7 things to try if you are feeling exhausted

Coming out of summer heading into fall like. I need a nap. Anyone else?! Summer gives this vibe of nothing but beaches and margaritas when in reality it can be a lot. A Lot of good and just a lot. I know I have been feeling that my wheels are running and I'm struggling to keep up.

Lately I have felt exhausted. We just moved and are settling in there. We have always wanted to host and be able to have large groups of people over. So we have been doing that almost every weekend since we moved in. Also we had a miscarriage in the spring and to be honest the hurt comes up at random times. It's kind of a constant cloud that is sometimes unnoticeable. But sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by it. The thoughts of it all can even exhaust me. Lately its been a more noticeable cloud.

All that to say lately I have been tired and I realize, so are others. Not to mention the last…few years we've had. There's a lot of heaviness. That's what I feel, a heaviness in my heart and I see it in others as well. But what can we do except carry on? The world continues to move on, people go about their business. So we must carry on. It's so important to process our emotions and face them when they resurface. But it's also important to take care of ourselves and pick ourselves back up.

So all of these thoughts got me thinking. What do we do when we’re tired? Maybe run down or burnt out? This led me to this list of 7 things. That I believe can help or bring us to a better place. Hopefully one or two of these helps you.

My first point is. Take some things off your plate. Yes there are a lot of things we can be a part of. That we can be involved in. But do we actually need to do it all? Do we need to bake cookies for the bake sale and try to cook all the meals at home? Do the kids need to be in two sports each at the same time and play an instrument? Do you have to buy a house, pay off your debt and go on vacation this year? Why do we put this pressure on ourselves to be everything and do everything? It's exhausting. And a lot of freaking work. We feel obligated to say yes to everything and one up other people. Why cant we stay in our lane and assess what actually will help and serve us. Before I go too far down this hole take time to think about this. Maybe you're saying yes to too much. Maybe you're taking on responsibilities and pressures that you don't need to. Take time to look at all that's on your plate right now. What can you turn down, what can you say no to for now and readdress later if at all.

Prioritize sleep. This may seem like a very duh statement as we are talking about feeling tired. But you may have other pressures happening that make you feel like you have to sacrifice sleep. Don't let yourself fall into that. Our bodies repair and recover when we sleep. We need to sleep. So if you find that your to-do list is encroaching on your sleep. Address that.

Make sure you are eating enough. I have seen so many people exhausted because they are not eating enough. We need a balance of carbs, fat and protein to give our bodies the energy it needs to survive. That's not including all we need to then do all we need to do in a day. We need to be eating enough to support all that we put ourselves through. Then if we’re trying to exercise on top of that. We need to eat food. If you're struggling to know how many calories you should be eating, Check out this blog for more info to.

Drink enough water. Dehydration can have a noticeable effect if you lose as little as 2 percent of your body's water content. This can lead to reduced motivation and increased fatigue. Also your brain is strongly influenced by your hydration status. So if that doesn't encourage you to drink water I don't know what will. A goal of 100 ounces a day is a good range. Drink your water!

Incorporate exercise. Without getting super nerdy on you. Exercise benefits your energy levels in so many ways because of its effects on oxygen levels and cellular levels. I'm not saying you should go from not working out at all to every day for hours a day. But maybe walking or 10 minutes of strength training. Start with something and you can always build on that.

Lessen your exercise. Plot twist.you may be the one who needs to exercise more but you also may be the person who needs to exercise less. If you are spending hours a day training or even hours a week and you're not seeing much progress in your strength or physique. This could be a sign that you need to eat more or start exercising less. Overtraining can lead to fatigue and you shouldn't be doing this to yourself on a consistent basis. So look for signs of overtraining like fatigue or being unable to lift heavier in the gym or not seeing changes in your body. These could be signs of overtraining.

Spend time doing what recharges you. This is one of my favorites. In my years of knowing myself I have always thought of myself as an extrovert. But what i've realized is yes I'm outgoing but I'm not extrovert. People exhaust me. I need time. So whether it's a few hours a week or a day I need alone time. I need space. I work with people. I live with a person and I do things that require people's interaction. This exhausts me. So I need to make sure I'm taking time to recharge myself. To spend time alone and read my book or go for a walk. I don't go on social media after certain times. I don't answer texts after certain times. Know yourself and set boundaries for what you need to refresh yourself.

I hope some of these points help you to address your tiredness. I know writing this and thinking about it helped me. Share this with someone who may need it.