Have you ever felt like a zombie? A brainless, direction less, human shaped being with no desire to do anything? Something flashy or noisy attracts your attention but it quickly passes and you return to your ambling. At times it seems like our brains decide that they too need a break and go to some magical place far from our worn out bodies. Just as we talked about some small tips for physical fitness our brains need to be kept in shape too!
The first step sounds awfully familiar. Get some sleep! I cannot stress this enough but getting a good, full nights sleep not only helps you feel better but it helps you think more clearly too. If you want to feel energized you are not going to be able to do it by starting off on the wrong foot. So get some quality sleep peoples! (Seriously, did you not believe me when I said sleep was AMAZING!)
Since we are talking about sleep it would be a good time to mention that our bodies like to work within a rhythm. We have all heard of the circadian rhythm but only associate it with sleep. This is only part of the story. You see, our bodies function within the same basic parameters whether we are awake or asleep. The problem is that when we are awake we have greater freedom to break that natural rhythm with sugar and caffeine. Our brains like to work in cycles, this is why most of us cannot sit down and do something monotonous over and over again eight hours a day without becoming distracted or bored. We’ve all experienced it, that drag you feel after about two hours of a presentation. The way your eyes glaze over when watching endless hours of TV. We can only take so much stimulation. We can only focus for a short period of time before needing a break.
So what are to do? The first thing to realize is that we are all different. Someone with a lot of skill and fortitude might be able to bang away on a novel for ten hours a day without a break. I tend to work in spurts throughout the day. You might work on a totally different schedule. You are the best at being yourself, so try to find your own rhythm instead of copying the person next to you. After that find ways to break up your day to match your unique rhythm. For instance during rainy weekends I would write for a few hours, then I would fiddle with something else. I listen to music, take a lunch break, or just go outside. Then I would come back and start the process over again. Your breaks don’t need to be long, or even all that productive. Take fifteen minutes to just unwind and see if that doesn’t boost your productivity.
It’s no secret that the demands on our lives have increased and we have done little to adjust to the change. We are exceeding our capacity every day and wondering why we are so tired. Stop it. Learn what activities make you happy or give you a boost in energy and figure out ways to work them into your daily life. Take those activities and make them habits. Do them every day, without fail, find a way to make them happen. If we can manage to watch 35 hours a week of TV, then we should be able to find the time to do the things that make us happy, energetic people.