The Real Reason We’re Always Tired

We Work Like Machines Because We’re Afraid to Stop

It’s not the workload that’s heavy. It’s what we’re avoiding. We don't just work to pay bills. We work to silence something we’re too afraid to face.

We’re terrified of stillness

Silence doesn’t feel peaceful. It feels threatening. The minute we stop, the internal noise begins. Regret. Loneliness. Confusion. That old itch of “What the hell am I doing with my life?”

So, we fill the silence with emails, deadlines, and calendars. We’d rather die productive than sit still and meet ourselves.

The Katha Upanishad nails this:"Paranchi khani vyatrinat svayambhuh tasmāt parāṅ paśyati nāntarātman"

“The Self created the senses outward-going; hence one sees the outer world, not the inner Self.” (Katha Upanishad 2.1.1, trans. Swami Chinmayananda)

Looking inward feels like walking into a burning building. Outward is easier. Even if it kills us.

We measure our worth in output

We don’t know who we are unless we’re achieving. We can’t say “I’m tired.” We say “I’ve been busy.” It sounds more noble. It buys us status. But it also hides our lack of self-worth. If we stop doing, we think we’ll disappear.

The Bhagavad Gita reminds us:"Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana"

“You have the right to action, but not to the fruits of action.” (Gita 2.47, trans. Swami Sivananda)

But we’ve flipped that. We obsess over the fruit. And rot at the roots.

We confuse distraction for purpose

Working nonstop gives us a storyline. A script. A way to dodge the deeper stuff. Ask someone why they work so hard and you’ll hear: “I have to.” But pry a little, and it’s more like: “I don’t know who I am without it.”

Patanjali warned us about this in the Yoga Sutras:"Vyutthāna-nirodha-samskārayoḥ abhibhava-prādurbhāvau nirodha-kṣaṇa-cittānvayaḥ nirodha-pariṇāmaḥ"—

“When the impressions of distraction and stillness alternate, and stillness begins to dominate, that is the transformation toward samādhi.” (Yoga Sutras 3.9, trans. Swami Satchidananda)

But we never stay still long enough to find out what’s beneath the noise.

We weren’t held, so we hold on to work

For many of us, the idea of being seen without doing is unbearable. Few of us were just... held. Quietly. Without judgment. Without “What’s next?” So now we work like it’s penance. Like it’ll make us worthy. Like achievement will give us the love that still feels missing.

We don’t rest because rest asks too many questions

What if the real work is not the job? What if it’s sitting with the parts of you that scare you? That’s harder than emails. Harder than 12-hour days. Because once you start asking the real questions, things begin to unravel.

And most of us aren’t ready to lose the version of ourselves we’ve spent decades performing.

Stillness isn't a break from life. It's the bit we've been skipping.