What to Do When You Are Exhausted!
How often are you tired?
How often are you exhausted?
Some weeks it seems like I go to bed tired and I wake up just as tired as I was when my head hit the pillow the night before. There are weeks where I am pulled from every direction: with work, with business, with family. It takes a toll.
There are so many things that are clamoring for our attention. I, myself, can feel guilty when I just sit down and relax. (Can you relate?)
As I write this, I am 51 years old. I have three kids, a full-time job, and a publishing business that I am trying to build in my “spare time.” (Hahahahahaha! “Spare time.” That’s funny.) I also have a boyfriend I love to spend time with and I try to have some time for hobbies every so often.
It is normal to feel tired sometimes, but if you’re feeling exhausted you might need to just listen to your body and take a break. There is nothing noble about being exhausted.
Here are a few steps to take when you are feeling worn out:
Breathe
Sometimes I will sit in my chair and I close my eyes. I take a deep breath and then slowly exhale. I repeat this a few times. There’s nothing magical about the action of breathing, but it does force you to slow down and relax when you deliberately take a few deep breaths.
Lists
I like to make lists. It helps me to stay organized. But sometimes having list will only remind me of everything that I need to get done the next day.
If I am feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, I will take my lists and put them aside for a few hours or for a few days. Having a list makes me confident that I won’t forget anything, but I can put everything out of my mind for a while so that I can relax.
Talking
My way of processing stress is talking things out. in fact, my way of processing pretty much everything is talking things out. there’s something about the act of hearing my thoughts out loud that helps me to process everything and work my way through it. It helps if I have somebody listen to me, but even if I simply talk into a recorder or talk into video it helps me say things out loud and process them accordingly. It’s a Wonderful way to de-stress.
Taking care of yourself is the most important thing you can do. You have to nurture yourself before you can nurture others.
Lady bits is provided by L. Shay Bradham, a freelance writer, published author, coffee addict, and a Trekkie. She plays an impressive game of Klingon Monopoly. You can contact Shay at: LShayBradham@gmail.com