For a long period of my life, I have dealt with fatigue throughout the day even when I’ve got plenty of sleep the night before or when I am on a healthy sleep schedule. I tried to remedy this through a number of quick fixes whether it be drinking coffee all day long or taking small breaks during the workday by going on a short walk around the area.
There were some days where I was so tired I would use my lunch break to nap in my car. Somedays I would go to work, get home at about 6pm, eat a little dinner and fall back asleep until the following day. It felt like I wasn’t even living my life but just going through the motions like a zombie.
There are a number of approaches you can take to cope with this. I would say first and foremost, what is it that you are doing for work and what sort of environment are you in? Secondly, are there external stresses in your life that are outside of your control that you be expending a lot of emotional and mental energy towards?
Write down a list of the things you enjoy about your job and the things you don’t. Write a plan to change or better your situation and work towards that a little each day when you have the energy to do so. Even looking ahead and beginning to plan, will breathe new life into you, you’ve given yourself something to look forward to. Keep a journal or a BLOG about the thoughts, feelings and experiences you’ve been having that have been causing you stress, add solutions to those issues and if some of them are beyond your ability to change, simply writing them out is a great way to stop them from swirling around in your mind so often.
However, it is a holistic process. Hence, why we are so fatigued or physically weak often. The stresses that happen in our minds can be felt and experienced in our physical world. If we can’t change what is happening in our minds and in our external world immediately. We can find physical methods to cope with these stresses.
The way our energy production is working on a cellular level can be treated. One method is doing some sort of physical exercise in the morning, it can be a soft jog, a brisk walk, a hard run, a bike ride, yoga or even good stretching. At the time this was occurring, I was going to the gym almost every morning and running before work but I obviously needed more.
A balanced diet can help. Take multi-vitamins in the morning after breakfast (do not take them before bed as they can increase energy). A light but nutrient filled breakfast is best. Avoid foods heavy in carbs, salt, fat or sugar. Eat nuts and dried fruit in moderation throughout the day. Brown rice, pineapple, walnuts, sunflower seeds and tofu are good choices to add to your meals. Avoid alcohol, coffee and nicotine as much as possible.
Energize using hot-cold showers. In the morning and when you get home from work, alternate water temperatures in 3 minute intervals, first hot and then cold. Dry off vigorously to stimulate the skin, to increase circulation and to stimulate the lymphatic system.
Essential oil combinations of clove, cinnamon and sage in an oil diffuser or applied directly on the skin can also help.
Breathing exercises can also help – sometimes this goes beyond working out or during meditation by simply focusing on the breath. I have found that quiet meditation relaxes me more than wakes me up. I actually like to play a song I know the words to and sing with it, simply make up one of my own or you can even do vocal toning and mantras to change your breath while also changing your vibration in the process.
Another great way to cope with your fatigue is by finding something you like to do outside of the world of work or staring at a screen whether it’s watching Netflix or going on Facebook and Instagram. Maybe you enjoy painting, sculpting or drawing? Maybe you have a great idea for a novel and want to start writing? Maybe you like to craft – you can start by making your own homemade castile soaps, like I described in my previous blog post.
Shari Kreller – “Crows”
Getting into nature on the weekends or if it’s still daylight after work on a weekday is another great way to revitalize your energy levels. You can start small like taking a walk around a local park at night and work your way up to venturing to nature preserves or hiking destinations.
Maybe you are feeling a little lonely and just need a hug from a friend or some affection from another person. Call a friend or family member up and let them know how youve been feeling and express that you need a hug, I am sure they would be more than happy to give it to you! But sometimes, its hard to ask for that or maybe you don’t have someone in your life you feel comfortable hugging. You can always go to local animal shelter, a pet store or ask a friend with an animal if you can cuddle with their kitten or puppy. Sometimes we just need a little loving.
I have tried all sorts of ways to help with my fatigue – some of them have worked beautifully, by doing one or a combination and other days it seemed like nothing would work and I just needed to rest. The point is to try! Be easy with yourself and find out the best solutions that work for you. I hope this helped!
