Worry, Anxiety & Stress: Why They Leave You Exhausted (and what this means for chronic fatigue)
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
If you’re living with ongoing exhaustion, burnout, or a chronic fatigue condition and are looking for ways to Regain Your Energy, you’ll already know how precious your energy is.
And yet, one of the most confusing experiences can be this:
You haven’t physically done very much…and still, you feel completely drained.
It can leave you wondering:
"What’s going on? Why do I feel like this?"
What I often see — in my work with people living with fatigue — is that it’s not just physical activity that uses up energy.
It’s what’s happening inside.
Worry. Stress. Anxiety. The constant mental and emotional load.
And when you begin to understand how these affect your body, something important starts to shift.
Worry, stress and anxiety aren’t “just feelings”
For many people living with chronic fatigue, anxiety and stress are not just emotional experiences — they are a key part of why energy feels so limited.
They are also processes happening in your body — and they use energy.
Every thought you have requires energy to exist.
So when your mind is busy — looping, analysing, trying to work things out — those small amounts of energy begin to add up.
Many people describe it as feeling like they have “too many tabs open” in their mind.
Even when you’re trying to rest, your system may still be working.
And then there’s the emotional weight of those thoughts.
Some emotions feel lighter, easier to carry.
Others feel heavier — harder to sit with, more draining over time.
Worry, stress and anxiety tend to sit in that heavier range.
So not only are they using energy…they can also weigh on your system.
Your nervous system and your energy
Your body is naturally designed to spend most of its time in a calm, steady state — often referred to as rest and digest state.
This is where your body can:
restore and repair
digest food properly
think clearly
use energy efficiently
But when something feels unsafe, uncertain, or overwhelming, your body can shift into a stress response (often known as fight, flight, freeze or fawn state).
When it’s activated frequently, it can contribute to what many people experience as nervous system fatigue.
This response is not a problem. It’s a protection mechanism.
The difficulty is that your brain doesn’t always distinguish between a real threat and a perceived one.
So worrying about something…or feeling anxious about something…
can trigger the same response in your body as something physically dangerous.
Your system shifts into “emergency mode”.
And that uses a lot of energy.
Why this becomes exhausting
The stress response is designed to be short-term, lasting around 30 minutes or so.
But in modern life, many people find themselves being pulled into this state much more often — and for longer periods of time.
And crucially…we don’t always move through the response.
We don’t run, fight, or release the energy.
We hold it.
So energy gets used…but not released.
Over time, this can begin to affect different areas of your body.
You might notice:
disrupted sleep
digestive changes
brain fog or reduced concentration
feeling more run down or sensitive
And gradually, the way your body produces and uses energy becomes less efficient.
So even though you’re not necessarily doing more…
it can feel like you have less and less energy available.
A different way of understanding fatigue
This is where a really important shift comes in.
Many people understandably focus on:
“How do I get more energy?”
But often, what’s happening is that your energy is being used up by a system that’s trying to protect you.
So the starting point isn’t always about finding more energy.
It’s about gently asking:
“How can I help my system feel safe enough to use less?”
When you begin to support your nervous system in this way , your body can start to rebalance.
This is where many people begin to explore how to Regain Your Energy in a more sustainable, supported way. And as that happens, energy often begins to return more naturally.
What actually helps?
This isn’t about big changes or doing everything at once.
It’s about small, supportive shifts.
A helpful place to begin is with awareness — you might even find it useful to start with a gentle Energy Check-In to see what’s affecting your energy right now.
1. Notice your “tells”
These are the signals your body gives you when your stress response system is becoming activated.
They might be:
mental (looping thoughts)
emotional (feeling unsettled or heavy)
physical (racing heart, shallow breathing, tension)
These are not problems.
They are signals.
2. Create a moment of choice
When you notice these signals, you create a small moment where you can respond differently.
Not perfectly. Just gently.
3. Offer your body support
This might include:
bringing your attention back to the present moment
slowing your breath
gentle movement
time outside
music, people or activities that lift you slightly
You don’t need to do everything.
One small shift can begin to make a difference.
You are not broken
If you’re feeling exhausted, foggy, or out of sorts… please know this:
There is nothing wrong with you.
What you’re experiencing makes sense when you understand what your body is trying to do.
This is not your body failing you.
It’s your body trying to protect you —using a system that may have become overactive.
And when you begin to work with your body rather than against it, things can begin to change.
Where to go next
If this has resonated with you, you might find it helpful to explore this further:
🌿 Join the free Owning Your Energy webinar series A gentle, ongoing space to understand your energy more clearly and begin making supportive shifts. Monthly webinars, that are free to join
🌿 Take the Energy Check-In A simple way to reflect on what might be affecting your energy right now👉 https://www.reconnectingyou.co.uk/
🌿 Explore more - Regain Your Energy Learn more about how I support people living with fatigue
🌿 Reconnecting You YouTube channel Explore the deeper patterns behind low energy levels, and helping you understand your fatigue differently.
A final thought for you
You don’t need to have all the answers.
You don’t need to fix everything.
Just beginning to understand what’s happening in your body can be the first step towards feeling a little more in control.
And from there…small shifts can begin to add up.
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