Emotional Breathing Room: Why You’re So Tired (And What to Do About It)
- Dr. Oyindamola Okenla
- Jul 3
- 2 min read
There’s a kind of tired that sleep can’t fix.
Not the kind from lack of rest—but from being on all the time. From holding space for everyone. From carrying the invisible weight of strength. From being expected to keep going… even when something inside you is whispering, pause.
If you’ve ever said:
“I’m just overwhelmed.”
“I don’t even know what I need right now.”
“I feel like I’m drowning in my own head…”
You’re not alone.
You’re not lazy.
You’re not weak.
You’re emotionally suffocating.
Many women are living without emotional oxygen—running from task to task, crisis to crisis, expectation to expectation, with no room to simply be. You’re not just physically tired. You are emotionally depleted.
🧠 The Psychology Behind Emotional Overload
Your nervous system was not designed for constant exposure to stress. But modern life—especially for women who are caregivers, leaders, mothers, daughters, visionaries—has normalized chronic pressure.
When we don't allow for pause, reflection, or replenishment, we become emotionally cluttered. And emotional clutter leads to:
Disconnection from yourself
Explosive emotions or total shutdown
Anxiety masked as productivity
Loss of joy and creativity
Guilt for even thinking about self-care
You don’t need a full vacation to begin resetting. You need emotional breathing room—little, intentional spaces to come home to yourself.
🌿 What Emotional Breathing Room Looks Like
It’s not always candles and soft music (though that’s nice). Sometimes it’s:
Saying “no” without guilt.
Taking a quiet walk without your phone.
Turning off notifications after 7 PM.
Blocking out time just to think—without an agenda.
Sitting with your feelings before trying to fix them.
Sometimes, healing starts with silence.
I once worked with a client who couldn’t stop snapping at her loved ones. She was sleeping, eating well, even taking vitamins—but emotionally? She hadn’t exhaled in months. We created a 10-minute daily practice of stillness. Just 10 minutes of no expectations. After one week, she cried and said, “I didn’t know how much I needed to be with me.”
That’s the power of space.
✨ Affirmation
It is safe for me to pause. My worth is not measured by how much I do, but how well I care for who I am.
💡 What to Do This Week
Audit your week. Where are you overcommitted or emotionally stretched?
Pick one thing to release for the next 7 days (a task, a conversation, an expectation).
Pick one thing to add that gives you breath—silence, journaling, light movement, or simply saying “not today.”
Practice for 3 days. Then check in with yourself. Is there more room to breathe?
📣 Ready to Reset?
Join me in this month’s Transformation Experience—a safe space to pause, reset, and rise again with clarity. It’s not just an event. It’s emotional oxygen for your next chapter.
Dr. Oyindamola Okenla
Board Certified Master Mental Health Coach
Author | Speaker | Transformation Catalyst
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