Today’s topic is about the fatigue that some of you feel during your awakening shifts. It can be pretty intense. You may feel like you can never get enough sleep at night, and after awhile, all you want to do is sleep. But sleep may not be the right nourishment here, and I’ll talk a little bit about dealing with this fatigue and some of the issues that it may be representing.
As a quick side note, I have an online intro to spiritual awakening class you may be interested in. Learn more about it here:
Also, if you are new to this blog, feel free to sign up for my free newsletter:
Also, here’s a longer discussion and additional help about spiritual awakening as a whole:
Spiritual Awakening Help and Tips Guide
What Is Not Awakening Fatigue
But before we go too far, let’s set some ground rules. If you are really super tired a lot of the time, you should definitely investigate your health choices!
In my time on the spiritual path, I’ve learned that most of the fatigue people suffer from has to do with 6 main things:
Breath–breathing poorly (Check out Breath by James Nestor)
Water–not drinking enough actual water or drinking too much caffeinated and/or alcoholic beverages
Nutrition–poor nutrition leads to poor health in many ways, including a sense of fatigue
Stress and too much stimulation–the body needs time to slow down and calm down throughout the day; additionally, too much screen time exhausts people in the wrong way particularly before bedtime
Sleep–people don’t prepare to sleep well, have sleeping situations that cause physical pain, and otherwise don’t rest enough throughout the day (meditation is one form of rest, but naps are great too)
Activity–not being active enough is a major problem. The body needs activity to help it re-balance itself.
This is the tip of the iceberg. I encourage you to explore that iceberg before deciding anything has to do with a spiritual awakening.
Talk to a Trained Health Professional
There are lots of health professionals who are here to help you. Be humble. Talk to them. Consult a licensed doctor. Talk to a nutritionist/dietician. Talk to a sleep coach. Get a personal trainer. Find people who are well-trained and then follow the regimens that they prescribe.
While there are lots of strange illnesses out there, a lot of things are actually very straightforward. Western Culture is very sick. There is pollution in much of what we ingest, and there are so many unhealthy lifestyle patterns that must change. So I strongly encourage you to use all available tools before jumping to a conclusion that you must be having a spiritual awakening if you’re super tired.
For more thoughts on health issues involving fatigue, please check out the links at the very end of this post.
What Spiritual Awakening Fatigue Is
Okay, so I think we’ve covered the important basics, i.e. see a doctor, don’t do 9 million things in a day, get a full night’s sleep, lose the caffeine, remove added sugar, get active, have less screen time, reduce stress, etc.
Now, for those of you in awakening, you’ll go to a doctor, and they’ll find nothing wrong with you. Along with the fatigue, you are also moving through moments of profound silence, stillness, and love (These are the real signs of awakening, btw. Check out “5 Signs of a Spiritual Awakening” for more on this). When all of this is coming together, you can be more sure that the fatigue you’re feeling is from awakening.
Why?
Part of what happens is that we’re being transformed on every level of ourselves. Some parts of us transform very easily. Some do not. We will find more resistance or density in certain areas of ourselves. But just because there is density there doesn’t mean that there’s anything bad in you.
It’s just dense…like a rock.
How much energy do you need to turn a rock into a gas? Come on physicists out there. I’m sure you’ve got an equation for this. But you get the point. You need a lot. For those of you going from a liquid into a gas, you still need a lot of energy to make that transformation, and with most or all of your energy tied up in that transformation, you don’t have much energy for the world.
Letting Go of Resistance
The biggest thing that most of us learn is to let go of resistance. Whether it’s the mind not believing that it can get through this transformation or the wounded heart believing it’s not worthy of all this divine love, resistance slows down the transformation. The greater resistance you have, the greater and greater exhaustion you’re likely to have after your spiritual awakening.
In short, you’re at war with yourself. You’re dousing the fire that needs to get hotter.
We’re like caterpillars going into our chrysalises. We need a lot of time in there to become butterflies, but we can’t fully give ourselves to that transformation if we’re already trying to fly before we have wings or if we’re still trying to crawl all over the place. I know that you think that you don’t have time, but if you don’t make time, you’re going to crash. And it won’t be pretty.
Because inside, your soul–the real you–has already chosen this path. And you need to come into acceptance of it. If you don’t, then you’re still resisting the change. It’s time to let go of that resistance. It’s absolutely exhausting. Resisting your spiritual awakening will take away every last bit of energy you have until you can’t get off the floor and people are deciding to put you in a mental facility.
