To recharge your batteries
PHRASE
Definition: To rest and relax for a period of time so that you feel energetic again
“She wanted to recharge her batteries and come back feeling fresh and positive.”
Are you forever busy with more and more to do, jumping from one job to the next? In a fast-paced world, we hear a lot of people saying they are constantly rushing around or exhausted, and often, both! But is this a good thing?
If you’re finding yourself permanently drained of energy, enthusiasm, productivity and stressed out, you could be wearing your personal batteries down, which can have a detrimental effect on both your mental and physical health.
These days, we are reliant on gadgets that require charging regularly and we wouldn’t let them run out of juice, so why would we let our own internal batteries wear down to empty?
The good news is that just like our modern gadgets, our personal batteries are also re-chargeable and whilst boosting them back up is personal process, there are some really simple things you could try to see if they help you on the road to feeling a bit less worn-out.
Before we tackle how we can feel less fatigued, we should investigate the reasons as to why it happens in the first place. So why do we feel so drained?
In the vast majority of cases, mental and physical exhaustion is caused by our overly demanding lifestyles and not by any pre-existing medical conditions that we may be suffering from.
Some of the most common reasons we hear for feeling drained are:
- Too little physical activity
- Lack of sleep
- poor eating habits
- stress
So let’s take a look at what small changes can you try to see if you can recharge your body and mind and challenge some of these common issues.
Too little physical activity
How often have you promised to exercise and woken up too tired and snoozed the alarm, or found it easier to slump on the sofa when you get in from work instead of exercising?
Conversely, sitting down to recharge your batteries can have an adverse effect on your exhaustion and make you more tired.
Walking, jogging or biking, even if only for 20 minutes can leave you feeling energised and improve your mood for hours after you’ve finished, giving your batteries the boost they need. Exercise is also linked to an improved sleep pattern too.
Lack of sleep
A really important part of being able to recharge is to get into a decent sleeping pattern – easier said than done in some cases!
However, sleep is crucial to helping you feel better mentally and physically. NHS guidelines recommend that we get between 6 – 9 hours of sleep a night and that anything under that can put us at risk of burnout.
If you’re finding your sleep is a little sporadic, setting up a sleep schedule where you go to bed and get up at the same time every day can help re-programme your brain and internal body clock and build a good sleep habits.
Appropriately winding down after a stressful day can also help you drift off a bit easier too. Try taking a bath, reading a book or meditating before bed to clear your mind.
If you’re finding that it’s still not working for you, try keeping a sleep diary that could identify diet or lifestyle factors or activities that are perhaps hindering your sleeping.
Poor eating habits
As you probably know, your energy levels are directly impacted by your diet. Food = Fuel.
The best way to boost your batteries with your diet is to eat nourishing foods full of the vitamins and minerals we need for a healthy body and mind.
Eating high-calorie foods can feel comforting when you are feeling exhausted, but filling our bodies with these types of foods mean they are absorbed quickly and give us a spike in blood sugar levels. This in turn gives a short, sharp energy boost, that then creates a bigger energy comedown and leaves us feeling sluggish and bloated.
Eating a good balanced diet of complex carbohydrates, such as wholegrains and vegetables with lean proteins and healthy fats at each meal will ensure there is a gradual release of energy into the body that will ensure you feel energetic throughout the day.
Find out more about what constitutes a healthy plate with our Eatwell Guide
Stress
Whilst it’s unlikely you can remove all causes of stress from your life, stress is one of the biggest reasons for mental and physical burnout.
Fortunately, there are some easy ways to try and relieve some of the stresses in your life, without making drastic changes.
Writing down your stresses, rather than internalising them can really help you visualise how you can tackle them. Whether you choose to share your worries, or keep them to yourself, writing them down can sometimes ease the pressure you’ve been feeling over what’s been worrying you.
Alternatively, you can focus on the positive and write down the things that you are grateful for – things that relax you, make you happy or contribute to reducing your stress levels.
Some of those positive things could be spending time with the ones that you love. Belonging to a network of people improves self-worth and boosts your moods, helping put you into a better mindset for taking on stressful situations.
A really important stress reliever, and way of recharging is learning to say ‘no’. If you are taking on more responsibilities than you can handle, saying no, or explaining why you can’t do something is an effective way to stop you feeling overwhelmed. This could be saying no to plans sometimes, asking for more help and support with a stressful workload or getting your loved ones to help you with housework.
What will you try?
Like any part of a journey to improving your health and lifestyle and just like your weight loss journey, unfortunately, these changes will not drastically improve your life overnight.
However, regularly implementing them into your daily routines will eventually all add up and you should find your mood and energy levels feeling boosted.
Of course, if you try out these methods and are still finding yourself feeling unwell, you should seek the advice of your Doctor who might be able to identify medical reasons for your permanent exhaustion.
If you want more advice on how to improve your lifestyle and have regular appointments with a Doctor book into your local Slimming Clinic to see how we can help you lose weight and feel better.