How to Boost Your Energy Levels

Many people will be feeling exhausted, whether it is due to the strains of a stressful job, recovering from an illness or simply the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. When we feel burned out and exhausted, it becomes difficult to find the energy and motivation to get on with the tasks at hand, whether that is within our work or home lives. There a several different ways in which you can attempt to boost your energy levels, which may in turn aid your productivity levels. 

Eat Well

It makes sense that since our energy predominately comes from what we eat, than maintaining a diet that is health and consists of the right foods will provide better and perhaps more longstanding energy levels. Aiming to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, ensuring you aren’t skipping meals (yes that includes breakfast), snacking on healthy alternatives to candy bars, chips and cakes – with options such as nuts or vegetables will hopefully help your energy levels.

Eating balanced meals that include carbohydrates, vegetables and proteins will provide your body with the sustenance it needs to support you through your day. You can also incorporate superfoods and multivitamins into your diet for an extra boost. Also ensure that you are staying hydrated throughout the day, drinking plenty of water and opting for healthier drinks. If your alcohol intake is high, it may be affecting your sleep levels which can cause tiredness the next day. 

Exercise and don’t oversleep

If you don’t find much time to exercise, consider incorporating even a small level of exercise into your daily routine. It may feel like the opposite to what you need when you are feeling exhausted, but getting up and moving can really help to boost your energy levels. You do not have to do a high-intensity work out, but if you like running, a quick daily jog has enormous benefits. For low-intensity options, Yoga or a walk outside can be very beneficial to both your mental energy levels and physical. In fact, getting outside in the fresh air and daylight can work wonders on energy levels and overall outlook. Spending time outside can help us sleep at night, as the daylight allows for the production of melatonin. So if you are feeling exhausted due to sleep problems, fresh air and exercise can help that. 

It is important to try to get a good night’s sleep and keeping a regular bedtime and rising time will help with this. On average, an adult should get 7-8 hours per night, so begin with that and slowly adjust to what your body needs as the amount of sleep we need varies from individual to individual. You may find you need to wind down before bed to help you sleep better.

However, on the other hand, exhaustion leads to feeling that we need to sleep more, and if you are getting more sleep than what your body needs, it can lead to further exhaustion. Harvard Health writes: ‘research bears out the connection between too much sleep and too little energy. It appears that any significant deviation from normal sleep patterns can upset the body’s rhythms and increase daytime fatigue. The best solution is to figure out how many hours of sleep are right for you and then stick with it — even on weekends, vacations, and holidays.’

Look after your mental health

One way to boost energy is to actually slow down. Often our mental health whether stress, anxiety or depression can lead us to feel burned out, sluggish and exhausted. If you are overworking in your job, you may become more stressed and may be prone to taking less breaks. However, sometimes taking time out, to relax, do yoga, meditate or look after your mental health, actually creates more time and provides us with more energy. 

A recent article from Huffington Post spoke to Dr. Amy Shah author of ‘I’m So Effing Tired”, writing: ‘Dr. Shah says we should also focus on our “psychobiology” – that is, assessing how our mental health affects our physical health and energy levels. “Our thoughts can trigger inflammation in the body and vice versa,” says Shah. “In our culture, the attention to the mind has been lost. Hence the sharp rise in burnout anxiety and fatigue.” Focus on positive energy, she says, which means surrounding yourself with people who bring you up. “My motto has always been, ‘If it won’t matter in 5 years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes worrying about it’”. It might also be worth practicing gratitude – something you may find hard to do in a pandemic, but one that will lift you up.’