Many of us would instinctively turn to coffee, supplements or other drugs to perk ourselves up whenever we feel tired or listless, and seldom question why we are constantly exhausted. Even fewer will take proactive actions after finding out why.
But quick fixes can only resolve our lack of energy temporarily. Without understanding the true causes, it is useless, and may even be dangerous in the long run, to manipulate our energy reserves artificially with drugs.
Just imagine trying to stuff coins into a pocket with a hole. You may be able to fill up the pocket, but sooner or later, you’re going to lost all the coins as each time a coin drops out, the hole will get bigger and wider. A more sensible approach would be to patch up the hole instead of trying to top up the pocket with more coins.
Likewise, we should take a hard look at ourselves to determine possible energy leaks that could be draining us of vitality. You can stuff your face full of pills that promise to increase your energy and boost your alertness, but if the underlying cause of your fatigue is not addressed, the additional burden on your body is only going to make your condition worse over time. Yes, you may feel a temporary increase in energy levels, but they will also dissipate as quickly as they come, and perhaps make you feel worse, when you stopped taking them.
Sounds familiar? Then, stop chasing your tail and start pondering over some soul-searching questions to reveal the energy black holes in your life.
Are You a Sleep Debtor?
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Ask this: Am I getting adequate amount of restful sleep each night?
Do you wake up feeling energized, or do you feel you’ve not slept for the whole night? Although research results couldn’t agree on the reasons why we sleep, we don’t need studies to tell us that we adequate quality sleep recharges our energy levels. Nothing refreshes a tried body like a good night of sleep! And sadly, the reverse applies too!
Stop this: If I don’t get enough sleep during weekdays, I can make up for it on weekends.
Well, yes to a certain extent. But won’t you be depriving yourself of valuable time with your loved ones, friends and even quality time with yourself? Besides, when you incur a huge sleep debt, a few extra hours of sleep aren’t enough to compensate for the hours that you lost during workdays, creating a vicious cycle. Before long, you’d find yourself chronically tired and yawning non-stop from Mondays to Sundays.
Do this:
Cultivate good sleeping habits and sleep-inducing routine. Go to sleep at a fixed time and avoid stimulating beverages, foods, or entertainment three hours before sleep. Do things that will put you in a sleeping mode: read a light novel, take a warm shower, burn some essential oils, cuddle up with your partner, whatever that works for you. And let nothing stops you from getting your daily required hours of beauty sleep.
Garbage-In, Garbage-Out
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Ask this: Am I feeding my body with nutritious whole foods everyday?
What have foods got to do with the amount of energy you’ve got? Plenty. Our body converts the foods we eat, especially carbohydrates, into glucose (blood sugar) which is used up or stored as energy. Without foods, we will eventually die as our organs shut down one after another due to a lack of energy to do their work, among other reasons.
Stop this: Since candies, sodas, pastries and cakes are energy-dense foods, I should eat more of them if I want more energy, right?
Nice try, but too bad it doesn’t work that way. As much as these foods give lots of energy, they convert into glucose too quickly, overwhelming our body with too much sugar in a short time. In response, our body will produce more insulin in a frantic attempt to maintain our blood glucose at a normal level.
But, high insulin levels depress our blood sugar levels sharply, causing what is popularly known as a sugar crash. When that happens, you’ll feel irritable, moody, lethargic or low energy for no apparent reason. Elevated levels of insulin also make you feel ravenous more often and would increase your risk of overweight (as you tend to eat more), obesity, high blood pressure, Syndrome X, heart disease, diabetes and cancer over time.
Do this:
Eat whole foods that do not convert to sugar in double-quick time. These are the unrefined carbohydrates that contain lots of fibers which help to slow down the release of sugars into your bloodstream. Whole foods are also more nutritious than highly processed ones, and are packed full of natural-occurring vitamins and minerals that are essential in an anti-aging and anti-inflammatory diet. If abstaining from refined carbohydrates isn’t possible, try to limit the amount of insulin-spiking carbohydrates to small amount at each meal and balance out with plenty of unrefined, wholesome carbos.
Finally, always fill your stomach to the seventy percent mark or below. Eat small, frequent meals as and when you are hungry. A bloated stomach filled with lots of foods will require more work and thus, energy to digest. More energy diverted for digestion means less energy for living the life you want.
