Drowsiness and lack of energy can occur for various reasons. You don’t have to drink coffee to cope with these feelings – other simple and even free methods proven by psychologists will do the trick.
According to statistics, 32% of Slovaks cannot start their working day without coffee. The hot drink helps them to concentrate on work and, it seems, find the energy to complete tasks. But is it always so necessary? According to experts, there are more effective ways that will work for everyone.
WHY DO WE FEEL THE NEED TO CHEER UP?
According to psychologist Ekaterina Dobronravova, the reason why we feel a lack of energy may lie in a lack of motivation or a broken daily routine.
Often the desire to take a coffee or tea break arises at a time when a person is faced with a task that he or she does not want to do or that seems to be very difficult and voluminous. Because of this, there is a desire to postpone the case and replenish energy, because the available, according to the feeling, is not enough for its fulfilment.
In this situation, coffee will help only for a while – first of all, it is necessary to deal with the motivation, which is the reason for the loss of energy
If a person manages to interest himself in what he does, then vigour and strength, as a rule, will appear automatically, without feeding from the outside. If motivation is normal, but the volume of the task is frightening, it is necessary to break it down into small subtasks: this will create certainty about what exactly needs to be done and reduce the feeling of fear and anxiety.
Another systemic cause of energy loss can be the way and rhythm of life. If a person constantly goes to bed at different times and regularly under-sleeps, the feeling of sleepiness during the day is easy to explain: the body’s circadian rhythms are disturbed and the neurotransmitter adenosine accumulates, the excess of which leads to a fatigued state.
Nevertheless, sometimes fatigue can occur not because of systemic problems, but “accidentally”: for example, a person may have once not slept well, overloaded himself with other activities, finally, overeating or being weather-dependent. In such cases, it is not always necessary to run for coffee – other ways may be suitable.
3 MENTAL WAYS TO CHEER UP
Perinatal psychologist Elena Novopashina recommends turning to your own emotional resources – paying attention to them is as important as following the principles of healthy eating and sleeping habits. She offers three simple ways that will help not only to find the strength for the necessary task, but also to better understand your own feelings.
List your tasks by importance and urgency
This will allow you to visualize what you have to do. There can be several categories: important and urgent, important not urgent, unimportant urgent, unimportant not urgent. This way you can understand what is your priority, and the visibility of the implemented plan can give new strength.
Divide big tasks into small ones
For example: you need to write a large report – divide it into points; you need to sort out a closet with clothes – divide it into sectors with shelves. This will also help make the result of the work visible, and you can start with what you can do at the moment.
Spend time doing things that make you feel energized
For different people, this can be different activities: driving, meditation, exercise, talking with a friend. Such a distraction will help restore the resources that will be required to complete tasks.
FRESH AIR AND MORE: WHAT ELSE CAN HELP
Sometimes the desire to cheer up arises due to inappropriate environmental conditions. According to neuropsychologist Anastasia Chernitsa, the “worst enemy” of any activity is a lack of light and oxygen. It is worth making sure that the room in which you work is slightly cool, well lit and ventilated. In addition, they will help you gain a surge of energy…
Short walk
At least in the corridor of your own office, but it’s better if you can walk down the street and breathe fresh air for at least a few minutes.
A little exercise
During physical activity, endorphins are secreted, which cause a feeling of pleasure, and the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin increases. This practice will improve blood circulation in general, which affects both the functioning of internal organs and the functioning of the brain, giving a feeling of vivacity and energy.
Fluid intake
Drinking water helps protect yourself from dehydration, which manifests itself in loss of energy. Another way is to simply wash your face with cool water, which will quickly relieve drowsiness.
According to psychologists, such simple methods, available both in the office and at home, can help you cheer up and also avoid caffeine addiction and unnecessary spending.