There’s a particular kind of tiredness that comes from carrying too much for too long.
You may still be getting through each day, answering messages, meeting deadlines and doing what other people need from you. From the outside, everything appears to be functioning. Inside, you feel as though you are running on whatever energy you have left.
When you finally get an opportunity to rest, your mind carries on. You think about what has not been done, what tomorrow requires and who might need something from you next.
People often come to see me because they know they cannot continue at the same pace indefinitely. They want to feel more settled, sleep more easily and begin making some room for themselves again.
When life has become a list of things to do
Feeling overworked is not limited to paid employment.
You may be combining work with childcare, supporting relatives, managing a home or dealing with a difficult period in your personal life. Perhaps you have gradually become the person everybody relies upon.
You might recognise some of the following:
- Waking up already thinking about what needs to be done
- Moving from one task straight into another
- Feeling guilty when you sit down
- Finding it difficult to say no
- Becoming irritated by small requests
- Losing interest in things you usually enjoy
- Checking work messages during your time off
- Struggling to concentrate or make decisions
- Feeling tired but unable to sleep
- Canceling plans because you have no energy left
- Telling yourself you will rest when everything is finished
The difficulty is that everything is rarely finished. There is always another job, message or responsibility waiting to take its place.
Rest can begin to feel uncomfortable
When you have been busy for a long time, slowing down may feel surprisingly difficult.
You sit down and immediately remember something you should be doing. You try to watch television or read, but your mind continues planning. Even taking a day away can leave you feeling restless or guilty.
Sometimes people become so used to being productive that rest feels wasteful. Their value has quietly become connected to how much they achieve or how useful they are to everybody else.
This can create a difficult position. You know that you need a break, yet the moment you stop, your thoughts urge you to begin again.
Being tired can affect more than your energy
When your resources are low, ordinary situations can require much more effort.
You may become forgetful, impatient or emotional. Decisions that would usually be straightforward feel overwhelming. You might withdraw from conversations because you have nothing left to give.
Relationships can also be affected. The people closest to you may receive the tired and irritable version of you, while work and responsibilities receive whatever patience you have available.
This can bring guilt on top of exhaustion, adding one more thing for your mind to carry.
How I may be able to help
I offer hypnotherapy in Hayle and online for people who feel overworked, mentally exhausted or unable to switch off.
We begin by looking at what is happening in your life and how the pressure is affecting you. For some people, sleep is the main difficulty. For others, it is constant overthinking, guilt about resting or the feeling that everything depends upon them.
Hypnotherapy can help with relaxation and may make it easier to step out of that constant state of mental activity for a while.
During our sessions, I may use guided imagery and mental rehearsal to help you become more comfortable with:
- Ending the working day
- Leaving some tasks until tomorrow
- Resting without feeling guilty
- Saying no when you do not have the capacity
- Asking other people for help
- Letting go of thoughts at bedtime
- Giving your full attention to life away from work
The aim is to help you develop a calmer relationship with rest and responsibility.
Making room for your own needs
People who are used to caring for others often find it difficult to include themselves in the picture.
You may recognise that somebody else deserves rest while holding yourself to a completely different standard. You keep going because the alternative feels selfish or because you worry that everything will fall apart.
Looking after yourself does not require you to stop caring about other people or abandon your responsibilities. It may begin with smaller changes, such as protecting one evening, asking somebody to share a task or allowing a non-urgent job to wait.
We can use the sessions to mentally rehearse these changes and work with the anxiety or guilt that may appear around them.
Sleep when your mind remains busy
Feeling tired does not always lead to easy sleep.
The moment your head reaches the pillow, everything you pushed aside during the day may come back. You remember unfinished tasks, rehearse conversations and plan how you will fit everything in tomorrow.
Hypnotherapy can aid sleep by helping you relax and may support a calmer bedtime response. We can also look at the habits and thought patterns that keep your mind connected to the day after it has ended.
If sleep is your main concern, you may also find my dedicated sleep hypnotherapy page helpful.
Practical changes still matter
Hypnotherapy cannot create more hours in the day or make an unmanageable workload sustainable.
It is important to look at practical changes alongside the sessions. Depending on your circumstances, that might involve speaking to your employer, delegating, reducing commitments, setting clearer boundaries or asking family members to share more of the load.
Even a small change can be important when every part of your day already feels full.
When tiredness should be medically assessed
Tiredness can have many causes, including poor sleep, stress, medication and physical or mental health conditions.
If you are experiencing persistent or unexplained tiredness, or it is affecting your ability to manage everyday life, speak to your GP. This is particularly important if you have other symptoms, such as unexplained weight changes, breathlessness, pain, low mood or significant changes to your sleep.
Hypnotherapy should not replace medical assessment or any treatment you have been advised to follow.
Your initial consultation
The consultation gives us time to discuss:
- What is currently taking most of your energy
- How long you have felt this way
- Whether you find it difficult to stop or rest
- The effect upon sleep, mood and relationships
- Any changes you have already tried to make
- What feeling better would look like for you
I will explain how I work and answer your questions. You can then decide whether you would like to continue, with no obligation to book further sessions.
Support for feeling overworked in Cornwall and online
Appointments are available at my private hypnotherapy practice in Hayle, Cornwall. Online appointments are also available if travelling would add one more demand to an already busy week.
If you have spent a long time looking after everything and everybody else, you are welcome to contact me for a friendly and confidential conversation about how I may be able to help.