Hi everyone welcome back to savvy psychologist I'm Dr Ellen Hendrickson and every

week I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

So Courtney from Melbourne, Australia wrote in and said that she struggles with

differentiating between I'm tired and I just don't want to. And I'm so glad that Courtney asked this question because it is something

that so many of us struggle with. So you're supposed to go out or work out or

otherwise be active, but your energy somehow is lower than a 3 watt bulb.

So you ask, am I actually tired or am I just being lazy and avoidant?

Now for Courtney, she notes that she prioritizes getting sufficient sleep and taking care

of herself, which is great.

But sometimes she notes, what starts as self-care becomes an excuse resulting in her not achieving other goals.

So how can she know when to push and when to rest?

Now particularly if you live with anxiety, depression, or chronic pain, it is challenging to know if you should give yourself a nudge or if you're actually tired and should take a breather.

So let's go through each option and it is tired and should take a breather.

So let's go through each option and it is hard because each choice can backfire.

On the one hand, sometimes pushing through is sheer folly.

We check every last box on our to-do list, muttering no pain, no gain, but we end up in a deeper

hole of exhaustion or pain. We push, but then we pay.

On the other hand, in our culture that fetishes productivity and achievement,

deciding to rest can feel like we're making excuses or being lazy.

Our inner critic then gleefully flogs us,

and our arrest is ruined with second-guessing and regrets.

Now things get even more confusing because sometimes we overdo the rest.

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