Set Goals to Beat Exhaustion

You’re exhausted. You’re tired of it, all of it. You just want to sleep all day and maybe take a bath. You can’t go on like this. There’s just too much on your plate. How is signing up for more work going to help you beat exhaustion?

Exercise

Exercise is the energy-draining gift that keeps giving energy. If you’re exhausted or tired all of the time, consider training your endurance. Start biking on the weekends and join aerobics classes in the evenings. The training will help you build endurance and improve your bodies ability to regulate its insulin and blood sugar. Who would think that expending energy could help you feel more energized? Eventually you may find you feel best throughout the day when you get in a workout early in the morning before embarking on what used to be an exhausting day.

Eating

Eating a balanced breakfast and eating healthy throughout the day will keep your energy levels up and steady, even more effectively than caffeine. Caffeine and sugar are good for kicks but will send you crashing to a worthless lethargy if not fortified with healthy meals or maintained with more caffeine and sugar. If you’re feeling low and slow, eat more fats and complex carbs or anything with a low glycemic index. These will help stabilize your blood sugar and keep you fueled for longer than simple sugars.

Goals

Sometimes exhaustion is more than diet or exercise can handle. We may feel waning motivation or our focus begin to wander. If left unchecked, we may find ourselves frustrated or despondent. In this case, shrinking your frame of reference and setting goals may be just what the doctor ordered.

If you’re struggling with a relationship or you’re tired of your job but the time isn’t right to move on, envisioning today repeating into the future ad infinitum can be exhausting so don’t do it. Understand that something isn’t working and then develop a plan of action. Clearly identify small steps to help improve your situation and make them your priority.

When all else fails and it seems you can do nothing to improve your situation, set goals entirely unrelated to that with which you struggle. Set a reasonable goal that you can achieve and be proud of. Try a goal for today, a goal for the week, the month, and a three month goal. Try going to the gym, keeping a daily journal, losing 5 pounds, or running a 5K. Be creative – anything will do so long as it’s achievable and challenging enough to give you a sense of accomplishment when you succeed. Start short and easy and set more challenging goals as you build momentum. The growing sense of accomplishment you get with each new success will run over into all areas of your life and your exhaustion will have be forgotten to a new, confident, can-do attitude.