There are certain habits that constantly drain your energy.
Energy is critical because it is the ability to do work. You and I need a certain level of physical, mental, and emotional energy to work at any given time. But energy is a finite resource. It reduces in volume as we use it. This explains why we sometimes feel tired, exhausted, and fatigued.
When you’re out of energy, your work is done. Grounded!
In the morning, when your energy level is high, you make decisions faster and better. Often, decision fatigue starts to set in because your mental resources are running low.
Also, being physically exhausted and emotionally drained can result from the same reason.
Thus, protecting yourself from activity that drains your energy and makes you feel tired can be key to improving your productivity, happiness, and success.
However, more than anything else, our habits are what mostly zap our energy, and make us less productive, and unhappy.
1. Trying hard to please others drains your energy
It’s super draining when you’re constantly trying to prove yourself to other people, whether they’re your boss, spouse, teacher, or parents.
When you seek to be in people’s good books and make them happy, you’ll invariably make yourself unhappy.
Because your actions will be determined by the need to meet their desires and expectations instead of your own.
While being kind and helpful can help you maintain healthy relationships with others, make sure you’re not doing so to win approval.
This is a dangerous path that will always drain your energy, make you neglect your own needs, and leave you unhappy and chronically stressed.
What you need to do
- Learn to know your limits, establish clear boundaries, and then communicate those limits.
- Recognize that relationships are based on “give and take,” and be firm in saying no when you’re not up to something.
2. Being overly too self-critical
Constantly criticizing and judging yourself can be exhausting. And it often results from a poor sense of self and a feeling of unworthiness.
When you think you don’t measure up in some way — like feeling you’re not talented enough — you’ll mostly feel unworthy.
You’ll harshly judge yourself, overemphasize your weakness, and obsess about your flaws and blindspots.
Let’s face it: If you don’t see anything positive about yourself, how are you ever going to feel energized, happy, and capable?
What you need to do:
- Practice self-compassion.
- When you learn to treat yourself with love and encouragement, you’ll feel happier and more peaceful with yourself.
- Celebrate your wins, compliment your efforts, and be kind with your losses. Congratulate yourself on giving it a go.
3. Holding on to anger and resentment
Poison isn’t always something you eat or drink, it can be an emotion.
Anger and resentment are among the most toxic emotions you can have.
According to psychologists, they are typical examples of high-intensity negative emotions that can wear you out physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Often, these emotions arise because you’re still ‘living in the past — mostly painful and hurtful pasts. You’re still holding grudges about who offended or hurt you.
If you want to move forward, you need to have the courage to let go of your negative past.
Continuing to feel hurt, angry, and resentful about what happened will never serve any useful purpose.
As Siddhartha Buddha once said:
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
Instead, what’s going to liberate and energize your life is being able to walk away from the past and release your mind from the poisonous effects of the past.
What you need to do:
- Begin with mindfulness; becoming aware of what makes you angry and resentful.
- If you feel like a particular experience from the past is too hurtful to let go of, sit down, take some time to reflect on it and then write down all your thoughts and concerns.
4. Worrying and overthinking drain your energy
People worry when they want to predict the future. They expend their energy trying to control how things might or might not happen.
More often than not, worrying about things you can’t control is an exercise in futility.
It will only lead to feelings of distress and restlessness, anxiety, and depression.
It’s the same with overthinking.
You don’t achieve anything by overthinking. It doesn’t create a better outcome. All it does is drain your energy and physically wear you out.
What you need to do:
- Recognize what you can’t control and focus on what you can control.
- When you focus on what you can control, you reclaim your power to feel how you want to feel.
5. Mindless use of social media
How we use social media impacts our mood and energy.
At any given moment you’re scrolling through any social media platform, your newsfeed either inspires you or makes you feel like crap.
If what you see and consume on social media are only pictures and videos of friends and strange people who appear to be more successful than you, you are going to start feeling like your life is worse than it is.
This drains your energy and makes you feel extremely unhappy with yourself.
The truth is, there’s just too much fakery on social media to let it determine how you feel about yourself and how well you’re doing in life.
What you need to do:
- Done well, social media can have a huge positive influence on your life.
- Focus on yourself and on aspects of social media that align with your goals. Rather than an avenue to compare yourself with anyone and feel bad about your life, use social media to get inspired and build meaningful relationships with people.
6. Failing to master your sleep
Nothing rejuvenates your body and refreshes your mind like a good sleep.
During sleep, your body heals itself and restores its chemical balance. Also, your brain has time to wash away toxins, and forge new thought connections.
All of these processes are aimed at prepping your body and mind to feel better upon waking. And you need to sleep for at least 7 hours to maximize your sleep.
Sadly, most people have a problem either falling asleep or staying asleep. They experience sleep disturbances and deprivation.
If you’re always sleeping less than is required, you’re not giving your body time to rebuild. Guess what? No hack can save your energy.
It drains your mental abilities and puts your physical health at real risk.
And over time, this can have real long-term effects. Science has linked poor sleep with several health problems, including weight gain.
What you need to do:
- Master your sleep patterns to help you control the quality of your sleep.
- This means regularizing your sleep so that you get up at the same time every day. Try to sleep the same amount of time every night.
- If you want to improve your sleep, it’s also important to observe what you do before bedtime routines. Don’t drink coffee a few hours before bed, avoid alcohol, or eat fatty meals that will interfere with your sleep.
- Instead, meditate, journal your thoughts, find something to read, or listen to an inspiring audiobook/podcast.
7. Eating unhealthy junk as food drains your energy
Eating a healthy diet is a good way you can make yourself feel your best because, whether you know it or not, what you eat impacts your energy level, mood, and productivity.
Generally speaking, if you feel tired, fatigued, and need a nap after 30–45 minutes after a meal, you need to change the composition of your food.
Healthy foods that increase your daily power include foods high in vegetables, fruit, nuts, fish, lean meats, beans, and healthy fats like olive oil.
Focus on getting enough of these important nutrients every day and getting rid of processed, unhealthy ones.
Processed foods cause a temporary spike in your blood sugar and insulin levels. You get a momentary boost of energy, but it’s quickly followed by an energy crash. Over the long term, you will find yourself feeling more tired.
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