When You Are Too Tired to Be Well Now
If fatigue limits your ability to enjoy this season, your joy is drained and patience runs thin. When you are too tired to be well, know that you can eliminate fatigue as a barrier by rewiring how you respond. In this article, I show you how to restore energy to Be Well Now.
Energy is the currency of life. With it, you can do more of what you enjoy. Without energy just doing the basics of everyday life is challenging, never mind getting to the fun stuff.
Mental and physical energy can be drained by the external elements of our well-being; work, relationships, finances, environment at home, or work. Internal elements can also drain energy; emotions, physical pain or illness, and worries about the past and future.
Metabolism scientists tell us the body has a fixed energy budget. Like a limited family budget, we need to manage our energy like we manage our money - with an awareness of how energy is made and where it is being used. Â
When your body is dealing with pain, healing from an illness, dealing with an emotion like grief, or expending more mental energy trying to work and prepare for the holidays, more energy goes into that and there is less for other things.
Energy like everything else in our body and nature is a flow. Being human means you will get tired. Sometimes in life that will happen more easily than others. Seeing fatigue and energy as a flow rather than a set state helps to eliminate the barrier of fatigue and use energy as a guide to Be Well Now
Use the Be Well Now steps to keep the flow of energy going:
Be: Pause and shift your body to a position of support. Feel your breath and let your body rest.
Rather than seeing fatigue as a barrier, get curious. Notice what is going on in your brain and body? Is this mental or physical fatigue, or both?
Well: This shift from resisting fatigue to learning from it restores access to the wisdom in your body and heart about restoring energy.
Mental fatigue can happen when your to-do list has lost a connection to your Core Why for doing it.
Physical fatigue can be a sign your body needs to Rest Well, not distract from fatigue by scrolling your phone or making a to-do list.
Now: Use mindful kind movement to help your body release tension and your brain get back to the present moment. Ask yourself what is most important right now. Then connect that to moving mindfully, in a way that gives your brain and body what it needs to recharge right now.
If you are physically tired and really want to go out with friends pause, let your body be held, and feel your breath moving in and out for a moment. Then do some gentle mindful stretching to release tension that is draining energy.
If you are mentally tired and have more you want to accomplish today, pause, and feel your breath to bring your attention to the present. Move to release tension with your attention in the present moment. Choose a song you love and dance, or go outside and walk in the sunshine for five minutes.
Doing this does not mean fatigue won't limit your life if you have a medical condition that limits your energy budget. It's essential you meet yourself where you are and listen to your body for this to work. In this way, you are optimizing your innate ability to rest well, minimize wasted energy, and restore energy so you can Be Well Now. This three-step process lets you use fatigue as a guide, without adding the stress state from your brain's worries or judgment about feeling tired.
This is a skill that is learned. You knew how to do it as an infant. When you were tired you rested, without guilt or frustration. You can relearn this skill of resting well to restore energy by trusting fatigue as a guide rather than seeing it as a barrier.
Stay tuned for more tips on Celebrating December Well tomorrow.
Share this with someone you know who wants to celebrate December in the Well State.
All this month we are Celebrating Well. I am sharing daily tips for Celebrating the holidays well rather than stressed. This week I am focusing on how to eliminate barriers like physical and emotional pain, fatigue, overwhelm, and procrastination. Rather than getting in the way of enjoying the holidays, these become guides to Be Well Now. Check out past posts on the resources page.
Why wait until January to be well?
Are you stuck in the trying-to-be-healthy state? Learn the internal skills to Be Well Now and end the struggle to eat healthily, exercise regularly, and manage stress.
Exercising Well is so much more than an exercise program. It's a pathway to rewiring mindsets that keep you stuck.
You learn what to do and how to be self-motivated even if you are limited by pain, medical issues, stress or lack of time.
