Daily Deals from a Nerd Mom

Some days, the exhaustion doesn’t come from what you did.
It comes from everything you had to remember, track, anticipate, and emotionally hold.

Today is one of those days.

Health insurance issues that loop like a bad song.
An insulin pump sensor transmitter that suddenly isn’t where it should be.
A son recovering from surgery, needing care, comfort, and follow-up appointments.
A car that decides now is the perfect time to break down.
Appointments that have to be rescheduled. Plans rewritten. Calendars reshuffled.
A cat favoring his paw, adding one more quiet concern to an already full day.

None of these things are dramatic on their own.
Together, they are heavy.

This is the mental load nobody warns you about.

What Mental Load Really Looks Like

Mental load isn’t just being busy.
It’s being the person who remembers.

It’s knowing when prescriptions run out without being reminded.
It’s tracking warranty dates, insurance coverage, prior authorizations, referrals, and what happens if something goes missing.
It’s mentally replaying conversations with doctors, trying to remember what was said and what still needs to be done.
It’s recalculating logistics every time something changes.

Mental load is the constant background noise of responsibility.
Even when you sit down, it doesn’t.

The Parts People Rarely Talk About

What doesn’t get mentioned enough is how emotionally loud mental load can be.

The quiet worry about doing something wrong.
The pressure to keep everything moving so no one else feels the disruption.
The guilt when you feel overwhelmed because “others have it worse.”
The frustration of being the default problem-solver when you’re already running on empty.

You’re not just managing tasks.
You’re managing uncertainty.

Why Rest Alone Doesn’t Fix Burnout

This is why rest doesn’t always work.

You can sit down.
You can sleep.
You can take a break.

But if your brain is still running contingency plans and mental checklists, the load never leaves your hands.

Burnout isn’t always about doing too much.
Sometimes it’s about holding too much for too long without relief.

This Is Not a Failure on Your Part

If today feels heavier than it “should,” that doesn’t mean you’re weak.

It means you’re carrying responsibilities that don’t clock out.
It means you’re caring deeply in systems that make things harder than they need to be.
It means you’re human.

You don’t need a better attitude.
You don’t need a productivity hack.
You don’t need to be more grateful or more positive.

You need acknowledgment.

If Today Is One of Those Days

If you’re reading this and thinking, Yes. This. All of this, let this be your permission slip:

You’re allowed to feel tired without justifying it.
You’re allowed to be overwhelmed even if you’re “handling it.”
You’re allowed to move slower today.

Mental load is real.
It’s heavy.
And you’re not imagining how exhausting it is.

If nothing else gets done today, know this:
You are already doing more than enough.

If this post felt like it put words to something you’ve been carrying quietly, I hope it also reminds you that you don’t have to carry it alone.

Photo by Karola G