Pushing through when you have little in the tank can be a fact of our busy lives. So much to do, so little time. Where can you find a little extra juice to get yourself engaged when you are in that 3pm low energy slump?
Quick tips (not the usual "drink some water") to give you an instant boost:
1. 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 fuelled by creativity, play and connection. Chat to a colleague for 15 minutes. Watch a few funny Youtube clips. Doodle.
2. Move your body. It seems counterintuitive to move when you are tired, but it's actually weirdly energising. Get outside for 15 minutes. Walk round the block. Do squats while you wait for the kettle to boil. Stretch while you wait for the baby to settle. Take the stairs, not the lift, to see the marketing department.
Get your blood circulating a bit faster, the extra oxygen will energise you.
3. It may sound obvious....but give your precious self a rest! If that's not possible 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: it's not selfish - it 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.
4. 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's Get Lucky does it for me) and feel the energy switch-up, which is 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".
5. Call an energy bunny. We all have people in our lives who suck our energy and some who boost our energy and mood. Put an emergency call into an energising friend, ban yourself from saying "I'm so tired" and have a five minute upbeat energising call. Get yourself back on their wavelength and feed off their energy for a short-term boost.
6. 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 itemise 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.
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. Sprinkle these instant energy boosters liberally through your day for an instant pep-up.
Book your tickets for Louise's Food for Thought seminars on ditching the diet dama forever at louisethompson.com.
