Why exhaustion isn’t a personal failure.

When you’re exhausted, it’s very easy to turn it into a judgement about yourself.

 “I should be coping better.”

 “Other people seem to manage.”

 “Why does this feel so hard for me?”

But exhaustion is rarely about weakness or lack of discipline.

Most of the time, it’s the result of living in a world that constantly asks more than it gives back.

Work doesn’t really end.

Messages don’t stop.

There’s always something to respond to, fix, decide, or plan.

Even rest comes with pressure to be “used well”.

Add in responsibility, major life changes, stress, poor sleep, health changes, financial pressure, or just a long stretch of holding things together….and suddenly everything feels heavier than it used to.

I’ve been there.

I was someone who saw myself as capable, driven, and high-energy. Then life shifted. I moved countries, built a new life in London, and for 4+ years worked as a self-employed private chef to UHNW clients - long days, high expectations, always needing to be “on”. Alongside that, I was studying to become a personal trainer, nutrition coach, health coach and life coach. I was building something new while quietly missing what I’d left behind. The pressure to keep up and prove myself was constant - and instead of pausing, I just pushed harder.

I was exhausted, burnt out. For a while, I thought I was failing.

What I eventually realised was this: nothing had gone wrong with me. I was applying the same pace, expectations and ways of coping that had worked in a completely different chapter of my life, and wondering why they no longer fit??

Things began to shift when I stopped asking, “How do I just get through this?” and started asking, “What would actually support me now?”

That looked like:

- resetting expectations of myself

- building recovery into my days, not around them

- choosing consistency I could sustain, rather than intensity I couldn’t

- and letting go of the belief that rest has to be earned.

Exhaustion isn’t a flaw.

It’s feedback.

And when you listen to it, rather than judge yourself for it….you start working with yourself instead of against yourself.

I help people move out of exhaustion and into sustainable routines that actually support them. Have a look here if you’d like to learn more about my 1:1 Wellness Coaching.