Why the Time Change Feels So Hard (and why we should be gentle with ourselves)

If you’re feeling extra tired this Monday, you’re not imagining it, and I’m right there with you.

The time change may only shift the clock by an hour, but why does that feel so drastic?

Well, it may disrupt your sleep, energy levels, and even your mood. Your body is still trying to recalibrate, and that can leave you feeling foggy, irritable, or just a little off…sound familiar?

If you’re someone who already tends to run on a full schedule — balancing work, responsibilities, relationships, and everything in between — that small shift can feel a whole lot bigger than it should.

Sometimes high-achieving women often respond to fatigue by pushing harder, telling yourself to “power through”, “get back on track”. Sometimes I think it can even feel like gaslighting yourself that you “shouldn’t feel this tired”.

However, your nervous system doesn’t adjust as quickly as a website page loads, or as fast as your brain is used to jumping from reel to reel on instagram. Our nervous system doesn’t respond as quickly to instant gratification as we may hope and sometimes want to force it to. Sometimes, the best thing that we can do is to give ourselves grace to slow down, while our body catches up.

Maybe this is a week to give yourself time to practice being patient and kind towards yourself. Can you be a little more gentle and kind towards yourself?

I can hear the question now, “But how?? What would that even look like?”

Well, maybe it’s…
• Going to bed a little earlier
• Lowering expectations for a few days - of yourself AND others
• Taking a short walk or getting outside
• Giving yourself permission to not be at 100% “go mode”

Sometimes when we think of making a shift in our routine we think that it has to be some BIG dramatic thing in order to make a change, but small shifts in routine are just as productive, release some of that pressure, and slowly result in those “bigger” changes.

Remember that you’re human, and that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

If you’re someone who constantly feels pressure to push through exhaustion, therapy can help you understand where that pressure comes from and how to build a life that feels more sustainable.