Tired, Wired, and Wondering Why: The Real Reasons You’re Burnt Out (and What to Do About It)

NUTRITION
What to Eat When You’re Stressed and Starving

You hit 2:00 PM and realize… you’ve had coffee and a kid’s leftover waffle.
Your stomach’s in knots, your brain’s in a fog, and you’re craving something fast — and probably sweet.

This isn’t a discipline problem.
It’s a body under stress and starving for nourishment.

When your nervous system is overloaded (hello motherhood), digestion slows down, blood sugar crashes faster, and cravings go through the roof.

Here’s how to eat when you’re overwhelmed — without overthinking it.

1. Keep It Simple & Protein-Packed

When stress is high, your body needs protein more than anything. It helps regulate blood sugar, calms cortisol, and gives your brain the amino acids it needs to function.

Easy grab-and-go ideas:

• Greek yogurt + granola + berries

• Tuna packet + avocado + crackers

• Rotisserie chicken in a wrap or on a salad

• Protein smoothie with frozen fruit, nut butter, and a scoop of Redcon1 protein powder

  2. Add Salt & Minerals

Salt isn’t the enemy — it’s a powerful support tool for your adrenals and nervous system. When you’re chronically stressed or breastfeeding, you’re burning through electrolytes fast.

Try:

• Adrenal cocktails (OJ, coconut water, sea salt, and cream of tartar)

• Earthley’s Electrolyte powder

• Sea salt (with iodine!) + lemon in your water bottle

• Pickles, olives, or salted nuts for snacks

  3. Don’t Skip Carbs

Carbs aren’t the villain. But when you eat them alone, you spike your blood sugar and crash fast — especially under stress.
The key? Always pair carbs with protein or fat to keep things stable.

Smart swaps:

• Apple + peanut butter

• Rice + ground beef

• Banana + protein shake

• Tortilla + turkey and cheese

When you’re stressed and starving, fuel yourself like you matter.
Your energy doesn’t come from willpower — it comes from nourishment.

HEALTH/WELLNESS
Why You’re Always Tired (Even When You Sleep)

You know that feeling when you finally go to bed early… and still wake up exhausted?

It’s not in your head. You’re not lazy or broken. You’re just running on a nervous system that’s out of alignment — and sleep alone isn’t enough to fix that.

For moms especially, being tired all the time has almost become expected. But chronic fatigue is a signal — and it’s worth paying attention to. Because when your energy is off, everything feels harder: patience, motivation, digestion, workouts, hormones… all of it.

Here are three silent energy drains that can keep you tired even if you’re technically getting enough rest — and what to do to feel better, faster.

1. Your Blood Sugar Is Crashing (Especially at Night)

Think blood sugar issues are only for diabetics? Think again. This is something I have been SO aware of for a few years now.

Every time you:

• Skip meals or eat too little

• Load up on coffee instead of food in the morning

• Eat mostly carbs without fat or protein

…you’re creating a spike → crash pattern that tanks your energy and sleep.
And guess what? This happens while you sleep too. Overnight low blood sugar can trigger a cortisol spike (your stress hormone) that pulls you out of deep sleep — or wakes you up completely.

Signs this might be you:

• Waking up at 2–3 a.m.

• Feeling anxious or wired at bedtime

• Craving sugar or caffeine in the morning

Fix it:

• Start your day with 25–35g of protein (eggs + turkey sausage, protein smoothie, or leftover dinner works great).

• Eat within an hour of waking to signal safety to your body.

• Add a protein + fat bedtime snack: Think cottage cheese + berries, or Greek yogurt + nut butter, or even a hard-boiled egg with sea salt.

Tip: If your sleep is disrupted, try a small spoonful of almond butter + raw honey before bed — a quick blood sugar stabilizer used by functional practitioners.

2. Your Circadian Rhythm Is Out of Sync

Even if you sleep 7–8 hours, when and how you sleep matters.

Your body has an internal clock — circadian rhythm — that regulates when to feel alert and when to rest. But modern life (screens, indoor lighting, long nights with babies) can disrupt that rhythm fast.

When your brain doesn’t get the right light signals, it can:

• Produce cortisol too late at night (wired but tired)

• Delay melatonin production (can’t fall asleep)

• Make it harder to stay in deep, healing sleep

Fix it:

• Get outside within 30 minutes of waking — aim for 5–10 minutes of natural light in your eyes (yes, even if it’s cloudy). This tells your brain, “It’s daytime!”

• At night, dim your lights by 8 PM and avoid screens for the last 60–90 minutes of the day if you can. Use “night shift” or blue light blockers if not.

• Try red light or candlelight at night to calm your nervous system.

3. You’re Missing the Nutrients Your Cells Need

No amount of sleep will give you energy if your body doesn’t have the raw materials it needs to make energy in the first place.

The biggest offenders?

• Magnesium: burned through rapidly during stress

• Iron: common deficiency postpartum and in menstruating women

• B12: needed for brain and nervous system function

• Potassium + Sodium: essential for adrenal balance

Low levels of these nutrients can lead to:

• Brain fog

• Short tempers

• Low motivation

• Muscle fatigue

• Mid-afternoon crashes

Fix it:

• Add magnesium glycinate or malate before bed (check Earthley Wellness).

• Eat iron-rich foods like grass-fed beef, spinach, and liver (or take Perfect Supplements’ beef liver capsules).

• Add potassium-rich foods like bananas, coconut water, and potatoes.

• Make an adrenal cocktail: ½ cup OJ, ½ cup coconut water, pinch of sea salt, and ¼ tsp cream of tartar (great mid-morning or afternoon).

Bonus Tip: Emotional Fatigue Feels Like Physical Exhaustion

When your body feels “stuck on,” you’re not just physically tired — you’re emotionally and mentally drained.

Try adding one of these nervous system resets:

• Deep breathing (inhale for 4, exhale for 6)

• Legs up the wall for 5 minutes while the kids play

• Take 60 seconds to sit in the sun without doing anything

• Journaling 3 things that went well today (even if it’s “I didn’t yell!”)

It doesn’t have to be perfect — but your energy can come back.

You just need to stop trying to “push through” and start supporting your body where it needs it most.

MINDSET
What Will They Say?

"What will they say?”

This thought has killed more dreams than anything on Earth.

Imagine giving up all your dreams...

All your potential...

All your happiness...

All your wealth...

All your fulfillment...

Everything you could ever build, create or become...

All the people whose lives would benefit from your self-actualization...

Imagine giving all of that up because of what some fucking loser that has zero impact on the world might have to say about it.

That's the ultimate weakness.

Make yourself Better Today.