The world of self-help and personal development is brimming with books and articles aimed at helping you to manage negative thoughts and self-doubt. Apps like Headspace help you to slow down the brain with guided meditations. Affirmations and mantras serve to align us with positive thoughts and intentions. While I am not dismissing the validity of taming a runaway mind, or pushing past negative self-talk, I’d like to shift the focus for a minute to the BODY.
Take a moment to answer these questions:
- How well do you perform when you are completely exhausted?
- How well can you run around and jump from task to task when you haven’t eaten?
- What does it feels like to go back to work after a heavy, greasy, high-calorie lunch?
I’m guessing if you’re like most of us, your answers will be somewhere in the ballpark of: “not that well.”
When we actually pause to look at it, it’s pretty simple, right? It’s hard to have a high level of attention, patience, and productivity when we aren’t taking care of ourselves. It’s hard to be creative, fun, and upbeat when all you want to do is find the nearest cave and hibernate for a week. (or month, or year..)
So while managing our thoughts is big, I dare to say that managing our energy is bigger. There’s just not a lot we feel like doing when we are totally bonked, and that includes studying those self-help books!
So what can we do? Here are 4 quick tips to help you feel and function better:
1) Find your "Soul Food"
What are 3 things you like to do that “refill your cup?” Maybe it’s a relaxing yin yoga class. Maybe it’s having a hot cup of herbal tea and curling up with your favorite book. Whatever it is, experiment with doing 3 things every week that nourish and restore you.
2) Keep track of your habits.
To see how it’s working, I also suggest keeping track of these activities in a journal or daily habit tracker. There are many awesome tools to help you that are available from the app store with the touch of your fingertips. Check out this great article for more on that.
3) Eat a healthy diet
I know you’ve probably heard this about 1,000,000 times, but it is so true. When we eat like crap, we feel like crap. Try experimenting for even a handful of days with a diet of healthy, minimally processed, easy to digest foods. If you haven’t felt the full effect of feeding your body optimal fuel, you’re in for a treat!
4) If you’re having a hard time staying organized and motivated, enlist the help of a coach
We all need a little helping hand sometimes. Heck, that’s why personal development coaching is becoming one of the quickest growing occupations in America. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you fall prone to falling off-track sometimes. WE ALL DO! A caring and compassionate coach can help you stay on-track with healthy habit goals that will really help you to function at your best.
So next time you’re crawling through your day feeling more like a zombie from The Walking Dead than a viable human being, take a moment and check-in with yourself. What are you feeling? What actions have you taken (or not taken) that have led you to feel this way?
With awareness comes clear choice. With clear choice comes empowerment and progress.
Until next time, be well. And eat your carrots :)
- Coach Rob