Exhausted All The Time? Let’s Fix That

Exhausted all the time? People are always telling me how tired they are. If this describes you, it could be stress exhaustion. Did you know that 7 out of 10 adults say they experience stress or anxiety daily?

When you are under constant stress, as so many people are in today’s 24/7 world, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode. This was helpful when our ancestors were trying to keep from becoming lunch. Not as much these days.

Stress sends adrenaline coursing through your body, making your heart beat faster and sending your blood pressure higher. This can cause all sorts of problems from inability to sleep, headaches, moodiness, muscle weakness, inability to concentrate and lack of motivation.

I have a few tips for you today to beat stress, so you won’t be exhausted all the time. We talked about many of these in my book, Get Glad, because some of them work for making you happy, too.

First, let’s talk about what you eat.

Processed foods, sugar, dairy, and animal sources of protein can cause inflammation, which exacerbate the problems caused by stress. If you are under a lot of stress, try eating more vegetables and fruits — which are anti-inflammatory — for a few days. As a treat, have a piece of at least 70% cocoa-content dark chocolate. It contains compounds that help lower stress hormones.

Next, exercise. I know you don’t feel like it, but try to get outside and walk for at least 20 minutes. Research shows that walking at a moderate pace will reduce muscle tension and decrease anxiety. And, sunlight boosts your production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improves your mood.

Force yourself to smile. Smiling makes your body release endorphins, which are responsible for making us feel happier and they help lower stress, as well.

Finally, listen to relaxing music. Music’s power to soothe has been proven in many studies. Relaxing music can slow your pulse and heart rate, lower blood pressure and decrease levels of stress-inducing hormones. Scientists have found that there’s a song that reduced study participants’ anxiety by 65%. The song is Weightless by Marconi Union.

I’ve put together a Pandora station based on Weightless, in case you need to de-stress. OK, hope these ideas will help you chill out.

What do you do when you are exhausted all the time?