Still tired? Why rest needs to be on the schedule in 2026

THE holidays are over, the calendar has turned, and yet the exhaustion hasn’t lifted. In their latest episode of Women Out Loud, hosts Dr Niamh Logue, Courtney Weybury and Amy McElgunn unpack the fatigue many women feel as the new year begins.

Rather than a clean slate, January often brings a slump – a combination of emotional fatigue, mental overload and the weight of returning to routine.

“This time of year can feel like a hangover – not from alcohol, but from the pressure, busyness and emotional labour that built up over the past few months,” McElgunn said.

The trio spoke openly about the misconception that a few weeks off is enough to recover from a relentless mental load.

“You can’t fix a year’s worth of stress with one week of downtime,” Dr Logue said.

“We need to stop thinking rest will just happen. It has to be intentional.”

Weybury, a physiotherapist, said many women are starting 2026 already feeling depleted.

“By the time they get to me, they’re running on fumes. And often it’s because they’ve been giving all their energy out without building anything back in.”

The hosts all agreed on one thing: rest needs to be scheduled, protected and redefined.

“We schedule meetings, kids’ activities, work and errands. Why wouldn’t we block time for ourselves?” Weybury said.

Rest, they explained, doesn’t always mean stopping completely.

“Sometimes rest looks like movement. A swim, a quiet walk, even doing something creative with no purpose other than enjoyment,” Dr Logue said.

They also highlighted the deeper cultural and gendered barriers that prevent women from feeling entitled to rest.

“There’s still this idea that you have to earn your rest by doing everything else first,” McElgunn said.

“But the to-do list never ends. If we wait for the right time, it won’t come.”

The episode urged listeners to rethink what rest looks like and to remove the guilt attached to it.

“You don’t have to be exhausted to deserve a break. Rest is not the reward. It’s the baseline,” Dr Logue said.

For those starting 2026 already stretched thin, the message from Women Out Loud is clear: rest is not optional, and it’s not one-size-fits-all.

“Whatever form it takes for you, put it in the calendar. Protect it. And do it before you’re completely burnt out,” Weybury said.

Women Out Loud is available on all major podcast platforms.