The Tiredness That No Holiday Can Fix

Why exhaustion isn’t always about sleep and what to do instead

A holiday can rest the body, but it can’t always restore the mind.

You book the holiday.

You switch off your phone.

You sleep in, wander, relax, maybe even laugh more than usual.

And yet… you come back just as tired.

Sometimes, even more tired.

That’s because not all tiredness comes from your body.

Some of it comes from the way you’re living.

The hidden exhaustion no one talks about

Research shows that 77% of professionals experience burnout at least once in their career (Deloitte, 2022).

But here’s the thing: recovery doesn’t always work if we only treat it like a physical problem.

You can rest your body, but if your days are filled with things that don’t fit who you are anymore, you’ll still feel drained.

Psychologists Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter call this emotional exhaustion and it’s actually a stronger predictor of poor wellbeing than physical exhaustion.

In simple words: sleep alone can’t fix what misalignment creates.

So what really restores your energy?

It’s not just more naps or longer holidays.

It’s small but powerful shifts like these:

• Finish what’s hanging over you.

  Those half-done tasks or delayed decisions? They take up more energy in your head than actually doing them.

• Do less of what drains you.

  You don’t need to fill every hour. Even one small swap, saying no to a draining catch-up, yes to something meaningful gives energy back.

• Listen to your limits.

  Real rest happens when you stop pushing past your own warning signs. Your body whispers before it shouts.

  
  

As Anne Lamott says: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

And John Lubbock reminds us: “Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass… is by no means a waste of time.”

A new kind of rest

This isn’t about perfection.

It’s about noticing where your tiredness is really coming from.

So next time you feel exhausted even after a holiday, ask yourself:

👉 Is my body tired? Or is my life tiring me out?

Because the answer changes everything.

What this really means

You don’t need a longer break.

You need a truer one.

P.S. If your mind feels tired even when your body should be rested, try my free 3-minute Reset Audio. It’s a quick way to clear the noise and feel steady again.

Monica Kalra supports brilliant women who feel stuck but can’t explain why. Through coaching, speaking, and award-winning writing, she helps them move beyond invisible limits and step forward with clarity, confidence, and aliveness.