Why Is Everyone So Tired Right Now? How Awe Shrinks Worry

Q: Why am I so tired when I haven't done anything?

You don't have to be rushing about to be worn out. Your mind can spend all day checking the road ahead, asking what's next and what if it goes wrong. That watching never clocks off, and it's tiring even when you're sitting still.

Q: How can awe help a tired mind?

When you feel small in a good way, your worries get smaller too. It isn't about feeling insignificant. It's seeing the big picture, beyond the politics and the bickering and your little to do list. The worries don't vanish, but for a moment they stop filling the whole room.

Q: Do I have to go somewhere beautiful to feel awe?

No. A patch of sunlight with dust floating in it will do, or a butterfly landing, or a wave breaking. So will a neighbour carrying someone's shopping, or a stranger holding a door. We don't have to climb anything. We just have to notice.

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The transcript

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overwhelm · stress · change · nature · awe

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Ask almost anyone how they are this week, then listen to the first word they say.

Most I've spoken to have said this week they're tired.

Not sleepy, not the kind of tired that after a long walk or a run or a day in the garden, but world-tired.

Mentally tired, I suppose.

The kind that a night's sleep doesn't even touch So the last time we talked about the news and how to

care without drowning.

This time, I want to ask a bigger question, the question underneath it: Why is everybody so damn tired

at the moment?

Hi, I'm Steven Webb, and this is Stillness in the Storms, the podcast that helps you through difficult

times.

This is really part two of A Tired World.

Part One was about the news, and if you missed it, you can just go back one episode.

And today, I'm going to use the word I don't think I've used on this podcast.

And I'll tell you what that word is a little later.

Do you know what?

First of all, you're not imagining it.

In America, the CDC asked adults how often they felt very tired or exhausted in the last three months.

More than seven in ten of them said yes, at least some days.

And about one in six said most days or every single day.

In Britain, a charity called Mental Health UK asked about stress.

Nine in ten adults said they felt high stress or extreme pressure or some kind of stress in the past year.

Nine in ten.

Some of you are tired for body reasons.

An illness, a pain, poor sleep, looking after someone, grief.

That's real.

but this talk isn't saying it's all in your head.

That's a slightly different thing.

If you've been worn out for weeks, please go and see a doctor.

What I'm talking about today is the extra tiredness, the kind the world piles on top.

So why now?

Well, there was a writer called Alvin Toffler, and it was back in 1970, before I was born, he wrote a

book called Future Shock And what he said is, "When things change too much, too quickly, people get worn

out."

And that was in 1970.

Nobody had a phone in their pockets.

Nobody had 24-hour news then.

Nobody had a constant connected world.

Now think about this year.

Prices, work, computers that can write and draw and talk and talk back to you, and, you know, we've got

the strange weather, we've got angry politics, we've got...

And then you have the personal things, your bills, your work.

Ugh, it just, everything adds up.

Your car breaks down, and you got a birthday to organise.

It's just...

I only say a birthday to organise because I met my daughter yesterday, and she said, "We've got to organise

Koa's birthday."

So we're gonna do that.

If you're listening to the podcast, Kim, I have emailed the town clerk about renting a space.

But there's also those 10 jobs on your to-do list that you haven't done.

Any of those we could cope with.

All of them, all at once, all year is a lot.

We can't do it.

And here's the part that's easy to miss.

You don't have to be rushing about to be worn out.

Your body can be on the sofa, and your mind can still be on its feet, rushing around.

Keeping watch, checking the road ahead, what's coming next, what if it goes wrong?

The watching never clocks off anymore, and it's tiring, even when you're sitting still doing nothing.

There's a polling company called Ipsos.

Since 1997, they've asked people in Britain if they fear that new technology is destroying our lives.

This year, more than six in 10 said yes.

The highest it's ever been.

So it isn't only you.

There's a lot of us that are bracing ourselves.

You know, just with the AI, it's just you can't keep up.

And I'm trying to embrace it, but I just can't keep up.

It's too much for me.

And there's one more sneaky thing.

Being busy works a bit like a painkiller.

While we rush about, we can't feel how tired we are.

Then we stop, and then it all arrives at once.

I think that's why so many of us just, we just don't dare to stop.

If we do stop, we think it's just gonna pile up behind us, and we're just terrified of doing it.

So there's the answer, all three parts of it.

Too much is changing too fast.

