Strangely enough, the kids and hubby are not on this list, although I’m sure they can on occasion, make you tired. If you find you suffer the slumps every afternoon, or even start the day that way, then it’s possible these common drains are robbing you of your precious energy. Unlike the kids and hubby, these ones you can change.
Tiredness does come with the job description of mum, to a certain extent. Life is busier and there’s more to deal with when you’re a mum. There will be days when you just want to go back to bed, and long days when you wish everyone would run away and join the circus so that you don’t have to worry about dinner.
Motherhood though, isn’t an excuse for being tired. Unless you’re up all night feeding and soothing a newborn, you’re actually not meant to be dog-tired during the day.
You’re not meant to feel so exhausted after lunch that the afternoon slump people talk about is, in your case, a literal description of your posture.
You are however, meant to be tired at bed time. It is not normal though to have a second wind at 10pm and set about achieving a hundred things before you finally do go to bed, only to wake beyond tired in the morning.
We are meant to have energy all day long. Our bodies are designed to achieve great things, including staying awake and alert for all the daylight hours!
Modern life though means we’re usually leaking energy down some unnecessary drains.
Without doubt, changing your diet will have a huge impact on your energy levels. Eating dead, packaged food that contains no signs of life doesn’t fill you with life either.
But as well as food, paying attention to your mental and emotional state can also add to your sense of vitality.
[typography font=”Buda” size=”24″ size_format=”px” color=”#35bdb2″]Here are my top 5 energy drains:[/typography]
- Caffeine. Without doubt if I over-do the coffee in the morning, I will be yawning and lazy by 2pm. Works every time. Caffeine ‘borrows’ your energy by stimulating your adrenal system, putting your body on high alert (the buzz). Your body will need that energy back later on, once the buzz wears off. Topping up with more caffeine will only make matters worse.
- Dehydration. When your body is thirsty, it starts to slump. It will start to tell you it needs energy and while it is looking for water, you may mistake that sign as a sugar or carb craving.
- Processed foods. As I mention above, eating food with no life in it doesn’t add any life to you. It adds a load for your over-worked liver to deal with, putting more strain on your body. For your body to feel vibrant, it needs the nutrients and fats it is designed for.
- Sitting. We’ve become such a sedentary society (she says typing away at her office desk) when our bodies were designed for movement. We go from bed, to car, to office, to car, to bed and the amount of movement we do is far short from the days of foraging for food, or even from living off and working the land. We also do much of our sitting inside, as opposed to being outside in fresh air, refreshing our oxygen supply. Sitting on your butt for hours a day, will in fact, wear you out.
- Stress. One of the biggest drains on our energy is actually emotional or mental stress. Anxiety, fear, worry and busyness all wear us down and out. Over-thinking and lack of peace and stillness fatigue your mind and therefore your body. It robs you of your get-up-and-go and motivation. Your mind and body are one magic system, and what you do to one half affects the other.
Can you see which drain or drains your energy is disappearing into?
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