Mairi Joyce

You’re the one who notices everything. The message that hasn’t been replied to, the task no one’s picked up and the tension in the room that everyone else seems to ignore. So you step in and fix it, organise it, smooth it over and take it on. From the outside, it looks like you’re just “capable” or “reliable.” But underneath that, there’s a constant pressure: If I don’t do it, it won’t get done. Over time, this doesn’t just make life busy, it makes you feel responsible for everything: other...

You finally stop, sit down, close your laptop. But instead of relaxing… your body feels tense, your mind won’t slow down, and somehow you feel both exhausted and restless at the same time. This is the “tired but can’t relax” feeling, also known as being wired but tired. It happens when your body is drained, but your nervous system is still switched on, stuck in stress mode even when the day is over. So you scroll, snack, half-watch something and try to switch off, but nothing actually feels...

It Could Be A Sign of Burnout By Mairi Joyce If you feel exhausted on Monday even after resting all weekend, it’s often a sign of burnout, not just tiredness. For those of us working 9-5, weekends are designed to be our respite, our source of calm and time to do what we enjoy so we can feel fresh and revived by Monday morning. But for many of us weekends are just a second shift or time we need to plan for the week ahead. Or maybe you rest all weekend, you slow down, catch up on sleep, maybe...