Do you ever feel like you’re just tapped out and tired? You have lead weights on your limbs and you have just hit what I like to call, your “done wall”. You come home and don’t have the energy or motivation to do anything but plop on the couch and watch TV.
Many of us have demanding jobs, families, and responsibilities that are mentally and physically draining. There are stresses, conflicts, feelings of defeat or failure and often just too many things to do. After a while, we start to feel exhausted.
Feeling exhausted is normal. A study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) showed that 48% of U.S. workers feel mentally and physically exhausted at the end of the workday.
Often amidst the busyness, we fall into a rut. We do not prioritize ourselves and we go on zombie-like, trudging through our days. Anyone would start to feel sluggish and down.
The problem is it becomes a vicious cycle. We get busy, we stop caring for ourselves, we get exhausted, and then it becomes nearly impossible to get the motivation to shift. We feel worse and worse, often times ending up with depression.
It Takes Intentionality
Elevating your physical and mental energy is possible. There are many ways to slowly implement new habits and strategies into your life, but it does take intentionality. It takes a choice to create a shift.
If finding more energy when you feel depleted were easy, then it wouldn’t be called exhaustion.
While it’s easy to focus on one aspect of life such as the career or family, it is important to recognize that there are actually multiple areas of life that all either enhance or deplete our energy levels.
This is encouraging because sometimes there are circumstances we can’t change. But you can still elevate your energy.
6 Strategies for Elevating Your Mental and Physical Energy
Take a break – Find some time every day to stop, rest, or sit for just 10 minutes. The time will not find you. There is no spot on the calendar that says “rest now”. Choose it and do it.
Schedule time for self-care – Self-care means something different for each of us. Whether it’s exercise, being in nature, meditation, getting your hair done, or just a nice bath, put it on the calendar and don’t feel guilty. You must recharge as you cannot give others what you do not have for yourself.
Spend time with a friend – Connecting with others socially is very important. Even introverts need time with others. Who can you call to go for a walk, meet for coffee or dinner, go see a band, have a play date with the kids or attend a yoga class? It doesn’t matter what you do, just go do something with someone. Have fun!
Care for your body – Life is experienced via our body. We only have one and the better we take care of it, the better it will feel. Getting consistent and sufficient sleep can have a huge impact on your energy levels. And of course, what you put into your body makes a difference. Try to cut down on sugar and caffeine. These temporarily make you feel good, but the crash can be hard.
Shift your perspective – Your thoughts create your life. We fall into habits of viewing circumstances a certain way and it may seem impossible to view life any other way. Things just are how they are. Surprisingly, that is rarely the case. There are many perspectives and when you learn to choose new, more empowering viewpoints, your thoughts and emotions elevate, and as a result, so does your energy.
Connect to your higher self – taking time to be quiet and allow your soulful self to emerge will help bring peace and calm to your life. Anxiety and chaos comes from constantly being in your head. Whether it’s through meditation, prayer, connecting quietly to nature, or church, find what works for you and take the time to be still.
The idea that it’s not possible to feel better is just another thought. That there are circumstances that prohibit you from elevating how you feel and experiencing more vibrance is simply not true. You don’t need permission and there is nothing to feel guilty about.
This is your life. Create it.
