Tired, zonked, drained. All great words to describe how we feel from time-to-time while at work, home or just doing every day things. Lately, I’ve been feeling really drained. Not sure if it is my schedule, stress or my workouts (training for a marathon.) Feeling tired, especially at work, can be a heavy on your life—it drags your workload down, lowers productivity and strengthens stress levels. If you’re a highly active person like me, it’s the worse feeling. However, over the years of living and breathing my profession, I’ve discovered a few great things you can do to get the energy back, quickly. Do remember though, folks, sometimes you just need some rest. Be sure to be mindful of when your body needs sleep and relaxation.
5 quick things you can do to re-energize:
Knock out distractions: Again, this is always good advice—but when you’re tired, it has triple affects. Stay out of your email, don’t log into Facebook and don’t keep taking breaks from the task at hand. It’s so easy to get distracted when you’re not focusing well and it only makes it harder to concentrate. Social media can be a BIG distraction. So is television. Try to stay away from “just checking Facebook” and spending the next hour looking at your cousin’s holiday pics. We’re all guilty of this while at work. So every time your attention wanders, direct it straight back to what you’re supposed to be working on.
Workout: If you’re feeling sleepy, the worst thing to do is to sit down somewhere warm and comfy—you’ll almost certainly nod off. Instead, make sure you move around frequently. Get up and stretch, go for a brisk walk and get your body moving. This is a good idea if you get that mid-afternoon slump: walking around will shake it off.
Take a Shower (or freshen up): Getting into a shower will really wake you up when you’re feeling sluggish. If you’re struggling to even get out of bed, head straight for the shower: as soon as you’re under that running water, you’ll feel considerably awake. If you work from home, a mid-afternoon shower can be a great pick-me-up when you’re tired. If you’re in an office, splashing your face with cold water, or freshening up your makeup can be a good refreshing alternative.
Do the easier stuff: If you’re feeling really tired but you still need to get a project done, try doing more routine tasks: things like replying to emails, filing documents, organizing your desk, market research and so on. Often, your energy will naturally pick back up while you work.
Chat with others. Pick up your cell phone and call a friend or go next door and make small talk with a co-worker. Some of you may consider this tip a distraction, I tend to think it’s a great way to boost creative thinking. If you’re like me, you like to collaborate on a daily basis. We’re communicators, right?
So, what works for you? We all have our remedies. Please share below.
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I agree completely with all of what you have said! Two things that work for me that fit into your lsit are a good stretch session to decompress and work the kinks out, and a quick freshen up session including a teeth brushing! Moving around and taking a deep breath also works! Good ideas!
CeeCee
Thanks for the comments, CeeCee! And yes, I agree completely. Deep breathing and a quick brush! GREAT ADVICE.
Trish,
Great article. Thanks for the good reminder that we don’t have to give in to drops in energy or lack of focus. I try to step outside for 5-10 minutes, particularly on those days when I don’t get out for lunch, to wake up my senses, get a change of scenery and just refresh. Support from our friends and colleagues also helps! : )
Hi Sara. Just ’step away for a moment’ - great advice, too. I think everyone needs a reminder from time-to-time that a quick ‘refresher’ will get us back on our toes. Thanks for the comment!
All good ideas Trish.
May I add my fatigue generally comes from sinuses and allergies, which is remedied by consuming anything with hot sauce in it — lots of it — to sweat out the congestion.
Great blog! much appreciated.
I have been cooking for two days, doing everything myself, then had company….and working on the computer for hours….I am so worn out all I did all day was sleep the next day….I feel so drained of all my energy, and have to get tests for an operation this week….I need to know how to bounce back, without sleeping all night after sleeping all day long today.
What do I do…? I will take a shower, then probably lat back down to sleep….. I must moove I know but my body aches all over…….I will try to walk somemore before lying down. I just hope it helps. Thank You !!
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