What To Do When You Are Tired

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photo credit: Oxymoronical

There are two types of people in the world: those that manage time and energy well (like my dad) and those that don’t (like me.)  So if you’re like me, you may often find yourself taking on too many tasks, doing too much, working too late, becoming physically and mentally tired, and then finally in a state of total exhaustion, doing all the wrong things to fix how you’re feeling. Usually this involves doing more tasks without being very productive while becoming crankier by the minute. 🙂

Luckily there is a solution, and I’m writing this post to myself so I’ll remember. Read on…..

If You Are Tired….

You should REST!

Duh!

Yes!

Of course! Why is that so difficult to remember and then once remembered, so difficult to actually do?!

It’s probably because people like me never want to accept that time is up, that it is time to transition to the next phase, whether that’s having lunch, taking a break, or finishing work for the day.

How to Rest

I’m laughing at myself for even writing that headline, but let’s spell it out. Rest means rejuvenating yourself mentally, physically, maybe spiritually, whatever needs to be rejuvenated. Here are some things you can do to rejuvenate.

1. Take a short walk. This is especially good if you work at a desk. Some smart people advocate taking a 10 minute break every hour! Can you imagine! I’d like to do this. I need to babystep my way there though!
2. Meditate or Nap. Set your alarm, close your eyes and let the world go for 10-20 minutes and Just Be. Gosh, whenever I do this, seriously, it works like magic. In a chair, lying on the floor, anyplace is fine.
3. Sleep 7-9 hours a night. You can figure out how much is right for you by allowing yourself to wake up naturally. If you feel awake, then you’ve slept the right amount of time. Becoming an early riser can help with getting your sleep onto a regular schedule. If you have trouble sleeping, click here.
4. Eat healthy foods. When you’re exhausted, all you want to do is reach for the chocolate and chips. Well try not to let yourself get too far gone in the first place and eat your fruits and veggies. You’ll actually be less likely to crave the bad stuff. Really. Green smoothies are great for this.
5. Talk or have a laugh with a friend.
6. Listen to some music, sing, and/or dance!
7. STOP WORKING WHEN YOU FEEL TIRED! Walk away if you can, and just do something, anything else, as long as it’s not more work! 🙂

Managing Your Energy to Avoid Becoming Overtired

If I use my dad as an example of how to do things right, his secret to success seems to be keeping to regular routine with regular breaks. Here’s how my dad does it. Nothing fancy, but that’s the beauty of it.

My dad rises around 6:30 everyday, runs 3 miles around 7am, showers, and eats breakfast. He starts work in the morning around 8:30am. He eats lunch every day right around noon. Granted he doesn’t really take breaks, but he paces his work in a way that isn’t frantic so the breaks are somewhat built in. For instance, he’ll allow himself a little time to think about the next task and plan it out before doing it. This is a break of sorts.

Hhe wraps up work between 5 and 5:30 to wind down for dinner at 6pm. He’s lived this way almost his whole life. Since he’s 70, he now will sometimes play golf in the late afternoon before dinner. So he works hard, but he paces himself and never gets exhausted.

So here’s Your Action Step:

Schedule in breaks to your day and take them. Find a way to make them non-negotiable.

If you’re tired, get some rest!

(I’ll try to do that!)

Please Share

I’d really like to hear your thoughts on this in the comments below! What do you think?

Thank you for sharing this with your friends if you found it valuable!