Our minds never come with an off switch, and we stay busy so we don't have to feel it.

So what do we do?

Slow the world down?

Well, I've got a meditation for that.

You know, stop the world, I wanna get off.

We can't.

I've often really wanted it.

If there was such a superpower, the superpower that I want is to freeze the world, let me catch up a little

bit, and then unfreeze the world once I've just caught up.

You know, even if it's just a simple, "Let me catch up on my emails."

somebody says to me now at work or someone, "What are you doing at the weekend?"

And I say, "Well, I got a quiet weekend."

And they go, "Oh, that's good.

What you doing?"

"Catching up on emails."

Yeah, that's my quiet weekend.

And I think we're all the same.

We're all, just trying to catch up with stuff.

We're spending our lives fully on catch up at the moment.

And years ago, you took 100, 150 years ago, they would come in from the farm or come in from what they

were doing and work, and they didn't have the TV, they didn't have these other things, so they sat down

and read a book.

They sat at the table, they had a conversation, they stopped and they rested.

They went for a walk.

They took notice of nature.

We just don't seem to be doing any of that anymore So what do we do?

Slow the world down?

We can't, like I've just said.

And I've talked about a rest a lot this year.

Rest is good.

Rest matters.

But today I want to try something different.

So here's the word awe, A-W-E.

Awe is the feeling when something is so big or so beautiful or so good that you just stop and stare.

Your mouth falls open a little, you go quiet, and you feel small in a good way.

You know, whether it's the night sky or the sea or a massive field, you're like, "Ah, I'm just here."

The storm over the water, you know, those kind of things.

Why would that help a tired mind?

Well, because when we feel small in a good way, our worries get smaller, too.

For a moment, they don't vanish, but they stop filling the whole room.

Scientists have been looking into this for a long time.

One of them, Dacher Keltner, collected stories of awe from people in 26 countries, 2,600 of them in total.

I didn't finish the book, but I finished a lot of them.

And what was the most common thing that it brought out?

Not mountains, not sunsets.

Other people, their kindness, their courage And there was a study in America in 2020.

60 older adults, once a week for eight weeks, they took 15-minute walks, and they were asked to look at

things that filled them with wonder.

And as the weeks went by, they felt more joy and less everyday worry And if I remember, they took selfies

too.

And as the weeks went by, they took up less of the picture and they smiled more.

They showed more of the world behind them.

Now, it was a small study.

I'm not saying it's magic, but I think it's telling us something Now, and I know a little about this and

a little bit about awe.

When I broke my neck, I spent months indoors, the same ceiling, the same ward, no fresh air at all.

And then the very first time that I was actually got out of bed, I was only out of bed for 15 minutes.

That's all I was allowed.

And they pushed me outside.

I wanted to stay out way longer, and they pushed me outside, and it was, I think it was late.

it was really cold anyway.

I can't remember exactly which month it was off the top of my head.

And I went outside and all I could see in front of me was a car park.

But the cold air on my lungs, that was like, wow And in that moment, the worries of being paralysed for

the rest of my life, the worries of I'm not gonna walk, what's gonna happen?

How's my life gonna be?

Just all vanished.

And for days and weeks, that moment stayed with me.

I wanted more of that moment And I went back to bed on cue, I think it was about 20 minutes, and I was

ready.

I went back to bed, and I slept for 24 hours.

It was the first time that I truly relaxed, albeit I've been lying in bed with a mind racing for months

and months and months.

Yeah.

Find that awe moment sometimes, even if it's just seeing a butterfly land somewhere.

Even if it's just, you know, seeing a, wave break or whatever's near you.

Find that awe moment And I think what was more magic about that is that it was a car park, but the air

was crisp and the sky was blue, and that feeling.

So it doesn't have to be anywhere amazing, or it doesn't have to be a mountain or a lake And just a another

quick one.

In the museum in Truro, there's some gold necklaces made 4,000 years ago right here in Cornwall.

Every time I see them, I'm a trustee of a museum, so a bit of a plug here, but every time I see them,

they're so ornate and beautiful, I just think, 4,000 years ago.

That's 2,000 years before Jesus.

Come on.

If that doesn't strike you as something incredible I'll post a picture.

I'll send the picture in my Weekly Calm this week because that's something special And it's these little

moments that you remember as time goes on.

This podcast's moved to little moments, but it's really important.

