You’re doing all the “right” things—getting enough sleep, eating healthy, staying active—but you still wake up tired. You power through the day on caffeine and grit, only to crash at night and repeat the cycle the next day. Sound familiar?
Many midlife women believe the answer is to do more. More sleep. More effort. More self-care. But what if the problem isn’t about needing more? What if you’re quietly leaking energy in ways you haven’t noticed?
In The 3 Biggest Energy Leaks Leading to Midlife Fatigue, we uncover the hidden drains sapping your mental, emotional, and physical strength and how to plug them without adding anything extra to your to-do list.
Because you don’t need more energy, you need to stop losing the energy you already have.
What Is an Energy Leak?
If you wonder, “Why am I always tired?” and no rest seems to help, it’s time to look at your energy differently.
An energy leak is anything that slowly drains your physical, emotional, or mental energy, without you even realizing it. Imagine your energy like a bucket of water. No matter how much you refill it with sleep, food, or downtime, the water will keep draining out if there are holes in the bottom. We’re fixing those holes—overcommitting, mental overload, and delaying one’s care. Midlife fatigue is real, and you need to address it.
Signs You’re Experiencing Energy Leaks
- You wake up tired even after sleeping through the night
- You feel drained by mid-afternoon, no matter what you eat or drink
- You’re doing “all the right things” but still feel burned out
- You push through your days and crash hard, but never feel restored
These are red flags. And no supplement, smoothie, or schedule hack will help if you don’t address them.
Energy Leak #1: Saying Yes to Everything but Yourself
One of my clients put it perfectly: “I’m done making excuses. I miss feeling strong. I want to feel proud of myself again, not just tired all the time.” This is one of the most common energy leaks I see. You say yes to your boss, partner, kids, and community, leaving zero time for you.
Belief Shift: Every time you say yes to something you don’t want, you say no to yourself.
Overcommitting is sneaky. It feels like the “right” thing to do. But it’s often the thing that burns you out the fastest. Ask yourself: If you had a free day, how would you want to spend it? In my book Pursue Your Spark, I talked about the Overwhelm Trap. “We say yes because we think we have to. But setting boundaries is how you reclaim your energy.”
Energy Leak #2: Mental Overload and Decision Fatigue
It’s not just your body that’s tired—it’s your brain. From the moment you wake up, you’re making decisions. What to wear? What to eat? What’s next on the list? Who needs what? By the end of the day, even choosing what’s for dinner feels like climbing a mountain. This is decision fatigue, and it’s real.
Belief Shift: Your brain isn’t tired because you’ve done too much—it’s tired because it hasn’t had a break from thinking.
Simplifying decisions and reducing mental clutter frees up more energy than you think.
Energy Leak #3: The “Someday” Mindset
You keep telling yourself, “I’ll start when things slow down.” But life isn’t going to slow down. Not really. There’s always something. Waiting for the perfect time to take care of yourself is like waiting for a pause that never comes.
Belief Shift: If you keep waiting for the right time, you’ll be waiting forever.
It’s not about adding more to your plate—it’s about choosing to do one small thing that matters today.
Reclaiming Your Energy Isn’t About Doing More
Let’s flip the script. The solution isn’t adding more self-care. It’s subtracting what drains you. When you protect your energy, everything changes. You think clearly, move with intention, and feel more like yourself again.
Here’s what that can look like:
- Focus on what truly matters to you, not what you “should” be doing
- Say no with confidence
- Set boundaries that support your wellbeing
- Do less—but with more presence
Choose activities and people that fuel you, not deplete you. In my book Pursue Your Spark, I discuss this in the overwhelm trap: “Women often do more to feel in control, but real control comes from choosing what actually fuels you.”
If you’re still exhausted despite doing everything “right,” it’s time to ask:
Where is my energy going? And is that where I want it to go?
Start by noticing where your energy leaks appear. Then, take one small step to patch the hole. You don’t need a complete overhaul—just one honest shift.
Ready to Reclaim Your Energy?
You don’t have to keep running on empty. Let’s change the way you think about energy—for good.
Check out my new book, Pursue Your Spark: Your Guide to Escaping Midlife Traps, Reclaiming Confidence, and Living Fully. Click here to grab your copy.
Or join the waitlist for the Pursue Your Spark Blueprint, my signature program designed to help midlife women stop the cycle of exhaustion and thrive with fundamental strategies that work. Click here to join the waitlist.