You’re Not Unmotivated — Your System Is Overloaded
- Dr. Amber Mason
- Jan 4
- 3 min read
If you feel like you know what to do but can’t seem to do it consistently, you’re not lazy—and you’re not broken.
Most of the people I work with are already trying. They’re moving their bodies. They’re eating reasonably well. They’re reading, learning, planning, resetting.
And yet… They feel exhausted before they even begin.
That’s not a motivation problem. That’s a system problem..
Why the Usual Advice Falls Short
Most health advice assumes you have unused capacity just waiting to be unlocked.
More discipline. More structure. More effort.
But what if the issue isn’t that you’re under-trying—What if it’s that your system is already doing too much?
Modern health advice often ignores the load people are carrying:
chronic stress
decision fatigue
unresolved pain or fear
constant self-monitoring
life transitions, caregiving, work pressure
When your nervous system is already overloaded, even good habits can feel like threats instead of support.
Research consistently shows that chronic stress and cognitive overload impair learning, memory, and habit formation. This isn’t a mindset flaw—it’s a biological constraint.
Research:
McEwen & Stellar – Stress and the Individual: Mechanisms Leading to Disease (Allostatic Load): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2474765/
APA – Stress effects on the body and behavior: https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body
Baumeister et al. (1998) Ego Depletion: Is the Active Self a Limited Resource? : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9599441/
The Missing Piece
What’s missing isn’t information.
It’s capacity.
Your nervous system acts like the operating system for change. If it’s stuck in a state of constant alert or depletion, it will resist anything that feels like “more”—even things you want.
This is why:
routines don’t stick
plans feel heavy
motivation disappears randomly
rest feels unproductive or unsafe
Before your body can build strength, habits, or resilience, it needs regulation.
Not perfection. Not intensity. Not optimization.
Just enough safety to stop bracing.
What Actually Helps
Instead of adding more effort, most people need to change the order.
Here are a few principles that actually help overloaded systems:
Reduce before you rebuild. Take pressure off before asking for consistency.
Stabilize the nervous system first. Calm precedes capacity.
Create fewer decisions, not better ones. Simplicity is a form of support.
Sequence change in layers. Awareness → regulation → movement → strength.
Measure success by sustainability, not streaks. If it costs peace, it’s too expensive.
Research:
Porges, S. W. Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety (overview page): https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/whatispolyvagaltheory
Harvard Health Publishing Understanding the Stress Response: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
Optional Tools
Sometimes support looks like:
shorter movement sessions
gentler entry points
fewer goals at once
permission to pause
None of this means you’re “going backward.”It means you’re working with your system instead of against it.
How I Help
My role isn’t to fix you or push you harder.
I help people:
understand their patterns
reduce unnecessary load
sequence change in a way their body can tolerate
rebuild trust with themselves
Progress becomes possible when your system feels supported, not corrected.
In Closing
If you’ve been blaming yourself for not following through, consider this instead:
Maybe you weren’t failing. Maybe you were overloaded.
And maybe the next step isn’t more motivation—It’s less pressure.
Standard Consult/Coaching Session
Curious what’s actually keeping you stuck? I offer clarity consults for people who want a calmer, more personalized approach to health, movement, and change. These sessions are designed to help you understand your patterns, reduce overwhelm, and identify what to focus on first—without pressure or judgment. If that sounds supportive, you’re welcome to schedule a consult and see if it’s a good fit.
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