And remember that Dacher Keltner found the most common awes were from other people The time someone's

kindness was kind, someone that smiled, someone that opened the door, someone that pointed something out.

We don't have to climb anything.

We can just notice sometimes a neighbour carrying someone's shopping, a stranger holding a door, someone

who keeps going with a smile when you can see that it's hard.

That counts, too.

That's awe, too So now the practice.

It takes one minute, and you can do it today.

Pick one thing that's bigger than you.

The sky, the sea, an old tree, the stairs of an old building.

Whatever it is, go and find it.

Can't get out?

That's fine.

Look out of a window Or just find a patch of sunlight and watch the dust floating You know, even the dust

jump around in a little shiny bit of light A tiny speck of dust dancing in the sun is an amazing thing

if you just let it be So just one minute That's your task this week.

That's what I'd like you to do.

And let me know in the reviews or let me know by messaging me.

I always read them all.

And wherever you are, just look up or look out and find that, something that's a bit bigger or older or

finer, and just let it be.

You don't even have to name it.

Don't fix it.

Don't do anything about it.

Just look But notice how small you feel next to it.

It's not about feeling insignificant.

It's about seeing the big picture and seeing how incredible it is beyond all the politics and the bickering

and the worries and the things you gotta do, your little to-do list And then you can ask yourself, what

do this week's worries look like compared to this?

It might not shrink or it might not make a huge difference, but in time it will.

And Marcus Aurelius, the Emperor of Rome, just what, nearly 2,000 years ago, he notes to himself in his

Meditations, and we still read them today.

I love his book.

And if you're gonna pick up the Meditations, pick up the Gregory Hays translation.

It makes it so much easier.

But in Meditations 4.24, he says two lines from the same passage.

He wrote, "Most of what we say and do is not essential.

Ask yourself at every moment, 'Is this necessary?'" The irony.

I'm here talking into a podcast now, but it's true.

He wasn't saying stop.

He wasn't saying do less.

He was saying do it better.

We can't slow the world down, but we can choose what gets our attention.

And even if it's only for a minute Look, before I go, thank you.

This stays free 'cause of a few people that buy me a coffee or give a little each month.

Thank you to Kasia, Jane, Christine, Danielle, Lindsey, Katherine, Vicki, Fiona, Rebecca, and Lorna.

You're all awesome.

Thank you very much.

And there's a few anonymous supporters.

Thank you to you, too.

And a warm welcome to Raquel and Jane.

You've become monthly supporters.

And I do have to give a little shout-out to Jenna and Mia.

You've just raised yours, so thank you so much.

You're all awesome.

You're awesome for just listening and getting this far in the podcast.

You know, it wouldn't be here without you, and it'd be full of adverts or not exist.

So...

And if you'd like to join them or just fancy sending me a message with an idea of a podcast or anything,

just go to stevenwebb.uk, spelt with a V.

There's courses there, too, that you can choose how much to pay.

And I've been working on a new course for a while now, but it's nearly ready.

And here's the thing I'd like you to try this week.

Just spend one minute occasionally.

Just find something and you go, "Wow."

Find something you're in awe of.

Look out for something big or old or just something kind, and let it be big.

Let it be the big occasion.

Let it fill your heart with what it is.

So when the world feels too loud, you'll have somewhere to go just one minute away And if you'd like some

company with that, this meditation that goes with this one is Wisdom Within the Storm.

That's out on Inner Peace Meditations.

Have a listen just when you can So here's my question for you this week.

What's the last thing that made you stop and stare?

I'd love to know.

Reply on this video or reply on the podcast, or anywhere in your comments on Spotify or in the reviews

on Apple.

We can't slow the world down, but we can let it be big in a good way.

And sometimes the big world is the very thing that makes our worries small enough to carry And finally,

if this does help at all, send it to someone that looks a bit worn out this week or someone that when

you asked how they were just said, "I'm tired."

Take care of yourself and each other, and I love you

Why Is Everyone So Tired Right Now? How Awe Shrinks Worry

In this episode

With gratitude to

The question this answers

The heart of it

One small thing to try

Questions people ask

The companion meditation

The transcript

One calm email.
Every Sunday.

Why Is Everyone So Tired Right Now? How Awe Shrinks Worry

In this episode

With gratitude to

The question this answers

The heart of it

One small thing to try

Questions people ask

The companion meditation

The transcript

More honest conversations

One calm email. Every Sunday.

One calm email.
Every Sunday.