Energizing Yourself

As we enter the summer season, one of the greatest challenges, believe it or not, is keep up the energy levels for both work and play. Have you been feeling overwhelmed with the amount of energy that is required for work, the yard, outdoor activities and many wind ups that happen in June?

We have to be very careful of burnout as it can have a serious impact on everything you do including your health. Many people will turn to such things as energy drinks to keep up to the demands of everyday living but then the “crash” occurs and your poor body just goes into shutdown mode. So how do we deal with all of these demands?

The best plan is to have a daily plan so that you don’t overtax yourself. This includes work scheduling so you have some time to breath during the day. Ever notice that at the end of a very busy day, you are totally exhausted? “Your down time” during the day can come in many forms. This may be going for a walk (also good for the health) or if you can, walking home or to a restaurant for lunch, having a coffee with a friend or co-worker, or just relaxing on the patio enjoying the sun or reading a book. It is amazing what one hour can do for the energy levels. If you are tempted to take a nap, don’t go longer than 30-60 minutes or you will get into the “sleepy bear” mode and never wake up for the rest of the day. Another good thing to do is to plan to go to bed early so that you can get your required number of hours of sleep every day. Summer has a bad habit of keeping us up longer than normal because of the long daylight hours and then we pay the price for that the next day. If you are waking up earlier because of the early light, get some black out curtains or blinds.

The bottom line is that you do need time for yourself to re-energize or you will eventually have to do it anyways but in the form of a total crash and that takes longer to recover. And don’t forget about taking some time this summer for holidays or days off. Believe it or not, you can’t work 365 days per year forever! Put those days or a week or two in your calendar and book your work around it. As my favourite lady often tells me, the western free world will not collapse if I am missing from the main stream for some time to catch up with family, friends and most importantly yourself. Use the “one second rule” and remember how often people pass you on the at high speeds only to be just in front of you at the next stop or light.