I’m hearing from many of my clients right now about how exhausted they are. They feel physically worn out, like they can’t sleep enough or that they just can never seem to have enough physical energy. They also have complaints of brain fog, inability to focus, feeling mentally and emotionally overwhelmed, and lack of motivation. They also feel drained emotionally and even spiritually.

While these are symptoms that could point to a huge variety of things to consider when looking at “energy drains”, one underlying cause people often miss is that they actually might be bored with their life.

First, we all have way too much on our plates and going on in our lives. There is a 24-hour demand for our attention with our phones, information overload, and the internet. We also constantly receive messages that we are not enough, or should be doing better than we are. We should be “bio-hacking” every part of our life to make us feel 25 when we are 70 and that we should be able to do everything well, all the time. This is simply false.

You are given a certain amount of “energy dollars” every day to “spend” on your life and choices that day. It’s completely up to you on how you use those for your benefit. We are wise to spend those on things that have a “return” on their investment. For example, spending time with God, eating nutritious food, exercising, and spending time with our favorite people can all increase our energy reserves. But if we “spend” a lot of our dollars on social media, doing work that drains us, spending time with drama filled people, or being in fear and anxiety in our thinking and choices can drain us exceedingly fast. 

When I work with clients, we look at what gives them energy and what is draining it so they can choose to spend more time on what increases their vitality. One thing I’ve been seeing lately is that many people are utterly exhausted and they think it’s “burnout”. Burnout is a real thing and often shows up as Adrenal Fatigue in our physical body. Often, we simply are doing too much and while we are doing too much, there is a perception that we are failing and can’t keep up. 

As we explore the underlying energetic cause of the “burnout”, it often comes up with “boredom”. Now that may surprise some of you because most people are so busy and on the go that they often exclaim “I’d love to be bored for a while!” 

But boredom often shows up because we are in such a rut or routine that we are actually on autopilot or even numbed out. We’ve stopped working on our dreams and bucket list items, we’ve stopped playing and having fun because of the all-consuming adult responsibilities we have, or we think we don’t have the finances to do anything but “pay bills” and live month to month. Boredom is also different from consistently working on goals that actually mean something to you.

When was the last time you did something new and different? When did you last try a new restaurant or cook a new recipe? Do you always watch the same TV shows or read the same genre of books? When did you last do something for FUN? Here are some additional questions to ask yourself:

1. How am I living the same year over and over?
1. What part of this is good and what part needs to change?
2. When did I last learn something new?
3. How much curiosity do I have every day?
4. Am I “just getting through” my normal day- work, kids, house, meals, spouse, etc?
1. What’s underneath this?
5. When was the last time I actually belly laughed?
6. When did I last take an actual vacation or real time off where I had fun?
7. When was the last time I completed something on my bucket list?
8. Am I just ‘drifting” my way through life lately?
1. Am I aligned with some goals that excite me?
9. What is the “thing” I am waiting on? 
10. What about my life or work is still deeply fulfilling?
11. What areas of my life or work are NOT deeply fulfilling?
12. How much of my life is built around guilt and obligation versus love, desire, and joy?
13. What do I look forward to the next day as I am going to bed at night?
14. What would make my spiritual life more vibrant or alive?
15. When was the last time I did something I felt really inspired doing?

We often find ourselves living the same year over and over again for 70 plus years. Pay attention to your life and where you are losing energy. Maybe you are just bored and can take one action today or this week to start doing something that refreshes your mind, body, and soul!