, I really want you to try this energetic audit for yourself. Sit down and look at your life. What consistently drains you? What fills you back up? What environments change your energy?

And then ask yourself:
Am I building a life that supports my energy, that keeps things in balance, or am I living in constant depletion?

Because you deserve a life that feels nourishing.

And if this episode felt like I was talking directly to you, leave a review so we can reach more people who need these conversations.

I love you guys, keep going, thank you for being here, and I’ll see you in the next episode.