Drink Up or Dry Up
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Ask this: Do I drink enough water each day?
More than sixty percent of our body consists of fluid. Imagine your body as an intricate web of rivers, streams and tributaries connected to one another. Bodily fluid like blood flows in this system of waterways to regular temperature, transport life-giving nutrients, cells and qi, and carry away wastes to maintain a healthy bio-system. If any of the waterway dries up, wastes will start to accumulate and some parts of the body will be starved of nutrients, leading to listlessness, exhaustion and fatigue.
Stop this: I always drink when I’m feeling thirsty. What’s the problem?
By the time you feel the thirst, some form of dehydration would have already taken place in your body. in another word, certain tributaries could already be parched.
Do this:
Don’t rely solely on thirst to drink up. Place a tall mug or bottle of water within easy reach and sip from it throughout even when you are not thirsty. Lastly, since there’s no clear answer as to whether coffee and tea make good water substitutes, I suggest you quench your water needs with mostly clean, filtered water everyday.
Feelings that Suck
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Ask this: Do I get really worked up, anxious or worried over something on a daily basis?
Nothing kills the joys in life like anger, fears, worries and anxieties. They are emotional states that drain a lot of energy and will require even more energy to maintain for an extended period. When a strong emotion is not resolved and is experienced repeatedly, not only will it take over our life, it can also cause permanent damage to a corresponding organ in the body, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Stop this: I am born this way. I can’t help getting angry, worrying or feeling nervous at the slightest thing.
It’s true that genetic plays a role in our personality. But, that doesn’t mean you’re completely helpless about it. You can change the way you think, thus changing the way you feel, more than you think you can. If your living or working environment is constantly inducing you to feel a certain way which you don’t like, then changing your environment may be an option. So stop making excuses and blaming your parents, and start doing the things within your power to make yourself feel better.
Do this:
Learn to meditate and increase your self-awareness. Meditation can help you to build up more tolerance towards your thoughts and become less reactive to them. But if you feel you’re losing grip of your own emotions, seek help from a psychiatrist, and perhaps hire a trained coach to help straighten out your thinking patterns. Many times, the reason why we worry, fear or lose our cool isn’t because of external factors even though it may appear to be so. It’s faulty and narrow thinking that predisposes us to destructive emotions more than anything else.
Silent Disease?
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Ask this: Is my tiredness caused by an existing health condition that I’m not aware of?
If you’ve perpetual tiredness that doesn’t seem to go away despite having adequate sleep, eating whole foods, drinking enough water and having a good grip on your emotions, it may be a sign of a health condition that has been silently draining away your energies.
Stop this: I’m just feeling tired. It can’t be a disease, can it?
It isn’t normal to feel tired most of the time. The onset of unexplained fatigue that continues for a prolonged period is itself a sign that something isn’t quite right with your body. And chronic fatigue can be a health condition of its own. It’s called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). But, there can be many reasons for your persistent exhaustion and it may or may not be CFS.
Do this:
The best way to find out is to get professional help. Consider seeking advice from practitioners of conventional, as well as holistic or alternative medicine, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine or Ayurveda. Many health conditions which can’t be detected or treated by modern medicine can be relieved or even cured by centuries old alternative medicine.
Other Energy Black Spots
In this post, I’ve only covered a few major areas where you should look at to identify potential energy leaks. But there are also other areas that are worth paying attention to, such as the people you’re spending most of your time with and the type of daily activities you’re doing.
If you’ve personal success with plugging your energy leaks, do share it with us in the comments. Thanks!
This is a great collection of solid advice! In addition to improving energy, these suggestions practically outline a healthy lifestyle that will also help to prevent disease. The two are tightly related because excellent health is often what provides excellent energy!
Based on your about page, it sounds like we have fairly similar stories. I was diagnosed with CFS and healthy lifestyle habits like the ones described here have been a major part of my recovery.
Exercise, sun exposure (vitamin D), and following your passions are other important areas worth consideration as well.
Thanks for the compliments and sharing more ways to recapture our bounce in life, Vin!
Indeed we do share some similarities and I enjoy reading your posts very much. Hope you’ll continue to inspire us with your insightful thoughts. Keep it up!