tiredI’ve been tired recently.

Some of that tiredness has to do with dealing with health issues; my own (I don’t think it’s anything terribly serious, but if it is, I’ll tell you), those of family members and yes, my dogs.

Going to doctor’s offices, testing places (yes, that’s my official term), the vet, the pharmacy … I’ve found that any time I have to go to one of these places, I experience a huge wave of tiredness.

It literally drops down on me, as if someone decided to throw a heavy blanket on me when I wasn’t looking.

Some of it has to do with new business opportunities – potential clients who want to “do” something, but don’t quite know what it is, and exhaust me with their indecision.

Some of it has to do with clients who are so terrific, but who work by committee, where every last word, comma, and period have to be approved by a coterie of their colleagues. Of course, that’s their prerogative, but it’s tiring.

Some of it has to do with the physical tiredness that comes from trying to change up my workout routine, and the natural reaction of my body as it says, “Whoa! Really?”

Some of it has to do with social media overload; feeling required to comment or post or share, but sometimes not really having the desire to do so, because there are so many other things I have to do.

I’m not complaining here.

Almost all of what I have going on is due to my own choices (outside of the health issues, those I certainly did not ask for!), but the fact is that we tend to serve ourselves a lot more on our daily “plates” than we can really deal with.

In our 24/7 networked world, I suspect many people feel the same. We say “yes” because we don’t want to hurt others, or make someone feel bad, or feel inadequate if we admit to not being able to keep up.

I’ve been trying to do better at saying “no,” but still… my instinctive reaction, when someone asks me to do something, is to say “yes.”

So I’m tired.

And as I’ve been trying to figure out how to deal with this, and not be tired, I find myself asking a few questions before I take on/commit to something:

  • Is it necessary for me to do this for my (or my family’s) financial health?
  • Is it necessary for me to do this for my (or my family’s) mental satisfaction? i.e. Will this make me/us happy?
  • Is it necessary for me to do this for my (or my family’s) physical well-being?

When the answer to all three is “yes,” that’s easy. It’s when the answers are both “yes” and “no” that it becomes complicated … and tiresome.

Frankly, of the three questions, I wish I could have put the “financial health” one at the bottom of the list. But unfortunately, much of what we can/need to do for our mental satisfaction and/or physical well-being require being able to finance them … so having the means to cover those things/activities is important. At least, it is to me.

I also know that if I can look past the immediate stress of tiredness, there is light at the end of the tunnel. After all, everything has a cycle, and everything, good and bad, comes to an end. So if I can just hold on until the storm passes, I’ll be ok.

And that’s what I’m doing right now.

Image: renata miyagusku via Flickr, CC 2.0

How do you deal with being tired? Are there other questions you ask yourself when you decide whether or not to do something? Have you uncovered the secret to eternal energy? Please do share, I’d love to know.