When You Feel Flat and Drained, This Is Why

When I’m at my best, I feel alive. High energy, inspiring, good to be around. I want to share, connect, and create something of value in the world.

I wish it was like this every day. But it’s not.

There are days where I feel like the opposite version of myself. Days where I’m flat, empty, like the energy has been drained out of me. Where I don’t feel like I have anything to give, nothing worth sharing. It’s a strange place to be because the contrast is so sharp. One week I feel unstoppable, the next I can barely find the spark to do the basics.

I’ve been sitting with this contrast more recently, trying to understand it. How can I wake up one morning feeling so full of life, and then a few days later feel like a dead battery? Where does that energy actually come from — and just as importantly, where does it go?

Lifestyle Factors Aren’t the Full Story

When most people talk about energy, they point to the obvious lifestyle factors. Not enough sleep. Crappy food choices. A few too many drinks on the weekend. No exercise. And it makes sense — those things matter. They can wreck your energy quickly.

But for me, that’s not the answer.

I’ve got those things dialled in, almost obsessively. I sleep eight hours a night, without compromise. I train every day, sometimes twice. My diet is clean ninety-five percent of the time. I drink so rarely that when I do, I know it’ll wipe me out for days, which is why I mostly avoid it.

Physically, I’m in the best shape of my life. Stronger than I’ve ever been, fitter, more consistent. And yet, even with all of that in place, I still wake up some mornings feeling flat. Like the spark is gone. Like I’ve run out of something I can’t quite name.

So if it’s not lifestyle, what is it? Where is that missing piece?

The Mental Side of Energy

What I’ve started to realise is that energy isn’t only physical — it’s mental.

You can have your body firing on all cylinders and still feel drained if you aren’t fully engaged in what you’re doing.

On the days where I feel low, it’s rarely because of how I slept or what I ate. It’s because I’ve drifted. I’ve lost touch with what makes my life feel meaningful. My actions feel mechanical, disconnected from any deeper purpose. It’s like going through the motions without remembering why the motions matter.

And the strange part is, it doesn’t take long to notice the shift. A couple of days without direction and it’s as if someone’s pulled the plug. No amount of coffee or willpower seems to refill the tank. Because what’s missing isn’t fuel for the body — it’s much deep than that.

Energy Comes From Alignment

For me, the fuel comes from living in alignment with my values. I’ve realised there are three that matter most:

• Growth

• Connection

• Contribution

When I’m learning new things that excite me, when I feel close to people I care about, when I’m sharing something that makes a difference — that’s when I feel fully alive. Those are the days where energy comes easily, where I don’t need to push or force myself.

And it doesn’t always need to be tied to some big, impressive goal. Often it’s much smaller. Reading a book that sparks an insight. Playing padel with friends and laughing between points. Writing a piece like this and hoping it lands with someone who needs it.

That’s enough to feel the energy flowing again.

But when I drift from those values, the opposite happens. The spark fades. Life starts to feel heavy. And no matter how much discipline I throw at it, I can’t fake my way into energy. Because energy, I’m learning, isn’t something you manufacture — it’s something you connect back to.

A Simple Reconnection Practice

When I notice myself drifting, when the energy is gone and I feel flat, I’ve learned not to push harder. That just makes the heaviness worse. Instead, I try to pause and re-anchor. To come back to the values I know give me life.

I do that through three simple questions. They act like a compass, reminding me where my energy really comes from.

1. In what ways am I growing right now?
If the answer doesn’t come quickly, I know I’ve let growth slip. For me, growth means learning, stretching myself, feeding my mind with something new. It could be as simple as reading for an hour in the morning, journalling honestly, or listening to a podcast that sparks ideas. When I start my day this way, energy usually follows.

2. In what ways do I feel connected right now?
This one stings because I spend a lot of time alone. Without noticing, days can pass where I barely speak to anyone outside of coaching calls. And that’s when I start to feel the emptiness creep in. Connection is my reminder to reach out. To arrange a game of padel, call a friend back home, or spend time with people who make me feel like myself again.

3. In what ways am I contributing right now?
This is the hardest one for me. I can slip into the belief that I’m not giving enough, that I’m not making a difference. But when I look closer, I usually am. Contribution doesn’t need to be grand. It can be writing these words, hoping they help someone. It can be listening fully on a coaching call. It can be showing up for a friend. When I notice these moments, my sense of contribution grows — and with it, so does my energy.

These questions aren’t a quick fix, but they’re reliable. They remind me that energy comes from alignment. From living close to what matters. And whenever I feel drained, they give me a way back.

You’re Not Alone in This

I want to share all of this because it’s so easy to feel like you’re the only one struggling. When your energy drops, the mind quickly tells a story that something’s wrong with you. That you’re broken. That everyone else is living with effortless momentum while you’re the one stuck in the fog.

And if you spend any time scrolling on social media, that story only gets louder. Everyone’s highlight reel makes it look like they’ve cracked the code — thriving careers, glowing health, picture-perfect relationships. It’s easy to believe you’re the odd one out.

But you’re not.

I’ve worked with plenty of high achievers. People who, from the outside, look like they’re living their dream lives. They’ve built the businesses, hit the financial milestones, achieved the status. Yet behind closed doors, they wrestle with the same things as everyone else. Their energy dips. They feel disconnected. They question if what they’re doing really matters.

And there’s something strangely comforting in that. To see that even the people who seem to have it all together are still human. Still figuring it out. Still walking the same path of trying to reconnect with themselves when life pulls them off course.

You’re not broken for feeling flat. You’re not behind. You’re not alone.

Final Reflection

The more I sit with this, the clearer it feels: low energy isn’t a flaw to fix, it’s feedback to listen to. It’s your system nudging you, reminding you that you’ve drifted too far from what gives you life.

When I ignore that signal, I push harder, trying to grind my way back to feeling good. It never works. But when I pause, when I reconnect with growth, connection, and contribution, the spark begins to return on its own.

Energy isn’t something you manufacture by force. It’s something you uncover when your actions line up with your values.

So next time you feel flat and drained, instead of asking “What’s wrong with me?” ask a gentler question:

“What value have I drifted from — and how can I take one step back toward it today?”

Often, that’s all it takes. Not a huge overhaul, not a new plan, just one small shift back into alignment.

Because you’re not broken. You’re not alone. You’re simply being reminded of what really matters.

And the moment you reconnect with that, energy follows.

P.S. Writing this newsletter has been my spark today, so thank you for that.

Adam