We’ve all been there. It’s 3 PM, you have one more project before you can wrap up the day, but you’re exhausted. You want to grab a cup of coffee, but you know you’ll either crash super hard or be up all night drinking caffeine this late. Now what?!
Everybody struggles with low energy from time to time, but it can hit those of us living with depression especially hard. Between our screwed-up sleep patterns, negative thought loops, and ever-changing moods, we may be more likely to reach for a mid-day energy boost than most. Instead of reaching for that caffeinated energy drink that will make you crash and leave you even more irritable, try some of these natural, scientifically proven energy boosters:
Note: I research all of my blog posts extensively and provide only scientifically backed information. Please e-mail here if you find any errors or discrepancies in this post and I will be sure to make any warranted changes. Thank you!
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When you’re feeling tired, you often hear the same advice: drink more water, get some exercise, work on your sleep - all of which are great suggestions.
But what if what’s draining you isn’t happening in your body, but in your mind? Especially when you live with depression, the content of our thoughts can dictate how we feel about ourselves, how we view the world, and what action we take in our lives and in our businesses. Read on to learn how our thoughts affect our energy levels and how you can break out of the negative thought cycle for greater focus and drive during the workday. How the Depressed Mind Thinks The depressed thinks a little differently than the non-depressed mind. First of all, people with depression tend to overthink; a process called depressive rumination. Rumination can look like dwelling on problems without a solution, getting stuck on why you’re feeling depressed, or repeatedly looking back on your mistakes and beating yourself up for them. The problem with rumination is that it can trap you in a repetitive chain of negative “why me?!” thinking that doesn’t provide you any relief. (Source: Aeon.co) Secondly, the depressed mind tends to gravitate towards an absolutist or “all-or-nothing” way of thinking. Simply put, these are black-and-white thoughts that contain extreme words like ‘always’, ‘never’, ‘everybody,’ or ‘nobody’ and can sound like: “I will never be successful running my own business” “Nobody loves me.” “Everybody has life figured out except me.” (Sound familiar?) Most people have thoughts like this from time to time but they can be more distressing for people with depression. Why? Because (1) our thoughts tend to be more negative than people who do not have depression (Source: Psychology Today) and (2) we’re playing these thoughts on a loop. I don't know about you, I’m exhausted already! These Thoughts Can Drain Your Brain As you may imagine, repeating negative, all-or-nothing thoughts constantly can drain your energy during the day. Think of thoughts like an app running in your mind. If you keep the app running 24/7 with high-emotion, negative thoughts, it’s going to drain your battery - even if you do nothing else all day. And this app can be sneaky – sometimes it can be running in the background and you don’t even know until your emotions or fatigue levels clue you in! The same goes for trying to fall asleep at night. For many of us, the moment we lie down in bed is one of the few moments in the day when we’re not distracting ourselves. This can open the floodgates of our mind, allowing in negative, obsessive thoughts that keep us tossing and turning all night – and exhausted the following day. What to Do About It If you notice that you can’t shut your brain off or your energy is plummeting for no reason, try the following:
Of course, this type of shift in thinking doesn’t happen overnight. However, with the right practice and guidance, it can become second nature! How do you deal with your negative thoughts? Leave me a note in the comments! Note: I research all of my blog posts extensively and provide only scientifically backed information. Please e-mail here if you find any errors or discrepancies in this post and I will be sure to make any warranted changes. Thank you!
If you read last week’s post, you know how depression majorly screws with our sleeping patterns. Quality sleep is crucial for everyone but is especially important for business owners (and mega-especially important for business owners with mental illness). High-quality sleep can keep fatigue at bay and make sure you have enough brainpower and energy to get things done. Here’s how to get a good night’s sleep, even if mental illness has you tossing and turning.
If you have trouble falling asleep at night:
If you tend to wake up in the middle of the night:
What other sleep tips would you add to this list? Leave a comment below!
We all know sleep is important for energy, concentration, and motivation – especially when building a business. Unfortunately, quality sleep can sometimes be hit or miss for those of us living with depression. Sometimes we sleep too much, sometimes we sleep too little (or not at all), but a lot of the time, we're left tired and unenthusiastic about the day ahead of us. What's up with that?
Turns out, a lot is up with it. Not only does depression cause poor sleep, but poor sleep can worsen depressive symptoms. Read on to discover how sleep and depression screw with each other (and be sure to check out my next post on Tuesday to find out what to do about it!) Depression’s Effect on Sleep As you’ve probably guessed (and experienced) by now, depression can really mess with sleeping patterns. While it’s a bit of a chicken and the egg scenario in regard to which causes which, there are high correlations between depression and insomnia (inability to sleep) and depression and hypersomnia (sleeping too much). (Source: National Sleep Foundation) So why does depression make it so difficult for us to sleep normally? While there are lots of physiological factors at play that are unique to each of us (think medications, medical history, genetics, etc.) here are a few common culprits:
Lack of sleep also has some profound effects on our health and our moods. Some consequences of poor sleep include:
So now we know that sleep is super-duper important – not just for your mental health but for the healthy growth of your business – but what the heck can you do to get better sleep? Find out in this blog post jam-packed with valuable healthy sleep tips! And in the meantime, grab your copy of Sleep Tonight, Slay Tomorrow: The Ultimate Sleep Kit for Women Entrepreneurs with Depression below! |