3 reasons you might be "tired"

The Health Growth Letters is a weekly publication of tips, frameworks, and lessons to help you build a more balanced life based on faith, health, and wellness. If you’ve been forwarded this email you can subscribe here.

What’s on the agenda:

• Verse: The small things are not inconsequential

• Lesson: The Three Types of Tired

A verse I’m thinking about

The small things are not inconsequential

In this passage, Zechariah saw a vision of a lampstand connected to two olive trees. The purpose of this vision was to encourage the Israelites that God was pleased with their efforts to rebuild the temple.

I think a lot of times we are our own worst critics. We beat ourselves up, talk down to ourselves, and diminish our efforts. As a result, we often take the way we see ourselves and apply it to how we think God sees us, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Imagine a dad watching His kids take their first steps and fall.

Would the dad tell the kid they’re dumb for falling or would he celebrate the fact that steps were taken to begin with?

Of course he’d celebrate!

I think that’s how God sees our small efforts towards being more faithful or more like Him. He celebrates the little steps, and doesn’t get annoyed when we fall down

Takeaway:

Don’t focus on how far you have to go or how you’ve messed up, focus on how far you’ve come and take pride in the small changes you make in your life to improve.

The new little things, with positive intent, are to be celebrated.

A lesson I’ve learned:
The 3 types of tired and the solution for each

“I’m tired”. It’s something we say and hear all the time.

Life can be insane. We live in a hustle culture that celebrates doing more where saying “I’m tired” is almost like a badge of honor. But there’s another interesting perspective — we also spend less time doing anything than ever.

We are more sedentary than we’ve been in all of history.

The average person spends 5+ hours a day on their phone.

Heck, the average American takes less than 5,000 steps a day.

But if that’s the case, how are we all so tired?

The Three Types of Tired

We use “tired” to describe one state — sleepy and in need of rest, but I’d argue that “tired” is a lot more like “love”.

We use one word, but there are different types. We use love to describe our relationship to food, art, beliefs, friends, family, and loved ones. Those all manifest differently.

The same thing is true about being “tired”.

I think there are three types of tired:

1. Tiredness that needs rest

2. Tiredness that needs action

3. Tiredness that needs peace

1. Tiredness that needs rest

This is the most obvious form of tiredness. It’s what most of us think about when we say we’re “tired” — the physical exhaustion that results from too little sleep, too much work, or simply pushing your body too hard.

We know the signs of this tired:

• Low energy

• Trouble concentrating

• Being sleepy

• Being moody

• Bad or slow decision making

But this type of tired is also the easiest to address (usually).

When you’re tired and need rest, we need to prioritize sleep, but also activities that restore us. Things like:

• More time in nature and less time on our phone

• Taking breaks throughout the day, especially if you work long hours

• Scheduling time for activities that relax you (reading, walks, exercise, time with friends)

2. Tiredness that requires action

Not all tiredness means you need to slow down or rest. Some tiredness requires the exact opposite.

Have you ever laid around all day and been more tired or groggy afterwards, spent time coasting at work only to feel unmotivated or in a slump, or even worse, taken a vacation to come back feeling unrested? On an even deeper level, have you ever felt tired, numb, or overwhelmed over weighing actions you’ve delayed or put off?

We don’t like to talk about this one, but sometimes doing work is the best way to solve tiredness.

That’s because tiredness can be a result of stagnation.

When you’re tired, but need action, getting started can often be the hardest part. Your “tiredness” can be a self-perpetuating cycle that makes it harder and harder to change things.

That’s why you need to take action, any action, as small as needed (remember, small things aren’t inconsequential 😉 )

Action creates momentum.

If you’re feeling drained but don’t need rest, action is the best medicine and will help you regain your spark.

3. Tiredness that requires peace

Then, there’s a deeper kind of tired—the kind that no amount of sleep or action can fix.

This is the exhaustion that comes from physical, mental, and emotional overload. It comes from committing to too many things, life being in disarray, and feeling like you can’t get ahead no matter what you do.

This tiredness feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.

What you need here is peace.

I don’t like the concept of “boundaries”, but I think it’s important to choose your commitments wisely. Remember, there’s no such thing as social obligations, only social consequences.

If you’re tired, look for ways to create space from chaos, toxicity, and pressure.

Look for ways to prioritize self care, and reconnect with something bigger than yourself. Journal, pray, meditate, spend time in nature. Limit social media, step back from a toxic job, co-workers or friends, and create a space where you thrive.

Peace isn’t something you find; it’s something you create.

Make space for it, prioritize it, and you’ll notice your exhaustion start to lift.

Identifying your tired

Next time you catch yourself saying or feeling “tired”, pause, and ask yourself: What kind of tired am I? Do you need to rest, take action, or create peace? Once you identify the type, you can give yourself what you actually need.

Tired isn’t just tired. But the good news? You have the power to respond to it in the right way (unless you have a newborn - I hear you’re just always tired at that point).

Take care of yourself.

Surface area of accountability

Feeling stabilized after being sick. Took a week to be able to eat right and then another week to feel like training was back on track. Last week was my highest volume training week of the year, so pumped to be back on all cylinders.

This week is dialing in my nutrition to start the downward trend again.