Pushing through when you have little in the tank can be a fact of our busy lives. So much to do, so little time! How can you get a little extra juice to get yourself engaged when you are in that 3pm low energy slump? 5 quick tips (not the usual “drink some water blah blah blah!) to give you an instant boost right here:
- Have a left brain/right brain break. If you are grinding through it’s often because you are stuck in left brain mode where the focus is all on task and time. Time and task. Task and Time. Stop, just for 15 minutes and do something that energises your right brain. Your right brain is fueled by creativity, play and connection. Go chat to a colleague for 15 minutes. Watch a few funny you tube clips. Doodle.
- Move your body. It seems counterintuitive when you are tired to move, but it’s actually weirdly energising. Get outside for 15 minutes. Walk round the block. Do squats whilst you wait for the kettle to boil. Stretch whilst you wait for the baby to settle. Take the stairs to see the marketing department not the lift. Get your blood circulating a bit faster, the extra oxygen will energise you.
- It may sound obvious….but GIVE YOUR PRECIOUS SELF A REST! If that’s not possible in right now diarise it in for as soon as you can. Feeling perpetually knackered is a sign from your body that you need a bit of downtime, not that you need another double shot latte. Diarise in some rest and relaxation: that’’s not selfish, that is listening to your body. We are Human Beings, not Human Doings…we are not built to be “on” all the time. Give yourself permission to rest WITHOUT GUILT.
- Move your mood with music. This is my go to energiser. When I am tired and have given my all with back to back clients the fastest and easiest way to energise is to play a couple of feel good tunes (Daft Punk “Get Lucky” always does it for me) and feel the energy switch-up that’s almost instantaneous. Extra points if you do a quick bit of dancing and throw some shapes. Gold star for what I fondly call “car dancing”.
- Call an energy bunny. We all have people in our lives that suck our energy and some that boost our energy and mood. Check out this post on energy vampires and energy angels. Put an emergency call into an energizing friend, ban yourself from saying “I’m so tired” and have a 5 minute upbeat energizing call. Get yourself back on their wavelength and feed off their energy for a short term boost.
- Look at how far you have come, not how far you have to go. The To Do list can be our nemesis which is extremely draining. When we focus on all that is left undone it is a big time energy sucker. Flip your focus and itemize all that you HAVE completed today/this week. Instead of looking at the mountain left to climb, take a moment to savour the view, look back at how far you have actually come.
- Understand the difference between Wired Tired and Inspired Tired. We are actually built to experience tiredness and it’s not always bad. Read about and understand the difference between good tired and bad tired, that will shift your perspective in an energizing instant.
Feeling a bit tired now and again is all part of living a full, fun life. Feeling perpetually knackered is not. That’s miserable and life becomes a horrible grind. If you are feeling that you are experiencing regular tiredness you may be suffering from Adrenal Fatigue – you can find out if that’s the case by taking the quick online quiz here – and if so help is at hand! I cover everything you need to know to recover from Adrenal Fatigue and be buzzing with energy in my book “The Busy Woman’s Guide to High Energy Happiness”: simple tips that make a huge difference. You can get your hands on a signed copy right here.
