Battle of the yawns: 5 tips to combating fatigue

 

For the past couple of weeks, I haven’t logged in enough Zzzs. Although I sleep all night, I don’t schedule enough slumber time. I tend to overbook my evenings, thinking I can accomplish more than humanly possible. Even extra caffeine in the mornings barely takes the edge off my exhaustion. The day after a recent 90-minute acupuncture session, however, I felt refreshed from morning until evening and wished I could harness that energy on days I feel dull, drained and unmotivated. Which got me to thinking about quick pick-me-ups to help revive and refresh the tired soul, short-term, when we don’t get the amount of sleep we should: 1) take a power nap—no more than 10-20 minutes; 2) eat a handful of nuts or a snack that combines protein with slow-burning carbs; 3) take a brisk walk; 4) drink a glass of water and/or 5) soak in a few minutes of Vitamin D. Better yet? If time permits, take a hike.

How do you battle the yawns?

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Bumming around, or recharging your battery?

[Image credit: Michal Marcol]

 

In a past post, I talked about penciling in time to be flexible  (because you never know what you may be missing otherwise).  Admittedly, from the moment my alarm goes off in the morning, my day is mapped out for me.  But what about allowing for those times after a non-stop work week filled with outside commitments, when you feel like doing nothing more than sit at the computer in your fuzzy bathrobe playing Words With Friends and catching up on Facebook?  Or maybe you simply desire to lie on the sofa (a.k.a beach) with a book you picked up over the weekend that you haven’t had a chance to read yet, or download a movie on Netflix you’ve intended to watch for months.  Unfortunately, I usually feel a little guilty (and a lot lazy) when I slack off because I know my tasks are not getting done.  On the other hand, I also think bumming around could be considered a bit like a mini-vacation, a way to fill your own bucket — refresh the spirit, if you will — in small increments.  So the next time you check in with me, don’t be surprised if I’m slow to answer your text or respond to your email because I may just be too busy recharging my creative juices.  In other words, I’ve gone bumming.

What’s a favorite way to recharge your battery?