Managing fatigue, embracing failure, avoiding mid-afternoon energy slumps & Will Smith

If I had to pick one word to describe how most of us are feeling at the moment it would be TIRED!

It's a tough time of year with the dark mornings and evenings, the colder weather, not to mention the underlying fatigue of dealing with the impact of covid for almost two years now.

It's no wonder we're all feeling it.

How do we help manage this fatigue?

First up acknowledge it and accept that's okay to be finding this time of year tough.

Be kind to yourself.

Take the pressure off where possible. Do things that make you feel good and spend time with people that make you smile.

Next up prioritise sleep, get to bed a little earlier and try to really focus on your sleep hygiene.

Try to get as much natural light on your face as you can, ideally in the morning.

Get outdoors and stay active. Lunch time walks, runs or workouts can work great if early mornings or dark evenings aren't feeling so enticing.

Prioritise nutritious, wholesome foods to maximise your energy levels.

And a big one that's often overlooked, make sure you stay hydrated. If a cold glass of water doesn't seem appealing try drinking warm herbal teas instead.

I was talking to a client about this exact thing on a call last week.

When we recognise that a vital aspect of 'failure' is the feedback it provides – feedback that can move us forward – then we remove the fear.

When you're experiencing anxiety around the outcome of something it can be helpful to actually look at what will happen if it doesn't go as you'd like it to.

More often that not, when you take yourself there you realise that it wouldn't be as bad as you'd feared.

And regardless of the outcome, you'll be better for the experience.

This reminds me of another quote I love, "Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck." Dalai Lama

It's not to say you should go into everything expecting to fail. But just no that's going to be okay if it doesn't turn out exactly as you'd planned.

Try this to avoid the mid-afternoon energy slump!

The first thing most people drink in the morning is a cup of tea or coffee.

But waiting 90 minutes to 2 hours from when you wake up until you do can help prevent your energy levels dipping in the afternoon.

Have a glass of water instead, or I've been having a lemon and ginger tea.

And it really does make a difference.

Andrew Huberman talks about this in his podcast on 'Maximizing Productivity, Physical & Mental Health with Daily Tools'. But it's essentially to do with how caffeine acts upon a compound called Adenosine.

Adenosine naturally builds across the day and is what makes us feel sleepy. But caffeine is an adenosine blocker. Which is why we feel alert when we drink it – it blocks that sleepiness feeling.

Huberman describes that when we get up and immediately drink caffeine, a lower level of adenosine is able to create a greater level of sleepiness. But delaying caffeine intake by 90 minutes to 2 hours optimises the relationship between adenosine and wakefulness so that our energy levels are more consistent across the day.

It's worth a try if you can manage to wait that 90 minutes. It just makes that first sip of coffee taste even better!

Will Smith: The Best Shape Of My Life

This 6 part ‘docuseries’ is absolutely brilliant.

It starts with Will revealing he’s in the worst shape of his life. Which in itself is quite refreshing.

The series then follows his journey to improve his health and fitness, to hit his weight loss target all whilst writing his book.

Credit to him for his honesty in this. He reveals a huge amount about his upbringing and how that’s effected him personally and his own parenting style.

What’s also interesting is seeing him experience the very same obstacles that everyone does when trying to get in shape. Trying to do too much at once, being impatient, losing motivation. And trying to juggle his weight loss goal alongside his goal of finishing his book.

Check it out

(And if you've already watched it let me know what you thought?)