I last wrote about the study of FATS (frustrated, anxious, tired, stressed) States on our functioning and how we perform best when we are happy, calm and energised. I’m going to focus on how we can get more energy; a topic close to my heart having contracted ME in 2008, following a life-threatening bacterial infection. At the illness’s peak I couldn’t lift my daughter out of her car seat or walk across the road to the shops. Throw into the mix, my husband’s redundancy, getting my company going again following maternity leave and the start of the credit crunch; I had to learn how to generate lots of energy!
Energy:
What is it? “The strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity.” Google.
When I was recovering from ME, I was told to think about having an ‘Energy Bank’: if you make insufficient quality deposits and too many withdrawals, you’re going to be overspent.
Increasing Energy:
1. The most successful people switch off during the evenings and have down time at the weekend. They make deposits into their energy bank. A Stanford study found that productivity per hour declines sharply when our working week exceeds 50 hours, and it drops off so much after 55 hours that there’s no point in working any more. This is about boundaries.
- When do you stop looking at emails / working? Create some work rules. Silence the pings.
2. Spend less time (where possible) with people that drain you. Sound harsh? Scientists have identified that we experience other people’s pain through our mirror neurons. I’m sure you’ll have heard of ‘drains and radiators’ i.e. there are some people that drain your energy and others that make you feel great.
- Who in your work / life fits into these categories?
Where there is no escape, (you might work with a drain), break rapport by moving your body and/or interrupt the negative conversation / change the subject so that they learn to ‘break state’. (The small print: use this with care and sensitivity).
- Also, consider whether you are draining yourself / others.
Being negative is an evolutionary thing; we have survived by being able to spot danger, which can make us look on the black side or have a moan. Everything in moderation though ay? Is focusing on that office conflict really going to help you stay alive? We get more of what we focus on in life; try noticing the positive – a little each day.
3. Learn to say no with a smile. I run a series of workshops called The Personal Effectiveness Programme; I have heard 100’s of people saying yes, when they really mean no. Sometimes we don’t recognise our limits and put other people’s time, (and energy) before our own. Often it can be saying yes to activities that have little or no impact on the overall purpose and success of our job. They are unimportant tasks. A tell-tale sign is working excessive hours.
- Before you say yes, what are you going to be saying no to? Tea with the kids? Hitting your targets? Bagging that client? A game of tennis?
4. Do more of the activities that make you feel energised and ditch those that don’t. Do what you love. We are all different, e.g. an extrovert may feel more energised by being with people at the pub after work, whereas an introvert may want to run for the hills and gain their energy by having some solitude.
- What makes you feel energised? What are you passionate about?
- What activities deplete you?
- Identify opportunities for delegation / employ the services of someone that does enjoy that chore. What would it be worth to get that time back?
5. Put good fuel into your energy bank. Your body really is a temple. When we are tired or lacking in energy, our brain is programmed to seek out calorific food, fast. Again, it’s a survival thing: get as many calories on board as quickly as possible, so that we can deal with the Sabre Tooth Tiger outside the cave. Bit of an outdated concept now, but, that’s why we reach for coffee and a doughnut. Whilst it may be comforting to eat fast food, the sugar crash that follows can result in even lower levels of energy. The idea is that we consume wholefoods, (stuff that hasn’t been messed around with or processed) that release energy more slowly. Eating the wrong food can actually make us more stressed, see here for information on how to eat to improve your mood and energy levels.
- Listen to your body. I wear a Fitbit and if something disagrees with me, my pulse rises.
- What is your body telling you? Do you feel energised following your food or are you in a caffeine spin or sugar induced coma?
Learn to enjoy preparing food. I listened to the Jeremy ‘Whine’ show the other week. The topic was: why lorry drivers are overweight. The answer: because there wasn’t healthy food available on the road.
- Make your own pack up – an investment in your energy bank.
- Batch cook meals from scratch in advance and freeze them. Make those your ‘ready meals’.
6. Good quality sleep: I know I’m stating the obvious. There are so many reasons we need to sleep well: your body repairs itself. We transfer things from short term to long term memory. It sets us up energy wise for the following day. It keeps us sane.
In Tom Rath’s book: Eat, Sleep Move, he describes how he has lived with cancer for decades and has reduced tumours by doing what it says in his book. In essence, if you prioritise your sleep, you will eat better the following day, (because you’re not grabbing for fast food), which in turn will enable you to exercise properly, because you’re full of energy.
If you’re not sleeping properly, stop doing these things before you go to sleep:
- Drinking caffeine, (6 hours before sleep)
- Drinking alcohol, (3 hours before sleep)
- Eating, (2 – 3 hours before sleep)
- Exercising, (2 hours before sleep)
- Hot bath, (1.5 hours before sleep)
- Looking at anything that emits a blue light, e.g. TV, tablets, phone, (1 hour before sleep)
- Working…having stressful or excitable conversations etc. (1 hour before sleep)
