What If Exhaustion Is Information?
Have you ever noticed how we spend months looking forward to a season of life...
Only to arrive there completely depleted?
We push ourselves through the end of the school year.
The project. The launch. The move. The holiday rush. The deadline.
The thing we’ve been counting down toward and will bring a sense of relief, that the pressure will be off. And then we finally arrive only to realize we’ve used up all the energy we hoped to enjoy it with.
I see this every year as summer approaches.
Parents, kids and teachers are excited. Everyone’s counting down the days to the end of the year. They’re ready.
They’re craving rest, fun, adventure, connection, and a little more breathing room. Everyone is talking about all they plan on doing over the summer.
But basically everyone is also exhausted.
They’ve been pushing so hard to get to summer that they haven’t noticed what the journey itself has been asking of them. And for a long time, I thought this was simply part of being an adult and ‘adulting’.
Work hard.
Push through.
Recover later.
Repeat.
But over the years I’ve become increasingly curious about a different question-
What if exhaustion isn’t a failure? What if it’s information?
The Signals We Learn to Ignore
Most of us are taught to pay attention to productivity- the goals, deadlines, measurable outcomes and achievements. Very few of us are taught how to pay attention to ourselves.
We’re often encouraged to override what we’re feeling in service of what we’re trying to accomplish. We hear motivational mantras like “pain is fear leaving the body” or ‘no pain, no gain’. We are told to keep going, push through. We’re prompted to just try harder and to stay motivated.
And sometimes that works. I mean, until it doesn’t. Because eventually the signals become impossible to ignore. The exhaustion that drags you down. The resentment that builds every time you get ‘pinged’ by one more thing. The half-hearted ‘sure’ that you say, betrayed by your lack of enthusiasm.
Basically that feeling that the wheels have fallen off the bus.
What if those experiences aren’t signs that you’re doing life wrong?
What if they’re signals pointing toward something that needs your attention?
Learning to Listen
One of the things Sara Adamchak and I discussed on the Don’t Keep Your Daydream podcast is my 6+ year daily walking streak.
People often assume the streak is about discipline. Or that it’s about consistency or fitness. But honestly, that’s not what has made it meaningful.
The walk became a practice of listening.
Some days it helps me process what I’m carrying.
Some days it helps me notice that what I thought was a motivation problem is actually a support problem.
Some days it helps me recognize that I’ve been trying to solve the wrong problem entirely.
The longer I’ve maintained the practice, the more I’ve come to see it as a way of noticing the signals my life is sending me.
Not because walking magically solves everything. But because it creates enough space to observe. And observation changes everything.
Becoming a Better Observer of Reality
This is a question I’ve been exploring for years- How do people become more accurate interpreters of themselves and their lives?
Not more productive. Not more optimized or more disciplined. More accurate.
Because when we accurately interpret what’s happening, different choices become available.
We notice patterns.
We recognize friction.
We identify support.
We begin to understand what is actually helping us move forward and what is draining our energy. And instead of constantly asking
“What should I do?“, we begin asking “What is my life showing me?”. That shift changes a lot.
The Invitation
As you move into summer, instead of making a summer bucket list, I want to offer a different kind of reflection. Instead of immediately asking “What do I want to accomplish?” try asking “What am I noticing?”
Where do I feel energized?
Where do I feel depleted?
What keeps getting my attention?
What feels supportive?
What feels harder than it needs to be?
What might these signals be showing me?
Because orientation doesn’t come from having all the answers. It comes from learning to recognize and interpret the information already present in your experience. And sometimes that begins with something as simple as taking a walk and paying attention.
Listen to the Conversation
If this question resonates with you, I think you’ll enjoy my conversation with Sara Adamchak on the Don’t Keep Your Daydream podcast.
We explore walking, sustainability, self-trust, and the signals that help us navigate life with more awareness and less force.
🎧 Listen to the episode on Spotify | Apple
Stay Curious With Me
I’m fascinated by how people find, lose, and regain their orientation in life.
If you’re curious about becoming a better observer of your own experience and learning to recognize the patterns and signals shaping your life, I’d love for you to stay in the conversation.
Subscribe below and I’ll continue sharing observations, questions, and insights from my ongoing exploration of Human Orientation.