The Mental Load: Why You’re Always Tired (Even When You’re Resting)
The Joy Unleashed Podcast - Episode 2
The Mental Load: Why You’re Always Tired (Even When You’re Resting) with Mattie Cummins, MSW – Counselor, Coach & Founder of Cerebrations
You wake up exhausted. Your brain never stops spinning. Even when you sit down to rest, there’s this nagging feeling—like you should be doing something. Sound familiar?
That’s the mental load. And if you’re over 45, you’ve been carrying it so long that you don’t even question it anymore. The invisible weight of remembering everything—the appointments, the emails, the grocery lists, the kids’ schedules, the parents’ needs, the never-ending “I should really…” thoughts—it’s all there, running in the background, draining you before you even start your day.
But here’s what no one tells you: your brain isn’t designed to hold all of this at once. And when it tries, it backfires. The more you juggle, the harder it is to focus. The harder it is to focus, the more overwhelmed you feel. And before you know it, you’re in survival mode—snapping at loved ones, second-guessing yourself, struggling to make even the smallest decisions.
In this episode, Mattie breaks down why your brain gets stuck in this cycle—and how to start lightening the load, one small shift at a time. Forget the overwhelming “fix your life” checklists. This isn’t about doing more. It’s about taking things off your plate, starting with what was never yours to carry in the first place.
If you’ve ever wondered why you’re so tired—even when you’re doing “nothing”—this conversation is for you. It’s time to stop surviving and start reclaiming your energy, your time, and yourself.
Ready to let go of the weight you didn’t realize you were carrying? Let’s do this.
Want more?
Download Mattie’s free guided journaling prompts to start clearing the mental clutter today.
https://cerebrations.org/journal
Learn more about the Flourish Collective—a powerful community for women 45+ ready to stop surviving and start flourishing.
https://cerebrations.org/flourish
Join us as we continue the journey of Unleashing Joy through thinking well, feeling well, and living well.
