Ep. 138 - Fighting Fatigue: Sick & Tired of Being Sick & Tired

When was the last time you remember feeling truly rested? In this episode, we will explore what it really looks like to fight off fatigue and redefine genuine rest. Let's dive in together and create space to fully embrace rest that energizes your mind and body, and allows you to recharge without guilt.


Show Notes
Episode 87: Beating Burnout + 2 Tips for that Deep Down Fatigue
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1939447/episodes/14174650-ep-87-beating-burnout-2-tips-for-that-deep-down-fatigue.mp3?download=true

Transcript

There are times of the year when the go-go seems to go a little faster and when downtime doesn’t feel very down. The speed of the days can quickly turn into a deep fatigue that seems to just settle into our bones, and into our brain. 

Even if you’d had time off, not working or doing doesn't always equal rest. Think of the last time you had a day where you felt rested during that day and then after it. Most of the time, any time we have off from regular activities often involves a series of crammed-in errands, socializing, chores, appointments, etc. And all that doing carries a cognitive – and a physical cost. And that was my experience just this past week.

There’s a great quote that says: If you do not pick a day to rest, your body will pick one for you. 

I had just gotten back from a business trip that was only a week after I moved into a new house – oh and also celebrated a holiday by having some family in town. The day after I got back from my travels, I started feeling sick. It didn’t turn into anything major, but it hung around all week and just added to the fatigue I already felt.

The Bottom Line on Top of this episode is that making time to take time for rest is one of the wisest investments we don’t always know we need. 

Fatigue is fluid; it can come and go in both the breadth and depth of its impact. Other times, we can experience a deeper burn in our body – and this is usually the experience of burnout. Episode 87 dug more into the science behind burnout, and I’ll add a link to that the show notes. 

And while not everyone will experience burnout, we all are familiar with our friend fatigue. So instead of simply fighting it when it comes on, what if we planned for time with no plans?

Start by paying attention to how long (on average) it takes you to actually fall asleep. If it's more than 30 minutes, research shows that that can be an indicator of a deeper disruption. Look for time in the extended day where you can find rest vs. sleep. 

Rest simply means time for you not to do for a set amount of time. It doesn’t have to lead to sleep to be beneficial. This cognitive pause button has many benefits, a main one being to help regulate breathing, so when we are always going we get that pace and it interrupts our blood flow. I know that sounds simple – and that’s exactly the point. Simplify and allow some space to simply be still. 

Another idea when you are feeling the burn of fatigue is to seek out sunlight. Every time we get exposure to sunlight, it induces chemical reactions in our body, including the very important melatonin. When we get exposure to sunlight it recharges and reboots our body’s circadian clock. Think of this as a software update with updated features that help fight fatigue.  

And don’t forget about laughter–as we’ve been told, it is the best medicine. Laughter physically increases our brain's production of endorphins, which are those feel-good neurochemicals that help reduce stress. And when we’re laughing, we're also increasing our intake of that oxygen-rich air and improving our blood flow. Endorphins also come from feelings of comfort so make sure when you are taking time to make space, find a place that brings you physical and emotional comfort – look for music, and people, and pets, reach for anything on the menu of your happy things. 

And part of comfort includes minimizing the things that interfere with our neurochemicals, specifically things like social media, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. These are natural depressants and often feed into that fatigue. 

So for today, this is just a quick reminder to focus on the simplicity behind fewer things better and start simply by embracing the idea of fewer. Do less, my friends-especially right now, and I hope that in return you get back a little bit more of you.