Feeling tired is something a lot of us can feel, for many different reasons, and it is sometimes hard to know what is behind it.
Sometimes it can be related to medical conditions, so if you are finding it difficult to work out why you are feeling tired, or it has been going on for a while and not getting better, or if you have other symptoms, it is really important to get checked out by your GP.
They can exclude things such as anaemia, thyroid hormone conditions and long-term illness, and make sure your mood and mental health are not a cause of feeling tired all the time.
When it is comes to tiredness caused by our day-to-day routine, it can often feel overwhelming even to contemplate doing something different, because we don’t have the energy to change things up. But the good news is that first, there are things that can help us to feel less tired, and second, they can be small and simple and not too tricky to start.
So, here are five ways to help you feel less tired from the demands and challenges of life…
Mix it up
Variety really is the spice of life. Whether it is the nature of your work (where you spend most of your day), the route you take to the train station, the kinds of hobbies you do in your spare time, or what you are reading or watching, variety stimulates our brains – even if it is only a small detour from the usual, it makes us think, disproportionately, that we have made a big change.
Variety helps us to feel that things are moving, that they are possible and it gives us new experiences – the opportunity to meet new people and get a new perspective on life. In short, variety helps us to feel energised and to evolve ourselves.
Move
When we are feeling tired from stress or a difficult, busy period in life, it is very easy to feel so tired that we can’t muster up the energy to get active and exercise. That is not our fault or something to blame ourselves for, it is because we haven’t made the association between moving our bodies and feeling better.
When we get active, we get a release of good-feeling chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, while our levels of the stress hormone cortisol lower. It is chronic stress that can make us feel tired. Exercise also helps us to sleep better, because we get physically tired, and it tends to help us to eat healthily too. Moving our bodies is a win in every area of our wellbeing.
Drop it
Feeling tired can be caused by us holding on to resentment, anger and frustration or “negative” feelings for too long. Have you ever experienced feelings of tension and stress from a situation you are no longer in any more, but are still thinking about? Our brains are great at imagining the worst and working through the past, and both of these can tire us out. Forgive whatever and whoever needs to be forgiven by seeing the emptiness of holding on to it. When you have a problem, think about it and find a solution. And if you can’t, simply try to be in the present moment more.
Choose well
There are many demands on our time and our energy. Sometimes we feel like we have to say yes to everything and everybody. Start to make better choices for yourself and stop worrying about offending people or doing things that others want for you and say no.
Make choices that are good for you – an early night, seeing friends who make you feel happy and supported, and booking in only a certain number of activities in any one day.
See stuff clearly
When we have a lot on, we experience cognitive overwhelm. Our brains were not designed to multitask and so we find it challenging to make decisions that are good for us or focus on things we need to, and we become inefficient and ineffective. Clear your brain out – get out in nature for a walk, listen to some music, write in a journal, make a list, meditate or simply breathe.
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