"The first thing the interviewer asked me was, "Why the name Running on Empty? Where did that come from?" To be honest, I was somewhat unprepared for this question, and I stumbled a bit. The only answer I could think of at first was: "Because that's what childhood emotional neglect makes you feel." It made such intuitive sense to me that I had never even thought about how to explain it."
"First, we'll define what "empty" actually feels like. Then we'll talk about what it means to be running on empty. What "empty" feels like Here are some of the ways I have heard it described by many different people. A hollow feeling in my stomach A lack of feelings, like I have no emotions A weird feeling in my throat A sense of being entirely depleted, and having nothing more to give Going through life on autopilot Unfulfilled and lost"
Emotional neglect in childhood often leaves adults disconnected from their emotions, producing sensations of hollowness, numbness, throat tightness, depletion, autopilot living, or feeling unfulfilled and lost. This emotional unawareness stems from childhood strategies that blocked feelings, leaving adults without internal signals to guide energy, desires, and decisions. Running on empty describes chronic depletion when emotional needs were not attended to, resulting in diminished motivation, direction, and relational connection. Reconnecting with suppressed feelings through awareness and self-care restores internal energy, clarifies values and goals, and improves emotional intimacy and life satisfaction.
Read at Psychology Today
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