5 Keys to Reviving your energy and joy for life
Do you ever feel caught in the mundane of life sometimes and feel like you are just “going through the motions” and trying to “survive the day”? If you’re anything like me, coffee is an essential daily part of life as an attempt to put some more alertness and give ourselves a boost. So often we tell people we are “tired”. We are “busy”. But doesn’t that just feel yucky sometimes? I crave time and simplicity and it bothers me how so many of us wear ourselves thin trying to keep up with the world’s seemingly impossible demands and expectations. Additionally it seems like those of us who aren’t “overscheduled” or wearing a “Busy Badge of Honor” can be called or thought of as “lazy” or unambitious by others who are running around and “proud” of being “SOOO BUSY”.
Can we just stop this craziness? The modern pace of life has brought about so much anxiety and mental illness and for myself, anxiety, panic attacks and stress galore. I kept running around doing all the things trying to prove I could be a “good” mom, wife business owener and empliyee and it was killing me. This pace of life is not natural. God designed us to have seasons of rest, seasons of sowing, and seasons of waiting and seasons of harvesting. We can’t run around constantly sowing without resting. We have to ascertain what is sustainable for us for our present health and well being as well as our long term health and well being.
Common advice is to take a “time out for yourself”. and YESSS I 100% agree this helps, and can help calm our nervous system and remove ourself from stimuli (kids whinging, fighting, messy house, etc) BUT I first really really recommend this ONE thing: CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS.
How exactly do we “change our thoughts”? Firstly, we pause and start listening to the thought train going on in your head that is silently dictating your moods. We think on autopilot so we first have to stop and “think” about what messages are actually going on in our mind. THis is so powerful! If you are telling yourself often that “I am so tired” (which I know this feeling to be very true but is it helping you?) …. you may be contributing to more feelings of tired-ness, fatigue and sense of overwhelm.
How can we reframe in an honest way, but one that actually will help us feel LESS tired, and more revived? Our brains and thoughts are SO SO powerful and they start responding immediately to new messages. What if instead of “I’m so tired’ we told ourselves:
“I am rested enough to carry on in this day”,
“God is with me now helping me”
“I am not alone”,
” I get everything done that absolutely needs to get done and IT IS ENOUGH”,
“I have enough energy for what God and my family and my work need me to do today”,
“The Holy Spirit empowers me at every moment I allow and I feel more light and alive”
“I have a choice in every moment”.
…. Ok, maybe that was a lot, or a stretch, but don’t you feel better already? Which of those thoughts especially ring true for you and help you feel lighter, more revived, even just a little bit more energized?
Another way to get a natural energy boost is by making sure we are adequately hydrated. Fatigue easily sets in when we start becoming a little dehydrated and drinking some fresh water is one sure and simple way to help ourselves perk up. How much water do you need? Well, that’s hard to say for sure without considering how much water you lose , but 64 fluid ounces (1900 mL) is honestly a great start. How clear your pee is will be an indication of your hydration status, clear lightly yellow is a pretty good sign. If you are more yellow or dark yellow you are certainly under hydrated. If you take B Vitamin supplements your urine color will likely be bright yellow and it will be hard to tell. Do not look at the urine color in the toilet bowl but undiluted color to get an accurate marker of your current hydration levels. Another way to calculate your fluid needs is to get your weight in kilograms (weight in pounds divided by 2.2) and multiply by 30 to get your approximate fluid goal in mL. If you know you are carrying extra weight, this number may be more than you could likely consume, so you could reduce it a bit.
Perhaps the most underrated and yet most effective way to revive your energy and joy for life is to actually, dare I say it, EXERCISE! I know, I hate the thought of suggesting yet another thing to add to your to list but God designed our bodies to exercise. Our bodies are truly amazing and part of taking care of them is to exercise in some way, shape, form. What is exercise? It is anything physical that you do that is above and beyond your normal activities of daily living and typically gets your heart rate up, works our muscles, and invites you to focus your mind for a period of time. I honestly struggle the most with getting exercise in but it has become a non-negotiable for me because I notice myself becoming more tired and more depressed the longer the stretch of time that passes where I do not exercise. If exercise were a pill, it would be so expensive because there’s literally no medication that can come close to giving our body and mind the health benefits the exercise can give us. Think of this as God’s reward system for hard work! Exercise is an investment in your present and future health of body and mind. Exercise blasts away stess and anxiety and helps crate a more peaceful mind. 150 minutes a week is the gold standard for exercise recommendations, with some of that exercise being dedicated to resistance/ strength training, also known as building your muscles either using your own body weight/ resistance bands or actual weights. However, anything is better than nothing and you are better off for having done 5 minutes of brisk walking or any walking than having been sedentary. Think of time spent exercise as a way to actually add more LIFE and VIBRANCY to your day and reclaim your time since you will feel better and more energized and healthy than not having done any exercise.
LET GO OF- obligations, clutter, unrealistic expectations?
Breath, send up gratitude and prayer.