Well, serious help is already here; it’s you. It’s you and God, which are becoming one and the same. Because we are all God. We are all both the parts and the whole of God. This is what happens when we lose duality and blend into the Divine oneness. So just let go. If you are tired, then rest.
It’s okay. Really.
Meditation and Relaxation: Calming Your Nervous System
For about 3 to 4 years in my awakening shift, it felt like my subconscious was on overdrive to integrate all the realizations that had poured into me. I was integrating all of me. It’s amazing how much bigger we are than what we perceive. It’s amazing how cut off we are from ourselves, and we are cut off by our own unconscious choosing.
That makes the re-merger intense.
Many of you who are going through this intensity know what I mean. The biggest things that I’ve found to help through the fatigue have been meditation and other nervous-system calming tools. But even these only go so far. So much of shifting is allowing, and then engaging in making changes that feel true to your heart after allowing.
In years past, after a night of sleeping but not sleeping, I would meditate in the morning. Sometimes I did visualizations to help my body calm down and rebalance. By the end of meditation, I would feel like I had some physical ability to do things again. Having friends, a spiritual community, or a spiritual teacher to support us is also important at different times. Some people who are close to nature will go for short walks to move the body, breathe fresh air, and find relaxation.
If you feel really supported in nature, perhaps you will stay out there longer. Some of you practically are flowers and seem to do photosynthesis. I had one friend who immediately perked up when she went out in the sun.
And of course, we do make vitamin D from sunlight.
So you get the idea. The fatigue is coming from resistance and being overly stressed.
Sometimes, it’s also like having a part of your internal system being pre-occupied. It’s kinda like having 20 GB of RAM, but it’s all being used right now. Your computer can’t do anything else until the first set of operations are done. But just because you do get a little energy from time to time to do more things doesn’t mean that you should do lots of things during this time period. Do what you have to, and then trust that the rest will attend to itself.
Helping Others to Understand Your Needs
One of the biggest things people have trouble with is explaining to others their needs during these shifts. I encourage a lot of people to have journals so that they can understand what’s going on. Until you can explain to yourself what’s going on in your own words, you won’t be able to explain it to anyone else. Of course, this is part of why I write this blog: I’m encouraging you to find your own words and to realize that nothing is wrong. You’re doing fine.
Relax into this shift.
Make space for it, and let go.
I know some of you are married, have children, live with family, and/or are in committed relationships, and this can cause a lot of strain on the other person/people at times. There’s no easy way around it, but as I said, you’re going to need to find your words to help the people in your lives understand what’s going on. People who really love you will work with you.
If not, your awakening has simply shown the rotting foundation that you’ve been trying to build relationships on. It’s best to go find a better structure to build a new one on, but first, you’ve got to finish demolishing and re-building this relationship with yourself.
The Shadow and Dispelling the Darkness Phase
The Return of Normal Sleep
Because awakening can trigger a powerful stress response, people often have their sleep disrupted, and that disruption can lead to a lot of fatigue and tiredness. There’s a whole host of ways that people no longer sleep normally as the initial shifts and transformation rolls through. Night time realizations and strange visions and sensations (like perceiving yourself outside of your body) are some of the things that can disrupt someone’s sleep.
The processing of old pain and issues submerged in the subconscious is another thing that can turn dreams into serious nighttime workouts.
Subconscious Processing and Awakening
It can be difficult to calm things down enough to go to sleep much less to get any deep, normal sleep.
Personally, I had quite a few issues with sleep for the first several years of awakening, but in one of my huge shifts at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I really opened to this fatigue and accepted just how little physical energy I had for anything else. After that shift, my heart opened up to a new level and all kinds of things transformed including my ability to sleep restfully at night, which I have been forever grateful to have back. So what I’ll remind you repeatedly in these blogs is this: your shifts after awakening are temporary, and allowing them is the quickest and most painless (but not discomfort-free) way to shift and grow.
For more about spiritual awakening and sleep in general, I encourage you to check out this blog post.
5 Types of Spiritual Awakening Sleep Problems and Insomnia
Last Thoughts on Spiritual Awakening and Fatigue
Spiritual awakening is never about punishing you. Nothing is going wrong. You are transforming. Things are actually going very right, perhaps for the first time in your life. All the suffering that you perhaps didn’t know was there is coming up to be processed and released so that you can be happy, healthy, and whole. As you heal, you can open further and go deeper. Deeper wounds and attachments can be illuminated, and your spiritual growth can expand you even more. It is a beautiful and powerful cycle of healing and growth and opportunity to find the truth about who you really are.
