When Rest Isn't the Remedy

Wayne Mylin
May 14
3 min read

What Your Exhaustion Might Really Be Telling You

You’ve slept.

You’ve said no.

You’ve cleared your schedule, turned off your notifications, and even curled up with tea and a book.

But the fog hasn’t lifted.

The ache hasn’t eased.

The spark hasn’t returned.

You’re not being lazy. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just discovering one of life’s quieter truths:

Not all fatigue is solved by sleep. Some weariness is the weight of misalignment.

We’ve Been Taught to Treat Everything with Rest

When life feels heavy, our cultural reflex is to prescribe rest: take a break, slow down, unplug.

And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.

But what happens when we’ve done all that… and still feel like we’re walking through molasses?

What if the exhaustion isn’t physical, but existential?

What if the tiredness isn’t from doing too much, but from not doing what truly matters?

Rest Isn’t One Thing

There’s a framework I appreciate from Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith that outlines seven types of rest:

Physical
Mental
Emotional
Sensory
Creative
Social
Spiritual

Often, we try to fix every kind of fatigue with naps and vacations. But if you’re emotionally depleted or spiritually parched, a nap might soothe—but it won’t restore.

This is where the conversation shifts. Because if you’ve already “rested,” and still feel drained, maybe it’s time to explore another layer.

What If Your Exhaustion Is a Signal, Not a Symptom?

Sometimes, rest doesn’t work because what’s wearing us down isn’t just activity—it’s incongruence.

Here are a few quiet culprits that masquerade as tiredness:

Unlived life – You’re tired from betraying what you truly want.
Chronic coping – You’re always managing. Rarely inhabiting.
Misalignment – You’re hiking someone else’s trail, not your own.
Suppressed emotion – Unfelt feelings leak energy.
Over-control – Holding too tightly steals your breath.

This kind of exhaustion isn’t healed by doing less.

It’s healed by living more truly.

“Is your tiredness coming from doing too much—or from not doing what truly matters?”

The Remedy Might Be Movement, Not Stillness

Paradoxically, some of the most restorative “rest” doesn’t look restful at all.

It might look like:

Finally telling the truth.
Creating something that doesn’t need to be useful.
Laughing with someone who knows you.
Saying yes to something brave.
Saying no to something draining.

Sometimes we’re not tired—we’re under-inspired.

Sometimes we don’t need to stop.

We need to start.

What Life Navigation Has to Do With It

In my work, I talk a lot about life navigation skills—tools for reading your own inner terrain, discerning what’s off-course, and adjusting with compassion and clarity.

When rest isn’t helping, life navigation gives you a map and a compass to go deeper:

What’s this fatigue trying to tell me?
Where am I betraying myself?
What part of me needs to be reclaimed?

This is the soul work of showing up fully.

Of not just surviving, but becoming whole.

“What if your fatigue isn’t failure, but feedback?”

You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone

If you’re ready to stop blaming yourself for not bouncing back and instead start listening for what your life is whispering, I’d be honored to walk beside you.

This is the journey we take at My Best Life Basecamp. It’s where rest meets truth. Where overwhelm meets clarity. And where tired souls remember who they are.