The Real Reason You're Always Tired (And How to Fix It)

A sick day reminded me of the hidden link between mental health and cellular energy

The Missing Piece of Motivation: Why Energy Comes First

Two nights ago, I woke up at 2 a.m. feeling nauseous and feverish.

I immediately thought of my family members who had been sick recently at home. Great. I tossed and turned through the night. In the morning, though, I didn't feel bad enough to skip my first track practice back from winter break. So I dragged myself out the door to get after it with some sleds, sprints, and squats. 🏃🏼‍♀️‍➡️

It was a struggle.

After practice, I again dragged myself to work, and later to my first class of the spring semester. I felt fine, but not normal. The nausea continued, I had the chills, and had no appetite. It was the first day back to school, but I had zero motivation. In my journal, I wrote:

I just want to be home.

My Oura ring data confirmed what I already knew: I was fighting off a virus, and my body was depleted.

For reference, my usual Readiness Score is in the 80s or 90s 😬

That night, I went to bed at 8:30 p.m. and my alarm went off at 7 for early-morning practice. I was a little shaky but made it through with more grit than I possessed the day before.

I had a bounce in my step again, and I realized I was on the come-up.

More importantly, I realized my motivation was back and positive thoughts returned. I realized there was a difference between what I had now that I didn't have the day before: energy.

I Had My Energy Back. ⚡️

I could feel it in my cells. I know this experience sounds trivial—and it is. But I think there's something to this whole energy thing.

In the past few months, I've read a couple of books with energy in the title. They were Good Energy by Casey Means and Brain Energy by Chris Palmer. These books both led to paradigm shifts for me, and changed the way I think about mental health, metabolism, and how our bodies work.

I began to understand the role of our mitochondria—the energy powerhouse of the cells—as the foundation of our health.

This concept is still new for me, but it makes intuitive sense.

I felt it when I was sick yesterday. I couldn't operate at my full potential because my cells were depleted of the energy they needed to support me. I got a sense of how some people feel every day: depleted, exhausted, foggy, and unmotivated.

I didn't like it (I hated it).

I realized:

We Live in an Energy-Deficient Society

I'm not one to take naps, ever. But most of my friends do. At early morning practice, right after they woke up, they would proclaim they couldn't wait to crawl back into bed for their afternoon nap.

I never really understood. But yesterday, when I was sick and energy-depleted, that's all I wanted to do.

I think a lot of us are energy-depleted every day, without really knowing it.

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Most people live their lives in a sub-optimal state of functioning.