“For highly sensitive people, often exhaustion doesn’t come from doing too much - it comes from living too far away from what’s true.
You can have a life that looks stable, respectable, even successful - and still feel overwhelmingly tired, flat, or inherently drained.”
Thank you so much for this. This is how I feel. I just could not articulate this. My life looks so good on the outside. It is hard to explain this to others.
As always, helpful, resonant thoughts! Being able to gently reconnect with my nervous system and intuition was the gift of the sabbatical I took. I felt like between 40-50 hours of work, then recovering from work, all I had capacity for was survival. But that time away from work gave me space to tune into my body and what actually feels like me.
Boy, this comes at a critical time for me, Rachel, so thank you: I have a doctor's appointment in about 30 minutes where I'm going to explain that I'm feeling so drained, broken, and sick that I must take time away from work.
The funny thing? I actually love my work - I am passionate about our mission, I enjoy our CEO, I'm treated well, I like my team...
But, as an HSP in mid-life with some chronic diseases, working full-time at a challenging job (even working from home), is not good for my nervous system. 😔 My body is basically screaming at me to do something. And I am.
I'm also going to check out your Nervous System Reset Guide. 🌸
Rachel — There’s truth in what you wrote, especially the part about exhaustion coming from misalignment rather than effort. One way I’ve learned to guard against that kind of fatigue is through simple, steady habits: getting enough sleep, daily movement, clean nutrition (with room for dessert), and time for stillness—whether through meditation or prayer.
Steadiness isn’t about holding everything together; it’s about standing still long enough to listen. Alignment feels less like chasing purpose and more like removing what’s false until only what’s essential remains.
In a world that rewards performance over presence, returning to what feels quietly right takes courage. Hang in there.
Here for it. Realised today I have to end a 13 year job despite its comfort and safety. I’m hollow inside and bored with no fresh ideas. Boredom consumes more energy than joy!
This resonates so strongly with me. I have always been criticised for being "too sensitive" and now living with chronic illness and two years into recovery from burnout and workplace bullying I am just beginning to feel like myself again. Some days I still feel like it's day one though.
Rachel! It's been forever, our paths have crossed so many times on social, I dont know how I never came across your substack earlier! So lovely to find you on this corner of the internet. Looking forward to reading more of your substacks. Hope you're doing really well x
This really hits close to home for me. I’ve done the stable, sensible, on-paper successful life, and my body just couldn’t stay in it anymore. I’m in the middle of listening instead of pushing for answers, and it helps to see this put into words. Thank you.
So relevant today. Though ironically I believe the people who need to hear this are the most unwilling to sit with it. While those generally interested already understand where you are coming from. The paradox of life :)
This resonated. Values clash is not just emotional discomfort, it’s misalignment. When what you’re doing no longer reflects who you want to be, that tension isn’t noise. It’s information. This framing is powerful.
“For highly sensitive people, often exhaustion doesn’t come from doing too much - it comes from living too far away from what’s true.
You can have a life that looks stable, respectable, even successful - and still feel overwhelmingly tired, flat, or inherently drained.”
Thank you so much for this. This is how I feel. I just could not articulate this. My life looks so good on the outside. It is hard to explain this to others.
Wow! This really has me - down pat! Talk about resonance! 💕
As always, helpful, resonant thoughts! Being able to gently reconnect with my nervous system and intuition was the gift of the sabbatical I took. I felt like between 40-50 hours of work, then recovering from work, all I had capacity for was survival. But that time away from work gave me space to tune into my body and what actually feels like me.
Boy, this comes at a critical time for me, Rachel, so thank you: I have a doctor's appointment in about 30 minutes where I'm going to explain that I'm feeling so drained, broken, and sick that I must take time away from work.
The funny thing? I actually love my work - I am passionate about our mission, I enjoy our CEO, I'm treated well, I like my team...
But, as an HSP in mid-life with some chronic diseases, working full-time at a challenging job (even working from home), is not good for my nervous system. 😔 My body is basically screaming at me to do something. And I am.
I'm also going to check out your Nervous System Reset Guide. 🌸
Rachel — There’s truth in what you wrote, especially the part about exhaustion coming from misalignment rather than effort. One way I’ve learned to guard against that kind of fatigue is through simple, steady habits: getting enough sleep, daily movement, clean nutrition (with room for dessert), and time for stillness—whether through meditation or prayer.
Steadiness isn’t about holding everything together; it’s about standing still long enough to listen. Alignment feels less like chasing purpose and more like removing what’s false until only what’s essential remains.
In a world that rewards performance over presence, returning to what feels quietly right takes courage. Hang in there.
Here for it. Realised today I have to end a 13 year job despite its comfort and safety. I’m hollow inside and bored with no fresh ideas. Boredom consumes more energy than joy!
This resonates so strongly with me. I have always been criticised for being "too sensitive" and now living with chronic illness and two years into recovery from burnout and workplace bullying I am just beginning to feel like myself again. Some days I still feel like it's day one though.
Thank you for expressing this so well
Rachel! It's been forever, our paths have crossed so many times on social, I dont know how I never came across your substack earlier! So lovely to find you on this corner of the internet. Looking forward to reading more of your substacks. Hope you're doing really well x
This really hits close to home for me. I’ve done the stable, sensible, on-paper successful life, and my body just couldn’t stay in it anymore. I’m in the middle of listening instead of pushing for answers, and it helps to see this put into words. Thank you.
So relevant today. Though ironically I believe the people who need to hear this are the most unwilling to sit with it. While those generally interested already understand where you are coming from. The paradox of life :)
This resonated. Values clash is not just emotional discomfort, it’s misalignment. When what you’re doing no longer reflects who you want to be, that tension isn’t noise. It’s information. This framing is powerful.