I’m tired all the time. I have a confession to make: As much as I pretend to be an expert on life (which I’m definitely not), the exhaustion issue continues to plague me.
And I’m guessing you have this issue too. You’re working in Corporate America after all, staring at a computer screen or battling stress all day. And when evening rolls around, all you can bear to do is pass out on the couch – getting ready for bed is overrated.
But even through this struggle, I’ve picked up tips and tricks that have helped me tremendously. Just sometimes I forget to take my own advice. And I like to torture myself.
So, here are my tips to fight exhaustion.
Tired All The Time – #1 Exercise
By far the single best remedy to combat tiredness is to exercise. I use exercise for different reasons, like for my creative mind and my morning routine, but it’s also essential to feel awake. I don’t know the science behind it, and it all seems counterintuitive to me, but somehow working harder makes you feel better. If you know why, please tell me, because it makes no sense.
On Thanksgiving morning, we got up way too early for a holiday (5:30 AM), and hauled our butts to the annual 5K Turkey Trot. I thought I would hate it, but I didn’t. It was awesome.
My wife is a walking machine now. She’s walking for her health and spirit and is doing amazing things. I wanted to support her in that effort. But going for a run on Thanksgiving morning wasn’t my idea of fun.
Thankfully, we just walked. Let that sink in – we walked a 5K.
There was no need for trophies or achievements, just the simple act of getting outside, moving our bodies, and enjoying a beautiful morning.
And you know what? I enjoyed it a lot. It was a fun time. And I felt great all day afterwards.
That makes absolutely no sense to me, but it works. So give it a try.
Tired All The Time – #2 Coffee
Coffee sucks. I have a hard time with this one. Caffeine does strange things to me. I sense it’s not helpful, but I don’t have any proof.
Sometimes I feel like coffee is great. One cup of joe in the morning helps me wake up and get going. Other times I feel like it’s crashing my energy levels and making me exhausted in the afternoon and evening. It’s burning my adrenal glands, after all, and doing some unnatural stuff.
However, when I drink too much coffee – I feel sick.
When I’m drinking multiple cups a day, or too much Starbucks, it makes me throw up. I know that’s gross, but whatever. Maybe there’s someone else out there who’s overdosing on coffee and they don’t know it. I’m just trying to help.
In general, I feel a lot better when I’m not drinking coffee. Sure, I miss those jittery bursts of energy, but it also keeps my energy level steady all day long. So I’m better off without it.
Tired All The Time – #3 Diet
Food messes with my energy levels. When I eat too much sugar, or too much pie, I feel horrible.
I don’t even need to be on a “weight loss diet” to restrict certain foods or anything, but just knowing eating too much crap isn’t good for me. That’s just common sense.
And the same goes for alcohol, beer, and wine. Not even in an abusing way, but when you’re drinking it all the time, or like a week straight on a cruise, you begin to realize you’re not as young as you used to be and your body can’t recover.
So take it easy, and eat nourishing food. Your body will thank you.
Tired All The Time – #4 Sleep
I swear by sleep and get plenty of it.
When I’m working all week at a normal job, I have to stay on a routine. I need to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time. My body needs to know what to expect.
If I mess with my sleep schedule, my body suddenly hates me and shuts down. It’s important to use proper bedtime routines too to get good rest.
Sometimes I stay up late on the weekends, then sleep-in even later in the morning. This is just a horrible habit which destroys my ability to stay awake.
And then the following Monday morning feels dreadful. It feels like I got in a fight with a French bulldog and lost in a bad way. (Those Frenchies will mess you up, if you let them…)
Tired All The Time – Action Steps:
- Exercise is a must
- Be careful with coffee
- Don’t eat pie for dinner
- Go to bed
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Are you tired all the time? How do you get through the day? Do you rely too much on coffee like everyone else?
