09/30/2025
✨The Crushing Fatigue No One Sees
Living with Dysautonomia, MCAS, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Small Fiber Neuropathy (SFN), autoimmune disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), or Fibromyalgia doesn’t just make you “tired.” It can leave you so completely drained that even the simplest daily tasks feel impossible and feels like the life is being sucked out of you— mind, body, and soul!
✨Here’s why this level of exhaustion happens:
👉🏼 Nervous system misfires (Dysautonomia & SFN): The autonomic nervous system is supposed to run automatically, controlling heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature. But when it malfunctions, your body works overtime to do the basics, which burns through energy reserves.
👉🏼 Connective tissue problems (EDS): Unstable joints, stretchy tissues, and constant micro-injuries force your muscles to overcompensate just to hold you together. That constant strain drains energy fast.
👉🏼 Immune chaos (MCAS & autoimmune diseases): When mast cells or the immune system are constantly “switched on,” your body is fighting battles all day long—even when there’s no true threat. That creates inflammation, brain fog, and overwhelming fatigue.
👉🏼 Chronic fatigue & fibromyalgia: These conditions add another layer with post-exertional crashes, unrefreshing sleep, and widespread pain. Even rest doesn’t recharge the battery, leaving people in a permanent energy deficit.
🛑 The result? A level of fatigue that is debilitating. This isn’t the “I didn’t sleep well last night” kind of tired most people know. This is a deep, bone crushing exhaustion where your body feels like it’s shutting down, no matter how much you rest. Our version of “tired” is not the same as a healthy person’s “tired.” I’ve been battling crushing fatigue all week. At some points in the day, it can sometimes feel like I’m coming with the flu even though I’m not!
💥 And this is why I share and spread awareness. Because the world so often misunderstands us, seeing us as “dramatic,” “lazy,” or “complainers” when in reality, we’re pushing through battles most people can’t even imagine!
🩵 If you love someone with these conditions, understand this: when they say “I’m tired,” it’s not the same tired you feel after a long day. It means their body has already burned through more energy just surviving than most people use in a whole day.
✨ Awareness breaks down stigma. Understanding builds compassion. And compassion makes this heavy load a little lighter for all of us who live it every single day. 🩵