Welcome to rx money, SELF’s monthly financial check-up that goes beyond the numbers. Each month, financial guru Tiffany Alish – aka Budget– Explores the emotional side of money, diagnoses common financial stressors, and describes practical, judgment-free solutions to budgeting, saving, debt, and building wealth designed to support lasting financial health.
I’ve met a lot of women lately who seem to have it all together on paper. Great career. Fixed income. Complete calendar. But when they sit with me, the truth always comes out: “I’m exhausted.”
And not just a “I need a nap” type of fatigue. I’m talking about deeper fatigue. The kind that doesn’t go away with vacation.
We tend to think that burnout only happens when we are Exhausted and lack of rest. But there’s another type that doesn’t get talked about enough: the type that appears when your life, money, and goals don’t align with your true identity.
I’ve seen countless successful women exhaust themselves Chasing goals It looks impressive from the outside but feels hollow on the inside. Prestigious title. The “right” school for children. the home. The car. But let me ask you: Who are you really doing this for?
Sometimes we work overtime, stay in jobs we don’t like, or stretch our finances to the limit, not because that’s what we really want, but because it’s what we think we’re supposed to want.
Take private school tuition fees for example. I have seen women pay much more than they can comfortably afford because they want their children to have a “better” education even when they live in areas with excellent public schools. I would ask: Is it really about education or is it about perception? More importantly, what does it really cost you? Are you working longer hours to keep up? Staying in a draining job? Do you postpone your own dreams?
Fatigue doesn’t just cost you energy. It can cost you your peace, your time, and your financial freedom.
The hard part? When you feel overwhelmed, your instinct is often to move forward. Especially as women, we’ve learned to stick it together, and make it work, no matter what. But putting pressure on the imbalance does not fix it, it only deepens it.
Alignment nourishes you. Poor alignment drains you.
Let me be clear about one thing. Working hard is not the same as burning out. You can be busy and energetic, or barely functioning and completely exhausted. When I was writing my New York Times bestselling book Get good with moneyI worked long hours almost every day – writing, editing, collaborating, and promoting. It was a lot. However, I did not feel exhausted. I felt excited. Loyalty even. Because this work was perfectly aligned with my goal of teaching women how to live richer and achieve financial integration any stage in their life
