Is Feeling Tired a Barrier to Doing your Work?
This is a common reaction for many people when doing The Work, and I’ve experienced it myself.
I decide to do The Work, and pretty soon I’m thinking, “OMG I need to go to bed.” But I’m not really ready for bed, I just feel that way as an excuse. Like a kind of mental fatigue.
The mind looks for any way out of doing this work. It thinks, “I’m here, I’m quiet, but I’m mentally fatigued, so maybe I’ll go watch some TV or make some tea and come back when I have a little more energy.”
It’s a Great Out
It’s so believable. I actually do feel tired. What a perfect excuse! I love how clever the mind is to come up with this one.
So how do you deal with this?
For me it really helps to not fully believe my fatigue. I’ve experienced many times that “fatigue” comes when I don’t want to do something. It’s not real fatigue.
So I ask myself, “I’m tired, is that true?” And make that my first piece of work if I need to, going through all four questions and turnarounds if necessary.
And if I’m Still too Fatigued I Take a Nap
I don’t want to pretend I’m not tired if I really am. If I’m really tired, then I lie down and sleep for a little while. Maybe 10-15 minutes is what I need.
Then, when I wake up, I can give it another try. It’s always a balance between not pushing myself too hard and not letting myself get away with excuses.
You’ll Know the Difference
If you pay attention, there’s a big difference between taking care of your fatigue and using it to get out of doing The Work.
If taking a nap is a part of my process, then I don’t feel like I’m avoiding at all. Just taking care of myself. That’s very different than thinking, I’ll come back to it later. Chances are with that thought of coming back later, I’ll head off doing some other thing, and won’t actually take a nap. That’s when I know it’s pure excuse.
One more concept worth questioning is this, “I need to be feeling awake to do The Work, is that true?” In my experience, no matter how tired I am when I start, I often really wake up when the insights start coming in.
Have a great week,
Todd
“When a thought appears such as “Do the dishes” and you don’t do them, notice how an internal war breaks out. It sounds like this: “I’ll do them later. I should have done them by now. My roommate should have done them. It’s not my turn. It’s not fair. People will think less of me if I don’t do them now.” The stress and weariness you feel are really mental combat fatigue.” Byron Katie, Loving What Is
Get two new articles about The Work of Byron Katie every week, plus my checklist for the Judge-Your-Neighbor-Worksheet. Subscribe to the newsletter here.
If you like this article, feel free to forward the link to friends, family or colleagues. Or share the link on Facebook or other social media. If you have thoughts you’d like to share about it, please leave your comments below.
