Your body is busy expending energy every day and so is your brain and mind. Imagine your brain and body like a mobile phone – a device that drains of energy and needs recharged or the battery will die. The unconscious mind runs the body (heartbeat, breathing etc.) it never stops and it’s constantly alerting us to issues that are damaging our resilience and causing exhaustion for the brain and body.
There are many things in life we can’t control but recognising low mental and physical energy levels and doing something positive about them, is within our control.
It is so important to incorporate periods of rest into your daily routine to keep your brain charged all day long. If you go for too long without rest, you might think you are okay, but the next day you won’t feel as rested as you should and you may notice your creativity or ability to think clearly is off because you didn’t recharge the day before and pushed the conscious mind and brain to the limit.
As we go through our day, everything we experience is processed by the conscious mind, unconscious mind and brain. During this time, a lot of change is happening (around 7000+ new memories) in the brain.
The conscious mind and brain get tired even when we have good things happening in our lives. This is why, even when things are going well, we can feel a loss of drive and creativity, and maybe even a little depressed. It’s completely normal!
So here are a few tips to incorporate into your daily routine:
- Pause every 45 minutes and take a moment. Switch off to external signals and focus internally and let your mind wander – enjoy a bit of daydreaming. Stare out the window or sit outside and close your eyes – the more you do this the more you will sense when you need to do it! Learn to listen to your body.
- Stay hydrated. Have a bottle of water on your desk and sip throughout the day to prevent dehydration.
- Take a longer break every three hours of focused work. Eat something nutritious, whole grains, fruit, protein. Avoid excessive consumption of processed and sugary foods. Grab a cup of herbal tea.
- Exercise regularly. Go for a short walk, do some push-ups or gentle yoga, play with your pet.
- Stay social. Chat with a loved one or friend.
- Manage stress. High levels of stress can drain your energy. Practice stress reducing techniques like meditation for 20 mins every day.
- Take a short nap.
- Spend time in natural light. Sunlight can boost your mood and energy levels.
- Listen to music. Upbeat songs can lift your spirit and energy levels.
- Limit the intensity and length of your work day. Go to bed a little earlier. Be as deliberate about switching off as you are about switching on in the morning. Schedule “off time” early evening and enjoy a hot bubble bath or watch your favourite TV show.
Overworking yourself will result in poor quality sleep and clouded thinking the next day, which can have a negative ripple effect in your life and on your health. I personally find that I am more on edge, frustrated, and emotionally reactive when I’m tired versus when I have had a good sleep and feel refreshed enjoying more energy, patience and inner peace.
We can’t escape the way our mind and brain work —there are no tricks to “hack” the system. Understand how the brain and mind work, how the body reacts to stress, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, dehydration etc.. Then find solutions that work for you and commit to doing them daily.
Here are some of my blogs that maybe connected with this topic:
