Energy Deficits

Do you wake up feeling tired? Do the day's tasks feel daunting, regardless of the size of the to-do list? Have you been more moody than usual when someone asks a small request of you? Do you just feel worn out or like you've lost interest in even fun activities?

If you answer yes to the above, you're likely suffering from an energy deficit. This is a concept I use to describe when the amount of mental, physical or emotional energy being spent daily is not being recovered each night. We're at a net loss day after day, rather than maintaining a balanced level. Over time, this net loss digs us deeper and deeper into an exhausted state.

Before I get into what contributing factors may impact an energy deficit, I want to first clarify what it is not. An energy deficit is not the same as diagnosable depression nor is it the same as burnout. Both of these are serious mental health concerns that can significantly impair one's functioning. If you suspect you may be experiencing either of these, I strongly encourage you to seek mental health supports. With that said, some of the below insights may still be helpful for someone suffering from depression or burnout, as the daily energy deficits I'm describing are likely contributors to these larger concerns.

We can think of energy deficits as two problems in one: 1) spending too much energy in a day, and 2) not rebuilding the energy we've spent. Let's break this down further.

1) Life can be busy. It can be very easy to slip into patterns of working extra hours, filling our schedules with social activities, and spending our "free time" catching up on housework. The difficulty with this is we don't tend to engage in the restful self-care needed to recover.

Noticing what activities may be most draining, and which of those are optional, can be a nice place to focus first. Once that's known, then you can begin setting healthy boundaries. This may involve boundaries with others, particularly if we have a strong instinct to "people please."

Another necessary place for boundaries that can sometimes get missed is with ourselves. We don't have caregivers telling us to go to bed on time or stay in for a family movie night anymore. We have to hold ourselves accountable to set a lifestyle that is sustainable. Take a look at your life and notice in which realms you may need to be that "responsible parent" for yourself. It can really help to plan ahead with this approach too. If you're big on schedules, consider scheduling in "free time" for yourself regularly so things stay manageable. If you know you have something stressful in a day, don't load on other tasks that same day. Be that caring and responsible person for yourself that sets limits on the energy drains.

2) Rebuilding energy can look very different for different people. Introverts might define it as quiet time at home reading a book. Extroverts might find meeting a friend for coffee as recharging. We may think of it as an activity that helps us produce energy long-term, such as regular exercise or a passion project. Or we might see it as moments of traditional rest like taking a nap or watching a relaxing show. Often an undervalued way to build energy is to simply focus on good sleep hygiene and nutritious meals.

However it might look, paying attention to what truly recharges you each day can make all the difference. This may take some experimenting to see what really makes the most positive difference for you. Also keep in mind that some aspects like exercise take more than one day for it to have a recharging effect, so really give it a chance by building up the habit before deciding how it impacts you.


When you gain awareness on how your daily activities impact your energy stores, you have the power to make informed choices. But sometimes the greatest challenge is remembering this approach when making decisions. My wise supervisor once told me a helpful rule of thumb to consider:

don't take on more in your day than you can fully recover from by the time you wake up the next day

I encourage you to keep this in mind as you structure your days and weeks. Look at what drains, look at what charges and find your balance.