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By Lucy Notarantonio

Senior Reporter

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Are you a millennial struggling to understand why you feel lazy? Well, wonder no more—one doctor has uncovered the real reasons behind that constant sense of exhaustion and lack of motivation.

In a viral TikTok video with over 2.5 million views, Dr. Sarah Nicholls (@drsarahnicholls), a former emergency medicine doctor turned life coach, acts out both sides of the millennial burnout dilemma.

Nicholls told Newsweek that her message is aimed squarely at millennials—those "juggling demanding careers, family responsibilities, and the pressure to ‘do it all.’"

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In the clip, Nicholls is shown lying on a sofa, wrapped in a blanket, with the caption: "I don’t know why I feel so LAZY."

The scene then cuts to her playing herself, asking a series of probing questions that reveal a deeper truth behind the so-called laziness:

• "Have you been working through your lunch break and finishing late every day?"
• "Have you been spending way too much time indoors?"
• "Do you have loads of unread messages from friends and family and now you feel like a bad friend on top of everything else because you don’t have the energy to read and reply?"

When all the answers turn out to be "yes," Nicholls delivers a dry punchline: "It’s a mystery."

Burnout Disguised as Laziness

Nicholls said people in their 20s to 40s "are the ones most likely to relate to the exhausted, overstretched feeling that I talk a lot about in my content."

Nicholls, who now coaches health-care professionals and other high achievers on recovering from burnout, said that cultural and economic factors have made millennials particularly vulnerable to chronic stress.

"Millennials came of age during financial instability and the rise of digital technology," she added. "We work hard, but we’re also constantly connected. That combination has normalized overworking and blurred the boundaries between work and rest."

In the comments, viewers were quick to chime in with recognition and humor: "I feel personally attacked," wrote one user, while another added: "The bigger issue is why this is everyone between the age of 25 to 40."

A third summed it up simply: "Well, this is both specific and accurate."

It is not just TikTok users who relate to Nicholls’ video—her message has been backed by data. A Talker Research survey conducted in March 2024 found that 1 in 4 Americans report reaching peak burnout before the age of 30, challenging long-held assumptions about when life’s pressures hit hardest.

For many millennials, what is often labeled as laziness is, in fact, the cumulative effect of years of overextension, digital overload, and emotional fatigue. Rather than a lack of drive, it is a symptom of a generation that has been running on empty for far too long.

What Saying ‘Yes’ Is Doing to Your Body

Nicholls also spoke to Newsweek about the impact people-pleasing has on physical health.

She said: "Saying yes to too much and pushing yourself beyond your limits keeps your body in a constant stress response, or survival mode.

"Our bodies release stress hormones to help us stay alert and give us plenty of energy for dealing with stressful situations, but when those stress hormones stay elevated for long periods of time, we become susceptible to stress-related physical problems.

"These can affect every body system and range from simple exhaustion, to gastrointestinal issues, skin rashes, headaches to long term chronic health problems," Nicholls said.

7 Practical Steps to Protect Your Energy

1. Start small: Don’t overhaul everything at once—begin by pausing before agreeing to new commitments.
2. Use the "24-hour pause": Before saying yes to something, take a day to reflect on whether it aligns with your priorities.
3. Set gentle boundaries: Saying no will feel uncomfortable at first, but it gets easier with practice.
4. Remember this mantra: "Just because I’m free doesn’t mean I’m available." You have the right to choose how you spend your time and energy.
5. Downtime must be guilt-free: If you’re relaxing but still thinking about work, you are not truly resting.
6. Give yourself full permission to switch off: Detach from your "work identity" during your personal time.
7. Create an end-of-day ritual: Whether it is changing clothes, going for a walk, or lighting a candle—find a small habit that signals to your mind and body that work is done.

Dr. Sarah Nicholls is a life coach who helps health-care professionals and other high-achievers recover from burnout and overcome people-pleasing through coaching and courses so they can live calmer, more fulfilling lives. She shares practical tools and insights on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

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