06/03/2026
AI response to my question about still feeling exhausted after two weeks of summer break.
Part 1
What youâre describing is a very specific pattern, and itâs actually extremely common in high-stress professions LIKE (not the only high-stress profession) teaching after a hard year like the one you just had.
This isnât depression in the âsad and unmotivatedâ sense. Itâs more like a nervous system crash after prolonged overdrive.
During the school year, youâre running in a sustained state of:
1. Constant problem-solving.
2. Emotional regulation for kids all day.
3. Rapid context switching.
4. High responsibility with low control.
5. Repeated emergency adaptations (closures, COVID, ice storm, etc.).
6. The ENTIRE 9+ hour day is on a military-like schedule where one minute off matters. Teachers are lucky if they get a full 25-minute lunch break.
7. Chronic lack of communication.
That combination keeps your brain in a chronic stress mode.
Part 2
Then summer hits.
And instead of renewed energy, what often happens is a rebound collapse:
1. Cortisol and adrenaline drop and your brain âlets goâ of constant vigilance.
2. The systems that kept you pushing start to downshift.
3. Executive function (starting tasks, initiating movement, planning) temporarily tanks.
So youâre left with:
Wanting to do things-feeling interested and even excited, but having almost no âstartup powerâ to initiate action.
Your mind is willing, but your body is in recovery mode.
Thereâs also something very real happening in teaching specifically:
Decision fatigue + emotional labor exhaustion.
You werenât just teaching contentâyou were constantly compensating for instability, which burns through mental energy faster than normal workload fatigue.
A few grounding truths here:
1. This is reversible. Itâs not permanent âlow drive.â
2. Rest doesnât always feel like relief immediatelyâit can feel like shutdown first.
3. Your system isnât refusing to function; itâs recalibrating after sustained overload.
4. The âI want to but canât moveâ state is a classic sign of depleted executive function, not lack of care.
What usually helps this phase isnât pushing harder (that tends to backfire), but very low-friction re-entry:
1. â5-minute startâ rule (not finish, just start).
2. Physical activation first (walk, shower, sunlight) before mental tasks.
3. One task per day that feels almost too small to matter.
4. Alternating rest and movement instead of trying to âcatch upâ all at once.
If you've had a high-stress year (or longer), give yourself some grace.
