The Rise of Pre-Tired
why we’re exhausted before we begin
In a world that feels increasingly like it's running on caffeine and chaos, we're all searching for a better way to navigate these times. Whether we're doom-scrolling headlines or trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy, there's no denying the collective weight of current events is creating ripples in our daily lives. While we can't control the macro, we can shift our micro and that's exactly what we're here to explore *together*
Ever caught yourself feeling worn out just thinking about tomorrow? Welcome to the world of being pre-tired where we're exhausted by activities we haven't started yet.
It's like having a fatigue hangover from the future, and lately it's become many of our perpetual state.
Picture this: You've got plans for tomorrow. Maybe it's a walk-date with a friend, a creative project, or even just that Sunday ritual you usually love but instead of feeling excited, you're already drained.
Sound familiar?
Here's the thing, pre-tired isn't just regular tired all amped up. It's a unique blend of anticipatory anxiety, decision fatigue, and what I like to call possibility overwhelm. We're not just tired from what we've done; we're tired from all the things we could do, should do, or might do.
It's exhaustion's prequel, and it’s happening to all of us.
When we're pre-tired, we're essentially sending our energy an advance notice of exhaustion. And, like those relentless news notifications pinging our phones with giving us low-key anxiety, it's just not serving anyone. It's mapping out our fatigue before we've even started.
Studies in cognitive psychology show that this anticipatory stress is just as taxing on our bodies as actual physical exhaustion. It's like we're running two days at once: today's real challenges and tomorrow's imagined ones.
Pre-tired invites tomorrow’s exhaustion to today’s party.
So, how do we break free from this cycle?
While clearly I don’t have all the answers, here are three simple ways I tell my pre-tired NOPE:
😩 The Present Energy Account approach
Think of your energy like a streaming service subscription —> you've paid for today, so why are you worried about next month's content?
The trick is to stop making endless withdrawals from tomorrow's energy account and start making deposits in today's.
Get out your Personal First Aid Kit: You still have that, right?
Do a reality check: When your mind starts time-traveling to tomorrow's troubles, gently bring it back with one simple question: What's actually happening right now?
😩 The Future You friend system
Our Future Selves aren’t strangers designated for handling all our unfinished business they're our closest ally in life.
Instead of passing the baton of stress to this future version of you, try sending them a gift of preparedness and peace it's the ultimate form of self-partnership and self-care.
😩 The energy boundary
Set worry windows with immutable boundaries.
Perhaps 15 minutes in the morning as you plan your day or the same on the flip-side as you ready for sleep.
Outside these times, if you catch yourself rehearsing future scenarios, gently whisper not now to your future-fretting. It can wait for its scheduled appointment.
Remember, our goal isn't to never think about tomorrow. We're aiming to shift our relationship with the future from one of fatigued-dread to one of possibility.
Pre-tired has become a default setting.
Here's the truth though and we know this: while we can't control the endless stream of headlines or tomorrow's challenges, we *can* control how we invest our energy today.
When we allow pre-tired to be a default, we're essentially writing a script for fatigue before our story begins.
Our energy is now.
Our power is now.
And the only moment we can truly be tired in is this one so let's get together and let’s make it count.