Fighting Fatigue

One of the most common threats to our ability to reach our potential is fatigue. Exhaustion is part of life but did you know that much of our tiredness is brought on by ourselves? Most of us believe that we our tired because we haven’t gotten enough sleep, or that we’ve worked too long or hard. The truth is however that much of our fatigue today is not caused by over-exertion or lack of sleep, but rather by stress.

Stress leads to exhaustion and fatigue, and fatigue can make life miserable. When we worry or are frustrated, our body wastes energy—energy that could be used toward better causes. If we are able to eliminate or minimize fatigue, we will be much more likely to perform at our highest level, allowing us to be more successful in life. Below are a few simple tips on how to eliminate fatigue.

#1 Mind our Thoughts

One of the best ways to fight against fatigue is to control our thoughts. Thoughts of worry, frustration, anger, or hopelessness cause us to stress and can ware us out! If we can learn to fill our minds with positive thoughts of courage, peace, strength, and hope, our energy levels will naturally increase.

#2 Eat Right/Exercise

Eating right by participating in three balanced meals a day will go a long way in reducing stress. Many of us snack on unhealthy foods all day which reduces our energy levels. But if we try to eat balanced, regular meals our fatigue will diminish. Water is also an important element needed to boost energy. Likewise, exercise helps us reduce stress and fatigue as it can increase our energy levels and confidence. If we are unable to dedicate an hour a day to exercise, even simply marching in place or jumping up and down for a few minutes throughout the day will boost energy and increase oxygen to our brain.

#3 Change Scenery

Sometimes fatigue sets in when we are simply caught up in the mundane tasks of life or the “daily grind.” When we’ve spent several hours on a particular project, or find ourselves following the same routine day after day, we need to change it up. Whether it’s going outside to get a fresh breath of air, or enjoying a conversation with a longtime friend, taking a break and changing things up a bit will help us lift our excitement levels and slow down fatigue. Recognizing that we are feeling tired is a good clue that we need a quick change of pace; even it is just for a few minutes.

#4 Count our Blessings/Forget our Troubles

Similar to #1, if we can focus on appreciation and turn our attention away from our troubles we will greatly enhance our energy level. When we focus on the good in life, we naturally have a greater desire to work hard and put forth our best effort. Being grateful boosts energy and enthusiasm while worrying about all of our troubles causes stress and fatigue. Thus showing gratitude and being thankful will help us to reach our potential.

#5 Enjoy it

Finding a way to do something we enjoy every day can minimize fatigue. Hopefully each of us can find joy in our work but if we can’t, we need to dedicate some time each day to doing something fun. Again, this does not have to mean several hours but simply even fifteen minutes of “fun” can reduce our stress and fatigue.

Learning to eliminate and effectively handle fatigue is important part of our ability to be successful in life. Through controlling our thoughts, exercise and eating right, changing our scenery, being grateful, and enjoying life we can gain an edge by minimizing fatigue. When we learn to effectively deal with fatigue and limit it, we will more fully be able to reach our potential.