Glowssip Column
Modern exhaustion isn’t about being physically tired — it’s the constant mental noise that never fully turns off.
There’s a specific kind of tiredness that doesn’t come from lack of sleep.
You can sleep eight hours and still wake up exhausted.
You can take a break and still feel behind.
You can cancel plans and somehow feel guilty about it.
It’s not physical tiredness.
It’s mental background noise.
And it’s everywhere.
We live in a time where nothing is technically wrong — yet everything feels slightly too much.
Work is manageable, but constant.
Life is comfortable, but demanding.
Opportunities are endless, but overwhelming.
We’re not burnt out in the dramatic sense.
We’re just… permanently overstimulated.
The Exhaustion of Being Available
At any given moment, you’re reachable.
Messages.
Notifications.
Emails that don’t look urgent but feel like they are.
Social obligations that aren’t heavy, just endless.
There’s no clear off switch anymore — only a low-level hum of expectation.
And it slowly drains you.
Rest Has Become Something You Have to Justify
Taking a break now requires an explanation.
You’re not tired enough.
You didn’t earn it.
You could be doing something useful.
Rest has turned into a reward instead of a basic need.
So even when we stop, our minds don’t.
Everyone Is “Fine” in the Same Way
Ask people how they are and you’ll hear the same answer:
“Busy, but good.”
It sounds functional.
It sounds normal.
It sounds slightly resigned.
No one wants to be dramatic.
No one wants to complain.
So we collectively normalize a level of tiredness that would’ve been a warning sign not long ago.
The Quiet Cost of Constant Self-Management
We manage our time.
Our emotions.
productivity.
boundaries.
growth.
Life now requires a surprising amount of maintenance.
And when you’re always managing yourself, there’s very little space left to just exist.
What We’re Actually Craving
Not motivation.
another routine.
another way to optimize our days.
We’re craving:
- mental quiet
- fewer expectations
- less explaining
- more neutral moments
Moments where nothing is required of us — not even improvement.
A Thought Worth Sitting With
Maybe the problem isn’t that we’re tired.
Maybe the problem is that we’re never fully off.
And until we learn how to be unavailable — emotionally, digitally, socially — this kind of exhaustion will remain the background of modern life.
Final Line
If you’ve been feeling tired “for no reason,” you’re probably just reacting normally to a world that never really stops.
And that doesn’t mean you’re weak.
It means you’re paying attention.
I really agree with your opinion.
The world never stops, so do we…
Great article! xoxo
The only way to escape from fatigue is to escape from reality. Escape from work, escape from everyday life, escape from …., where in this escape we are kept by non-stop adrenaline. Of course, this is until we return to reality again, … and then all the fatigue in the world does not hit us. But nevertheless, this way we can reduce the week-long fatigue to fatigue for only a day or two. Keep writing these fascinating articles so that we too, even on the computer at home, can almost escape from reality