10 Tips for More Energy This Holiday Season
Is keeping a high energy level a challenge for you? Here are a few tips to revitalize your personal energy. Some of these are very simple, so simple you may think they won’t do anything for you. As you read, check to see which ones have slipped from your current daily routine. In that way, you’ll discover how to change your routine to gain more energy.
Drink plenty of water. A large amount of the aches, pains, and low energy we have these days is because we are not fully hydrated. Keep a glass of water on your desk at all times and drink up.
Listen to your favorite music in the morning instead of the news. If you watch the news in the morning, it can already be draining as you hear about murders, falling stock prices, and scandals. Try popping in a relaxing CD instead. Do this while you are getting ready as well as during your commute time in traffic. I listen to instrumental music (without lyrics) such as classical, new age or new earth (Steven Halpern), and Reiki healing (Deuter). [Reiki is a form of energy healing, in case you are not familiar with the term.]
Get a massage on a regular basis. A massage will move around the stress that is stuck in your body. This can sometimes make a big difference in freeing up your energy. You can also exercise vigorously to keep your energy moving.
Eat healthy foods. Keep a mental note of how you feel after you’ve eaten particular foods, and you will be able to see what foods affect your energy levels. I always feel great with no digestion slump after eating healthy foods such as salmon/spinach salad, egg whites, whole grain oatmeal with berries, and green tea, to name a few.
Stay as relaxed as possible. The stress hormone cortisol can give us energy, but if we rely solely on it, we end up damaging our bodies in the long run. An instant relaxation tip is to breathe deeply three times, right where you are. This completely changes your physiology in an eye blink.
Meditate. Sit comfortably still, close your eyes, and go inside your mind. Let your thoughts pass by, and focus only on your breathing, an object, or a chant such as “I am present.” A few minutes of meditation has been shown to be more refreshing than a nap. The benefits are increased focus, better memory, a quieter mind, and contentedness.
Stay positive. If you can increase your positive emotions (love, gratitude, hope, joy, peace, pleasure, fun) and reduce your negative emotions (anger, fear, rage, disgust, jealousy, sadness, greed), then you are ahead of the game. Negative emotions sap your energy, and positive emotions refuel your energy. You may decide to choose to eliminate some negative things from your life: negative people, violent movies and TV, and events that take your time and don’t serve you well.
Clear your clutter. If every time you walk by the dining room table that is stacked with that unfinished project, you feel drained, then make a change. A little bit of your energy is draining each time you walk by a project that you feel you need to spend time on. If you have five or ten projects like that, you will soon feel like a zombie. Commit to wrapping them up or put them away so you don’t see them every day.
Reassess your to do list. Do you really need to do everything on your to do list? For example, do you really need to go to the store for that one item or can you hold off another day? Do you really need another pair of shoes? Do you really need to spend an hour listening to your friend’s break up woes again? Take a look at how you spend your time in light of how that event/task/person is serving you in your life. You may find oodles of freed up time which will free up your energy as well.
Sleep well. One of the keys to great health and energy is to get a good night’s sleep every night.
I’m sure you know about many of the items on the list already. Perhaps this article can be a gentle reminder for you to take a look at what habits you’d like to renew that will revitalize you. A change in your daily routine might give you a great boost in your energy.