We’ve normalised being tired all the time

Dear Insiders,

At some point, being tired stopped being a signal.

And became a personality.

“I’m so tired”
“I didn’t sleep well”
“It’s been a long week”

We say it so often that it almost feels normal.

Expected, even.

But lately, I’ve been questioning that.

Because there’s a difference between being tired…and being constantly drained.

There are days when rest doesn’t seem to fix it.

Days when you wake up feeling like you never really switched off.

Days when even simple things feel heavier than they should.

And it’s easy to brush it off as just part of life — especially when you’re juggling work, family, and everything in between.

But what if it’s not just tiredness?

What if it’s the way we’re living now?

The constant notifications.
The mental load we carry even when we’re “resting”.
The way we scroll, consume, and stay switched on long after the day is supposed to end.

That’s why I’ve been thinking more about digital burnout — not in the dramatic sense, but in the quiet, everyday way it shows up.

I wrote more about this here:

Digital Burnout is Real
https://thewellnessinsider.asia/2026/05/digital-burnout-is-real/

At the same time, I’ve also been noticing how easy it is to mistake stress for energy.

You feel wired, alert, even productive — but underneath it, your body is actually running on stress hormones.

And that kind of “energy” doesn’t last.

If that sounds familiar, this might resonate:

Signs your body is running on stress hormones and not energy
https://thewellnessinsider.asia/2026/05/signs-your-body-is-running-on-stress-hormones-and-not-energy/

Maybe we’ve just gotten too used to pushing through.

To the point where we don’t always recognise when our bodies are asking us to slow down.

If this made you pause for a moment, you might want to revisit how your energy has been feeling lately.

“Being tired all the time isn’t a personality trait.

It’s a signal we’ve learned to ignore.”