Who's exhausted? (The whole room raises their hands.) What is going on? Why is it that getting out of bed in the morning is a herculean task and it feels like getting through the day sometimes is like moving through wet sand. We're not supposed to be this tired all the time. There's a few universal factors contributing to this collective burnout.
Off nature's rhythm
One of the basic reasons we feel so rough is we are out of sync with nature, not just the big outdoors nature but the nature of our own bodies. When we are going with the flow of nature's intelligence, the flow itself carries us along, we don't need to exert as much energy. For example, our bodies have a natural circadian rhythm, and when we rise with the sun and go to bed before 10, we more easily fall asleep, and melatonin and other hormones get a chance to be properly produced and regulated. When we don't, it's as if we missed the train and have to run after it.
Resisting and controlling
This is related to being off nature's rhythm because we have let our small self take the steering wheel. This part of us ignores our inner, wiser Big Self. When we go against intuition, that resistance is exhausting. We spend a lot of time trying to control outcomes which are out of our control because we mistakenly think our happiness depends on it. This burns us out in no time. So much of our thinking is like water emptying out of a boat. The trick is to learn to relax and enjoy the ride.
Stress overload
Our bodies were never designed for the amount of changes and demands we are confronted with on a daily basis. Our body stores these as distorted memories in our physiology. A body full of stress chemistry has so much to endure just to walk down the street. Unfortunately, the world isn't getting any slower. Sleep and deep rest through meditation is the only way to release this chemistry (and sleep can't get at the deep seated stress).
Nature of the relative is fatigue
Fatigue is the nature of the relative. The Absolute is the source of all energy, it all manifests from there, so as we move away from it in consciousness towards the relative, it's like moving away from the sun, there's less and less energy. When we meditate, our awareness is going back towards its source. The more our awareness has access to that layer, the more it can draw power from it. Even when you're not meditating, you can close your eyes and think, "Aham Brahmasmi," or "I am Totality," and imagine drawing that energy up through a straw into your body. With three kids, I use this alllll the time.
The exhaustion is real.