You can see it in their eyes…redness where the eye should be white, darkness underneath each eye lid, a split-second slower response when they look at you.

You can hear it in their voices… a lack of cheer, a slower tone, a slight frustration.

You can see it in their walk…a slower giddy-up, tentative steps, a look as though each stride demands something.

Everywhere you look, people are tired. They are overextended and under-resourced. They are doing everything in their power to keep things going, but there is little chance they will accomplish all that needs to be done in their day. Their greatest fear is that one more thing might be added and their best delight is when someone or something gets canceled from their schedule.

As an observer, I look at them and think, “no wonder you’re tired.”

A simple glance at how we live our lives shows why many of us are continually exhausted, rarely rested, and always running near empty. Consider a few very simple needs a human being requires, but which we regularly ignore. (See: Exhaustion Is Killing Your Marriage)

Sources of Rest We Regularly Ignore

Sleep. The most overlooked human need is that our bodies demand sleep. We overlook the drastic impact sleeplessness has on our decision-making, ability to fight disease, physical and mental function. We must sleep. Yet sleep is easy to ignore or push aside in order to accomplish one more task, watch one more show, or scroll one more stream of social media. We push sleep to our own detriment. Long before we can notice the effects, sleeplessness is impacting our lives. Are you tired? Are you consistently getting the appropriate amount of sleep? Unfortunately, sleep isn’t as easy as just choosing to get more. Many factors impact our sleep. However, with a concerted effort and specific changes in habits, diet, and activity, we can train ourselves to sleep more.

Exercise. Ironically, many people are tired because they don’t work hard enough. While they might mentally be drained, their bodies are not expending the physical energy needed to be worn down so they can recuperate. Continually recharging a cell-phone battery before it gets fully drained can kill the batteries ability to be usable. The same is true for the human body. We need to expend energy in order to recharge. Long patterns of physical inactivity hinders our strength and stamina. Regular exercise strengthens the body, improves breathing, enables sleep, and improves mood.

Stillness/Silence. We live in a loud and busy world. The more sound we experience and the more demands made upon us, the more we need moments in which we break from the routine. Sadly, instead of seeking silence and solitude, we often do everything in our power to avoid it. We have grown uncomfortable with silence and stillness so we attempt to fill every second with sight and sound. The continual activity exhausts us. Our brains simply were not meant to be continually stimulated. If you live in non-stop noise and action, you will be exhausted.

Nutrition. Food is fuel. We know that, but many of us don’t live by it. Why does it surprise us that we don’t feel good when we have put little thought or intention into what we are feeding ourselves. Fill a car with liquid fat rather than gasoline and we wouldn’t be shocked if it didn’t run. Fill our bodies with primarily sugar and fat and we shouldn’t be surprised if we aren’t running in the most efficient forms. One of the most effective decisions a person can make is to hire a nutritionist and do what they say. They will provide the authority and accountability to get us on the right track regarding diet and nutrition. If you are fueling your body inappropriately, it’s not surprising if you feel tired.

Do Something

If you are tired, don’t just read this and think of it as one more thing you should do while failing to make any actual change. Do something. Make some conscious decisions. Identify one solution to your problem and get to work. Recruit a friend or expert to help you. Commit to change and then consistently work toward a goal. After you create a new habit, begin implementing another solution. In just a few months, you could make several changes which would tangibly change your life. (See: Weariness as a Symptom of Wrongness)

Imagine how much better life could be if you felt just 10% more rested. Don’t just wish it would happen. Make it happen.