However, as I mentioned about transforming the rock into a gas, it can take a lot of energy to transform. All the tools that I mention in this blog serve to help you make this process easier–to break apart the rocks that you can break apart and to let go of the things that do not serve you. In so doing, you can alleviate any mental suffering that may arise during this sacred process. And you can rest assured that as you relax more deeply into the awakened space, you will have all the energy available to you to do whatever it is you are here to do.
One-on-One Spiritual Support
If you have awakened and want support during the resulting shifts and spiritual growth, I am here to help. I offer one-on-one sessions to help guide you through the process. However, I am doing one-on-one work less and less. The best way to get to know me is to come to my online classes.
Professional Health Information
Here are some links to sites including the Mayo Clinic and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
24 Comments
Thank you for this. I already have been dealing with chronic fatigue and depression a lot this past year especially and so this extra feeling of not being motivated to do much but just be, has had its down sides. It's even getting lonely. I feel like I am getting "it" and then suddenly I am pitched into sadness and despair again for all the time I have lost to these illnesses. I wonder if the fatigue is part of a purification process and the letting go of things that don't serve me. I went through so much in the last 12 years, I worry I won't have the energy to do anything about any awakening anyway. But things have become really simple. part of me just doesn't want to struggle anymore in spite of my mind that is worried I'm not doing enough. But thanks for letting me know this may be what this extra feeling of not wanting to do much is about. I know sooner or later something else has to happen.
Just keep relaxing into it. Let go of the resistance, and when you need an energy boost, may I suggest sound healing? You can flip on a YouTube video and just listen to it and let the energy replace all that which is being expended internally in your shift (because I describe awakening, healing, and purifying as running 3 different marathons internally). It's a lot of energy. Here's one of my faves: http://www.youtube.com/user/soulblueprint
Hi Jim
I would
Like to do a session
Feel free to reach out after signing up to my free newsletter. We can talk more about my sessions. https://mailchi.mp/spiritualawakeningprocess/jimtollesnewslettersignup
Interesting, I've been for all sorts of tests (all negative) at my doctors, slept lots and still exhausted. It comes in waves though I will have tonnes of energy one minute where I try to fit everything in and then the day/week after I can't lift myself from my bed in the mornings. I've been on my spiritual journey for a few years now and it does tie in with when the exhaustion started! I'm going to try and fit some energy motivating meditations and hope for more sun as I also feel better in the sunny warm weather! Thanks for this…
You're very welcome. Glad it was helpful. Much love and warm wishes to you on your spiritual journey.
Ebbs and flows.
Since August 2016 its been almost 3 years that I had an experience where I saw the light and saw myself sitting and meditating in my balcony from the sky. The energy pulsates in my spine, head, fingertips and entire body ever since. It has been a wonderful tussle between what I have become since my birth and what I really am. Slowly and steadily I can feel the duality of my own positives and negatives blending into one.
It used to stress me out a lot and hastily I used to try to find solutions in the vedas and other great books. Anxious of what is happening to me inside and depressed about why is this happening. I had put my life on hold for a lot of time.
The fatigue comes and goes. It looks like bipolar. Now that I have acceptance of the process it does not feel like sadness or depression. I had to work around my responsibilities as a son, researcher and a friend. Fatigue is, maybe, not a problem. Being able to look around towards your people and your responsibilities and then looking them in their eyes and frankly admitting that "this is all I can do right now" – This is a part of the solution. Acceptance of your transformation. You HAVE to, at a certain point in this process.
In terms of going and doing your daily work with fatigue issues, I am still working on that. Practically, there should be balance between discipline for your self and love for your self. One is masculine(spiritually) quality of control and other is feminine(again spiritual) quality of compassion. The balance of both is 'regulation'. We need tremendous mental strength to regulate ourselves. Practicing the art of regulation will make us stronger.
Thank you for your message. It is really helpful fo someone like me who is looking for some regulation in his life.
I'm glad this post can help, Abhishek. Ultimately, surrender is the most important aspect of transformation. When we surrender, we figure out what we truly have to and what we can do in terms of daily life. Also, the transformation does more to take care of itself and us when we surrender/get out of its way. 🙂
Here's a blog post about surrender:
5 Misunderstandings About Surrender
Thanks for your comment.
