i need a mid day pick me up

[rocketman]

what do you guys do around mid afternoon when you start feeling sluggish? my naps waste too much time and i dont want to consume any caffeine, but without doing anything, i just feel too sluggish to perform any mental activities clearly.

suggestions?

[Angela]

Yes! Try my 4.5 minute midday pick-me-up hypnosis video.

Feel Good On Purpose!

Caffeine-free, and all you have to do is sit there and veg -- you'll feel wonderfully revitalized afterwards.

And drink water!

[bonzaiaphrodite]

Stop drinking caffeine in the morning!

[eruso]

Ice cold water with a little lemon juice!

[bluedragon]

Originally Posted by rocketman

what do you guys do around mid afternoon when you start feeling sluggish? my naps waste too much time

1)they don't have to. Naps should be no longer that 15-20 minutes. Otherwise, they interfere with your circadian rithm and at night, you can't fall asleep. Plus, a long nap will actually leave you feeling unmotivated and sleepy. Alternative: listen to one of Paul Sheele's paraliminals (the ones Steve recommends in the section to the left). No matter how little time you have, I can't imagine a situation where resting for 20 minutes will slow you down - it will increase your productivity so much, you will actually finish faster. Unless, of course, your time limit for a project is 21 minutes, in which case, you wouldn't want to sleep 20 minutes and have only 1 minute to finish the work
2)wash your face with hot water - whenever I do this, I could swear that it rests me more than a whole nap! There is a reason for this - or maybe more. I don't know the scientific explanation. But I know the Chinese one - water washes away the tension, and refreshes your aura. It resets it - like rebooting your computer.
3)whenever you feel like tired, drink a full glass of water (or 2 if you're really thirsty).
4)open a window (if you haven't done so already)
5)green tea has less caffeine than coffee or black tea, and it has less toxic compounds (if at all), but it has a lot of good ones - very rich in vitamin C. On the other hand, black tea has more tanins and other things. I think either one is better than coffee - but myself, I feel fine even when I drink cofee.
As a precaution, don't eat heavy foods - if you eat something easily digestible, you should not feel the afternoon gap unless you are sleep deprived.
If you really want to get your energy up and never feel tired - meditate daily, run from time to time, work out - as these keep your body fit and your blood pressure low. High blood pressure is a major factor in fatigue.

[Datum]

2 rocketman

Isn't interesting to read all these replies. That is exactly how western medicine works: treat the symptom. Before you start taking naps and listening to funky sounds on cd, you need to think why you have such a need to take a nap. Figure out the cause.

[rocketman]

thanks for the responses guys. i love this board because everyone here has the common goal of trying to solve our problems and improve ourselves rather than just accepting them with a defeatist approach.

let me provide you guys with some details. i drink about 10-12 cups of water per day, eat very healthy, do not consume any junk food (maybe a cookie per day), restrict my artificial sugar intake, lift weights and do cardio regularly, and have been checked for all vitamin deficiencies. i also take a multivitamin. im in my early 20s. so you can see that i have tried to eliminate all root causes.

for whatever reason, i simply am not a morning person. im sluggish and my cognition is horrible early in the morning. this has been the case my entire life. all i think about is crawling back into bed. i tried everything to remedy this - using all of steve's tips and others i found on the net, but nothing worked. the only thing that worked was exercising in the morning, subsequently raising my adrenaline and endorphins, but this just wasn't practical - i don't have this much time up front in the morning to do this. nothing else worked - i just simply felt like crap in the mornings.

so i finally gave in last week and started drinking coffee for the first time in my life. i never wanted to resort to this because i am a big proponent of attacking the root cause rather than using a substance as a bandaid. nevertheless, for the first time in my life, i feel incredible in the morning. i only drink that one cup the entire day, but wow the effects of caffeine are incredible. i suspect that i will likely become addicted and dependent upon this, but i have decided that this is worth it. i simply have no other choice - i have exhausted all other avenues and nothing else works.

now to the mid day crash. with good reason, one might assume that my mid day drowsiness is attributed to the caffeine wearing off. however, this isn't entirely the case, because even before i began drinking coffee, i have always started getting sluggish in the afternoon time. i know this is normal for people after lunch as the chemical process of breaking down carbohydrates causes drowsiness. i dont eat a very heavy lunch and it usually includes protein, but i still feel drowsy.

thats why i come here for advice. to respond to some of the replies:

*i already drink plenty of water to be sufficiently hydrated
*i meditate as i pray 5 times daily
*i try the 20 minute nap but even tho i am sluggish as hell, it is really hard to fall asleep. so by the time ive fallen asleep, 15 minutes have already passed and i am only asleep for like 5 minutes. and then i dont want to get up. i need to find a way to make myself wake up from naps because i am very lazy with this. i just hate waking up.
*ive seen people suggest water with lemon. what does the lemon do?
*can someone expound on the benefits of green tea for this?

thanks.

