Stress and fatigue have become a way of life for many and yet deep down inside that is not the way anyone wants to live. How many times do you reach for a stimulant like soda, caffeine, or sugar to get a quick pick-me-up only to feel wired, nervous, or more tired? The quick burst of energy ends up depleting the body more and weakening the immune system.
What is draining your energy?
Lack of sleep: Millions of Americans are sleep deprived or suffer from insomnia. Lack of sleep will elevate your blood pressure, reduce your immune response, cause cuts and other injuries to heal more slowly, compromise your memory and ability to focus, and lower your sex drive. It will also leave you feeling tired in the morning, making it more difficult to get out of bed.
Stress: Stress levels depend on your response to change and demands of daily life. While a little stress can be a great motivator, a lot of stress can become dangerous to your health and well being. Signs of stress overload include: You get frequent headaches, you suffer from chronic indigestion, you “fly off the handle” easily, you get frequent colds or other illnesses, you feel fatigued all day and suffer from insomnia at night. You get through your day running on adrenaline.
Adrenal Exhaustion: The adrenals glands are most affected by stress, emotions, and exhaustion. They are constantly secreting hormones but when they release too little or too much, exhaustion can result. Under pressure, the adrenals secrete adrenaline and norepinephrine to accelerate survival responses in the body. Over time, this exhausts the glands and causes fatigue and muscle weakness along with other physical imbalances.
Thyroid Malfunction: The thyroid gland governs metabolism, providing vital energy resources. When the thyroid is not functioning properly, energy levels and metabolism are adversely affected. Along with unrelenting fatigue, you may also experience depression, digestive upsets, poor memory and concentration, mood swings, and weight gain.
Over-use of Stimulants: Caffeine, sugar, and soda are the first things people grab when there want a quick boost. Chronic dependency on these stimulants causes blood sugar issues, mood swings, exhausted adrenals, and chronic insomnia. The end result is feeling even more fatigued.
Chronic Busyness: Chronic busyness comes from filling your days with activities that have very little meaning and are not fulfilling. It is easy to get caught up in the mundane, but it serves no purpose and keeps us from growing. This include the daily distractions of social media, television, meeting the demands of others, staying on phone calls long past the time you want to listen, getting caught in other people’s emotions, and letting the “shoulds” control your day. Over time, this level of activity can leave you drained and fatigued, unable to truly enjoy all that life has to offer.
8 Ways You Can Increase Your Energy and Vitality
- Take a brisk walk every day to stimulate the release of endorphins and increase oxygen levels in the blood.
- Have protein for breakfast in the morning instead of cereal or bread. Make a protein shake if you are pressed for time.
- Eliminate stimulants such as soda, coffee, and sugar and replace them with herbal teas and water.
- Incorporate whole foods into your diet like complex carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes; protein from nuts, seeds, legumes, soy, poultry, seafood; fats from seafood, nuts and nut butters, omega 3 oils, seeds like sunflower, flax, chia, and hemp; superfoods like bee products, chlorella, spirulina, cacao, coconuts, goji berries, and maca powder. Avoid processed, high fat, and fast foods.
- Make a conscious decision to change your stress response to people and situations that you have no control over. Meditation and yoga can be very helpful with calming down the nervous system.
- Get more quality sleep.
- Find out what supplements your body may need to support it in restoring balance, improving glandular function, and increasing overall energy production.
- Take some time to sit quietly with yourself and center your focus on your heart. What do you really want to do? What would you love to do with your day, your time, your life? We become energized when we follow the promptings of our heart that bring us joy. When we are investing our energy into activities and a direction that brings joy and a sense of fulfillment, we are feeding ourselves on a much deeper level. The result is abundant energy and vitality to meet all our needs. When you are clear about what you truly want to do with your day, week, or life, commit to taking the first steps to make it happen for yourself.
