Why Anxiety and Exhaustion Go Together
Understanding Why Your Body Feels Tired When Your Mind Won’t Slow Down
When Your Body Feels Drained but Your Mind Is Wide Awake
You wake up feeling as if you never slept.
Your limbs feel heavy, your concentration thin, and your thoughts are somehow both fast and foggy.
Part of you wants to lie down and disappear under a blanket.
Another part is humming with tension, scanning, thinking, trying to stay ahead of something you cannot name.
This combination often leaves people asking, How can I feel tired in my bones and overstimulated in my mind at the same time?
The answer is simple and deeply human:
Anxiety is exhausting.
Not metaphorically.
Physiologically.
Energetically.
Emotionally.
Your nervous system cannot stay alert, vigilant, or “on guard” without draining your internal resources. For many people across Surrey, Cloverdale, and Langley, exhaustion is the symptom that finally forces them to slow down and ask for support.
The Hidden Link Between Chronic Anxiety and Feeling Drained
Anxiety activates the body’s threat system. Even if nothing dangerous is happening, your nervous system behaves as if you must be prepared for something. That ongoing readiness burns energy quickly.
You might notice:
Tight muscles in your shoulders or jaw
A racing mind that will not settle
Feeling restless while your body feels depleted
Emotional sensitivity or irritability
Needing more caffeine just to feel functional
Anxiety hits the gas pedal. Exhaustion is the empty tank that follows.
This is not a weakness. It is the body’s natural response to being activated for too long without rest.
Why the Nervous System Gets Overwhelmed
The autonomic nervous system shifts between mobilization and collapse:
1. Hyperarousal
This is the anxiety state. You are charged, alert, vigilant, and wired.
You might feel:
Antsy or restless
Easily startled
Overly focused
On edge
Like your mind is sprinting
This state burns energy at an accelerated rate.
2. The Crash
When your system cannot maintain that high alert, it moves into shutdown.
This can look like:
Feeling heavy and slow
Emotional numbness
Brain fog
Clumsiness
Low motivation or withdrawal
This is not failure. This is protection.
Your body is trying to conserve energy and recover from being in survival mode.
Many people move between these states daily without understanding why they feel “wired-tired.”
Why Overthinking Drains Your Energy
Thinking itself costs energy.
But overthinking is like running a marathon while sitting still.
When your brain constantly analyses conversations, predicts outcomes, evaluates risks, or tries to prevent imagined problems, it absorbs enormous cognitive load.
This is why people with anxiety often say:
“I feel like I did nothing today, but I’m wiped.”
“Even simple tasks drain me.”
“I can’t turn my brain off long enough to rest.”
Your brain is burning calories as if it’s solving emergencies.
Your body is trying to keep up.
And eventually, it cannot.
When You Want to Rest but Cannot Settle
One of the most painful patterns is feeling too anxious to relax but too exhausted to function.
You might find yourself:
Lying awake with thoughts looping
Dreading the next day before it starts
Feeling emotional highs and lows
Wanting rest but feeling unsafe in stillness
Needing constant stimulation to distract from discomfort
Craving sleep but waking up unrefreshed
This is not laziness or lack of discipline.
This is a nervous system overwhelmed by sustained activation.
Why Self-Blame Makes Exhaustion Worse
Many clients tell us they feel ashamed about how tired they are. They wonder why they “can’t handle normal life” or why they “need so much rest.”
But exhaustion in the context of anxiety is not a moral issue.
It is not about effort or willpower.
It is the predictable outcome of a body that has been trying to protect you for too long.
Your fatigue is not failure.
It is communication.
It is your body saying, I cannot keep running like this.
Therapy helps you learn how to listen rather than push through.
How Therapy Helps with Both Anxiety and Exhaustion
At Tidal Trauma Centre in Surrey, we help clients understand exhaustion as part of the anxiety cycle, not a separate problem.
Using trauma-informed approaches like Somatic Therapy, IFS, AEDP, and EMDR, we help you:
Recognize how anxiety shows up in your body
Slow down activation before it becomes overwhelming
Build capacity for rest without feeling unsafe
Learn early signs of nervous system strain
Break the repeated crash-and-burn cycle
Reconnect with steadier, more sustainable energy
One Surrey client shared, “I thought I was weak for being this tired. Now I understand my body has been trying to protect me for years.”
When the body feels safer, exhaustion begins to ease.
What Healing Can Feel Like
As your nervous system stabilizes, you may begin to notice:
More predictable energy throughout the day
Less emotional flooding
More restorative sleep
A calmer baseline
Greater patience and mental clarity
The ability to rest without guilt or fear
Healing anxiety often means healing the chronic overactivation underneath it.
And as the pressure eases, exhaustion often lifts with it.
When Your Body Asks for a Different Rhythm
Exhaustion is often your body’s way of saying:
I need something to change.
Clients across Surrey and Langley frequently tell us that understanding the connection between anxiety and fatigue allowed them to stop blaming themselves and start supporting their bodies.
If you want help breaking the cycle of anxiety-induced exhaustion, our trauma-informed therapists can support your nervous system in finding steadier ground.
Contact us or fill out a New Client Form to be matched with a therapist. If you are ready, you can also book a free consult or appointment directly.
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Because your body is busy inside. Anxiety accelerates your internal systems even when you appear still.
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It can be. Fatigue often appears when your nervous system has been activated for longer than it can handle.
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If you’re scanning for cues, managing impressions, or feeling tense, your system is spending significant energy during each interaction.
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Yes. When your nervous system stops bracing, your energy becomes more consistent. Clients often sleep better, think clearer, and feel less reactive.
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This is one of the clearest signs of dysregulation. Therapy helps your system relearn how to settle so you can actually rest when you need to.
You Might Also Be Interested In:
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The Overwhelm Cycle: Why Stress Feels Endless and How Therapy Can Help
Anxiety’s Whisper: How Subtle Nervous System Cues Signal Stress
Anxiety vs. Intuition: How to Tell the Difference When Everything Feels Uncertain
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Disclaimer: The content on this website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, or mental health advice. It is not a substitute for professional care. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.