[TheSceptic]

Originally Posted by bluedragon

As a precaution, don't eat heavy foods - if you eat something easily digestible, you should not feel the afternoon gap unless you are sleep deprived.

For me this actually works the other way around. If I eat a lot of easily digestible food, my digestive system will switch to high gear and there won't be much energy left for my brains for quite some time. Also, drinking coffee at such a time actually makes the problem worse, as it seems to make the digestive system even more active and hence take up more energy. This means that I might even lose energy from drinking a cup of coffee after a big lunch.

If, on the other hand, I more regularly eat smaller bits of food with more fibers in it which are harder to digest, my digestive system takes its time and stays into low gear. Which means that it doesn't take up as much energy.

More smaller and fiber-rich ("harder" to digest) portions of food keep my energy level constant.

At least, that's how it seems to work for me, and I remember reading about that also. Although I don't remember where. Anyone else recognize this?

[Guinevere]

@ Angela:
Thank you so much for the link. That was really, really nice. Is that your voice?

[Angela]

Originally Posted by Guinevere

@ Angela:
Thank you so much for the link. That was really, really nice. Is that your voice?

Yes it is. I'm glad you like it. I'll be working on another one soon.

[Guinevere]

Veeery soothing...
Thank you so much. After watching that, I tried to find your site and for some reason (crazy internet, maybe?) it didn't load, but the video is already a great gift.

[Datum]

Yes it is. I'm glad you like it. I'll be working on another one soon.

Well, Angela, you video makes it really hard to relax because your voice brings up some naughty thoughts )))

[Angela]

@Guinevere, I'm re-working my website and will do my best to get it back up this week. It makes me feel so good to know you like the video!

@Datum, hmmm, I have gotten some surprising feedback from men, now that you mention it.

@rocketman -- is hypnosis something you're willing to try? Whether it's an online video or a visit to a hypnotherapist, I think it hypnosis and NLP could be very effective for you. I'm replacing my morning coffee with it.

[rocketman]

angela, im willing to try anything.

i just now watched your video and think i felt something but i wasnt drowsy right now to begin with so i wouldnt be able to tell if there was an effect. i will try it out tommorrow.

can you explain the science behind it? is the imagery and soothing sound supposed to release energy from the body?

i find that things work better for me when i understand the science behind them.

[Angela]

The science is that as you relax your conscious mind, your subconscious becomes more susceptible to accepting suggestions that work in the best interest of your well-being. (Your well-being is your subconscious mind's primary objective.) The "gatekeeper" -- your critical faculty -- is temporary suspended as you allow yourself to go into a light trance, and the suggestions (in this case, to wake up afterwards raring to go get stuff done, feeling revitalized and refreshed, and to get a great night's sleep) speak directly into your unconscious, without your normal conscious resistance.

You can read a lot about hypnosis on the Internet, and there are some good "scientific" explanations for it, including how it's used medically for surgical anaesthesia!

[rocketman]

fascinating. thanks.

[munish]

Originally Posted by Guinevere

@ Angela:
Thank you so much for the link. That was really, really nice. Is that your voice?

I also liked the voice and the message.

[Angela]

Thank you, Munish! I'm so glad.

[Datum]

2 Angela,

For some reason does not work for me. I do not get even a hint of more energy. (((

[Angela]

I'm sorry to hear that, Datum. Well, off to Starbucks, then! If one thing doesn't work for you, try another.

Maybe I'll do a super-duper-ultra charged energy video for the likes of you.

[Andrew Brunelle]

How about a Paraliminal? From what I've experienced from just one of the Paraliminals that came with my Photoreading package, it definitely acts as a pick-me-up. The one for Energy or whatever it's called would be the best for your particular problem. Just leave it to the binural beats. How about going outside for 15 minutes and breathing very deeply? Getting a large quantity of fresh air is a great recharger. A also find a large glass of water, preferably room temperature, to boost my body up. I would say close to 20 oz.

[Datum]

I'm sorry to hear that, Datum. Well, off to Starbucks, then! If one thing doesn't work for you, try another.
Maybe I'll do a super-duper-ultra charged energy video for the likes of you.

Alright!!! But do not forget to encode your phone number into subliminal message, that way I will pay very close attention )))

[Piercetheveil]

We all have different rhythms in our day. Being aware of them is quite empowering.

A good Read on this is The Power of Full Engagement

My energy is level most of the day. That is because I sleep a consistent 8 hours daily, eat well and often, exercise daily, meditate often and rarely indulge in mindless drinking, tv watching, or the like.

However, sometimes the weather, staying up to late, or over eating great Italian food causes me to have dips in energy. Here is what I do:

I don't fight it. Flow. Cup of coffee or something with Yohimbe or white bark and then take a 30 min nap. The herbs or caffeine kick in upon arousal. Perfect.

Meditate and enjoy the calm

Exercise at high intensity with energetic music.

Pull out one of my NLP enhanced rituals for energy.

One of those replaces what used to be a very negative energy slump. The big big deal for me is having a plan or ritual in place prior the event.