Unlike the Stomach, the Brain Doesn’t Alert You When It’s Empty

Just because the body is moving doesn't mean you are okay.

Lately, I've been thinking about how the body speaks and the mind stays quiet. When we're physically hungry, we know. Our stomachs growl, our energy dips, we feel it in our bones.

But when our mind is hungry? It doesn't make a sound. It just slows down.

We miss the signs. Not because we're careless, but because they're quiet.
A sudden disinterest in the things we used to love. That mental fog that makes everything feel five steps harder. The constant scrolling, not because we're curious, but because we're numb.

We keep going anyway. Because we think tired means lazy. Because we've trained ourselves to perform, not pause. So we give and give to deadlines, to conversations, to expectations, without noticing we're pouring from an empty cup.

There's a kind of tired that sleep won't fix. It's the tiredness that comes from never being alone with our thoughts. From skipping the things that once lit us up. From starving our minds of stillness, beauty, and joy.

And then I read this line:

"Unlike the stomach, the brain doesn't alert you when it's empty."

It landed hard. How often do we go days, weeks, maybe longer, without feeding our inner world?

We forget the mind needs nourishment too. In the form of silence, slowness, and curiosity. We don't need to earn rest. We don't need to break down to take a break. We just need to notice when the fog sets in and give ourselves permission to pause.

Your brain might not growl when it's hungry. But it does speak in forgetfulness, frustration, and fatigue. Listen closely. And feed it something soft.

A walk without a phone. A paragraph of favorite book or maybe a playlist that makes you feel something again.