Thank you for all your blog arcticles, I've read 6 of them so far and they are really helpful. I feel like I've been in an awakening starting last year….it's like all my dreams/goals were in the search of a fleeting happiness that I was continually chasing which costed me my sense of peace and gratitude. I feel my old thought patterns slowly disappearing (although I have had periods where I fell back into them…it's almost scary how unhealthy I had been thinking/living.) and it's still very hard for me to articulate properly what has happened. I have so many things to say but I feel a block, ultimately I'm still not happy which is hard to admit lol
Does this sound right to you? I still have a long way to go I feel, I can't say I feel love…or loved (even though I know I am) that makes me a bit sad, but I just wanted to thank you because without people like you I'd feel a bit crazy lol If you have any advice for me it'd be really appreciated, if not no worries though 🙂 Thank you Jim!
You're welcome. I appreciate your comment. A lot of emotions come up as do a lot of realizations on the spiritual path. Keep going deeper to confront your deeper issues. As those attachments are released, more peace can be found.
If you want more personalized advice, you can contact me directly.
Im sorry what exactly do you mean when you say hook up to others energetically to try to save them? Because i think ive been doing this with my group of friends for just a day and i thought i was really doing good work. I felt like the way i go through life joyfully would be contagious. I just want to dance and sing and be happy. Is it ok if i do that? It may be contagious to other people and it makes me happy if other people can see how to be happy if they see me being happy. Just any advice on what to do please, thank you
The best thing any person can do is to dissolve their ego. In dissolving your ego, you can become free and at peace with people as they are. There's no need to change others, and trying to get people to be joyful is a kind of ego manipulation. Making yourself joyful is also manipulation.
Just being as you are allows you and others to be as they are. Some days you will want to dance, sing, and be happy. Other days, you will not feel that way. We all need to respect all of our emotions. If you don't, then sadness, fear, anger, and other emotions become part of your shadow side. They get repressed. They don't go away if not embraced, and that tends to create quite a bit of suffering.
And if you are chronically fatigued because you're trying to make people happy, then that should be a sign that you have gotten lost in an ego game and need to go deeper in understanding yourself to get out of it.
I hope this helps.
I just cried my eyes out. Just knowing that someone understands. Even though this was written years ago, I'm always late. But I'll make it… I'm a single mother, my daughter has muscular dystrophy and i NEED my energy!!! Been going through a spiritual awakening for over a year now. I just crossed that point, to where you go back or keep moving. I've slept for 2 days off and on…. I'm stubborn. But I'm trying my best to do what I'm suppose to and not resist. This is my lowest, I'm screaming inside. I hope the archangels hear me.
Thanks for sharing, Char. I hope you've been reading some of my other posts about learning to do inner work so that you can find and release the unconscious issues and ego stories that are draining you.
Great article. I have just been diagnosed with ME/CFS following seemingly decades of trauma. When the trauma ended, the complex PTSD began, when the PTSD ended, the ME/CFS kicked in. I have been meditating mantra daily and saw that this is all part of the healing process. That first the mind resolves the emotional pain, and next the body learns to recalibrate its systems. I'm letting go of the frustration (this damned fatigue impeding me!) and seeing that resisting will only prolong the healing. I felt this intuitively this morning and just came across this blog.
I encourage you to continue to expand your healing support of friends, healers, and other well-wishers. Communal support is key in reducing the stress of healing and resolving trauma.
Thanks for sharing. Be sure to eat lots of fruits, veggies, and high nutrient foods. Diet is critical to maintaining all kinds of emotional and hormonal balances. Poor diet will impact and unbalance all kinds of things, including sleep. This can make a lot of people fatigued.
Hi! Is there a way to overcome the fatigue of sleeping a lot during a spiritual awakening? Feedback greatly appreciated!
First you have to investigate your nutrition, rest habits, the amount of stress in your life, and other things. Stress by itself can keep us too wound up for sleep.
This entire blog/article has helped me tremendously. I now see where I am having problems. My diet is bad, and stress. Also painful past. I do find reprieve in nature, my heart hurts less.
It helps to know that this transformation can take couple of years, but how each step you make is critical. Thank you for the enlightenment.
You’re welcome. The better you take care of your body, the more a lot of physical problems go away. We should never assume that something mysterious is spiritual. But it can take a bit of work to figure out what is going on with the body!
Does this goes for mental fatigue as well?
Thanks. Excellent stuff.
Great! What did you find helpful, Basil?