The Overwhelm Trap: Why You’re Exhausted and How to Reclaim Your Spark
If someone asked you how you’re doing today and you answered, “I’m fine,” with a fake smile, while quietly screaming inside that you are exhausted, overwhelmed, and barely holding it together … yeh, this episode is for you.
In Episode 13 of The Joy Unleashed Project, Mattie names what so many women over 45 are experiencing but rarely say out loud: chronic overwhelm. Not the occasional busy week, but the kind of constant heaviness that makes even small tasks feel harder than they used to.
And here’s the most important thing to hear right away. This isn’t happening because you’re failing.
In this episode, Mattie breaks down why overwhelm hits women so hard in midlife and why this season can feel heavier than anything you’ve faced before. Between caring for two generations, navigating hormonal shifts, and carrying decades of “good girl” conditioning, many women are living in what Mattie calls the perfect storm.
This conversation is about understanding what’s really happening, releasing the shame around it, and learning how to move from surviving to flourishing.
Inside this episode:
How biology, life stage, and social conditioning combine to drain your energy in midlife.
Why being the fixer, the caretaker, and the emotional glue takes a toll over time.
How changes in estrogen affect resilience, stimulation, and mental load.
Simple, brain-friendly practices to clear mental clutter and calm overwhelm.
How obligation-based living drains your energy faster than anything else.
Why checking your capacity matters more than checking your calendar.
You will walk away with:
Relief from the belief that something is wrong with you
A clearer understanding of why overwhelm feels so heavy right now
Practical tools to quiet mental overload and reclaim energy
Permission to release guilt and stop doing things out of obligation
A renewed sense of choice, clarity, and self-trust
Mattie also shares an invitation into Boundaries Unleashed: Clear Boundaries, Clear Joy, her transformative course designed to help women finally drop the invisible backpack they’ve been carrying for years. This is not about rigid rules or saying no to everything. It’s about detoxing guilt, clarifying values, building self-worth, and creating boundaries that allow joy back in.
Because the overwhelm you’re feeling is real, but it is not a life sentence.
You are worthy of a life that feels good, not just one that looks good on paper.
You have spent decades taking care of everyone else. It’s time to put yourself back on your own list.
Let this episode be your reminder that joy is still available to you, right where you are.
Want to go deeper?
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Download Mattie’s free Permission Slip Boundary Script—a guided tool to help you honor your needs without guilt or apology.
Ready for less overwhelm and more ease?
Join Clear Boundaries, Clear Joy! and learn how to set limits that protect your energy and restore your spark.
