Low energy

[Stef]

Hi all there,

I have low energy almost all the times.

I know I am supposed to train to strengthen my skills and self-discipline, but I when I manage to start I simply cannot persevere and sometimes cannot even start.

One of the problem might be i am unable to set a self-discipline schedule which fits my low energy level (shall i start 1/2 hour a day for 1 week? 1 hour a day for 1 month? how long will this process take?) What schedule worked for you?

Another problem I know for sure of is isolation in my goal pursuing. Isolation I cannot solve by now. I have been suggested to look for goal-buddies online, but I do not know..is this forum a right place for looking for goal-buddies?

Thanks
Cheers
Stef

[kedzer]

Hi Stef,

One thing you can try is to pay attention to what you're eating. I find that when I'm drinking green smoothies (made with leafy greens), eating fruit, etc., I have very few problems with energy lows.

When I do find myself feeling tired, I almost always realize that at some point within the last half hour or so I had eaten some sort of processed carbs (bread, ice cream, etc.). It's uncanny. I guess it's well documented, though, that high-glycemic stuff makes you sleepy, so it shouldn't surprise me.

Good luck! Keep us posted on your progress!

[Jon Alan]

I would be willing to bet that you can find some goal buddies on this forum. As far as the energy level does I agree with what the last post says. Your metabolism and what you eat has everything to do with it. Here Check out this article It's a bit offensive buy it really makes a lot of sense. Anyway, I wish you the best with your goals. I know one thing which helps me is having other people to celebrate them with! That's what we are here for to get all excited with you. You may also want to try making them goals which really get you jazzed up, I mean so big that being tired does not make a difference. Wish you the best! -Jon Alan

[Smarky]

Originally Posted by Jon Alan

I would be willing to bet that you can find some goal buddies on this forum. As far as the energy level does I agree with what the last post says. Your metabolism and what you eat has everything to do with it. Here Check out this article It's a bit offensive buy it really makes a lot of sense. Anyway, I wish you the best with your goals. I know one thing which helps me is having other people to celebrate them with! That's what we are here for to get all excited with you. You may also want to try making them goals which really get you jazzed up, I mean so big that being tired does not make a difference. Wish you the best! -Jon Alan

I suffer from the same problem as the forum poster, this is an interesting link, the trouble is like most things it just explains the problem without offering the solution. Apparently have to buy an ebook for that!

Just what are we supposed to do/eat? This seems to eliminate most food that is easily available/affordable and easily made.

[Stef]

Hi Kedzer, thanks for your post. Eating healthy is always a good suggestion.
Not sure this is the cause of my problem though. I have low energy all day long but especially in the morning as i struggle to get out of bed to do anything.

[Stef]

Hi Jon, thanks for your kind post. I did post a "goal(s) buddy wanted" in social & relationship as it seemed the most suitable forum for this subject to me. If I read at that post now, I feel like laughing but it is also thanks to your contribution that i found the drive to write it, so thanks again. I will keep you posted. Stef

[Eric Roosevelt]

It's usually a good idea to at least tell someone about your goals (or get what you call a "goal-buddy"). That way it feels like someone's holding you accountable even if the person doesn't genuinely care whether you complete your goal or not. Goals just feel more serious when somebody else knows about them.

The quickest way to gain energy is often to do some light exercise, drink water or talk to someone that you like. And stay conscious about what's really going on in your life. Are you depressed? Lacking goals? Are you unhappy with your social life? I'm not saying that any of those things apply to you, but if you're lacking energy it's good to ask those sorts of questions.

It doesn't always matter that you're not pursuing huge goals at any given time. In my experience the important thing is that you put some effort into whatever little thing you happen to be doing.

[Stef]

Hi Smarky, I'm the forum poster. As I hinted kedzer too, eating healty is always a good suggestion, should it be the cause of your (our) problem or not.

Healthy eating and exercise is also what doctors suggest when you suffer from depression or are overweight. It seems there is no way around it :-D

On the other hand, I fully understand your frustrations and you are right: healthy eating might cost more money and efforts on your side. And when you are low in energy .... it's a loop...unfortunately.

Online, there is plenty of sites about healthy and frugal eating too. Try to google for them. Or maybe there is another reader who could suggest a site...

Good luck with your goals too. :-)
Stef

[SimonaRich]

You can raise your energy levels by eating vegetables and fruit instead of other food and also by meditating. Waking up early also helps boost energy levels.

[groove88]

juice fasting i would recommend too for rest and clean the body. Depending on ones history, depleted glands from stress etc can also cause low energy levels.
Then followed by the healthier diet after..

[Andrew Brunelle]

Dark, leafy greens blended into a fruit smoothie will help you with your energy problems. I drink about a Vitamix a day of green smoothie and it has been very helpful. I've heard that eating one pound of greens a day can completely change your mood and give you tons of energy.

[Gayathri]

Meditation, exercise, music, clearing up the clutter in your life - all can help with energy boosting.

[StellaBlue]

Have you had your thyroid tested or been tested for adrenal fatigue? I think that there can be a lot of underlying problems to lack of energy that are more than just nutrition although proper nutrition will surely help.

[Stef]

Originally Posted by Eric Roosevelt

And stay conscious about what's really going on in your life. Are you depressed? Lacking goals? Are you unhappy with your social life? I'm not saying that any of those things apply to you, but if you're lacking energy it's good to ask those sorts of questions.

Yes, of course, there might well be a "yes" answer to some of the questions you mention above, but it's one of those things that even when you know it, it does not solve the problem.

Even not the prozac (fluorexitine) is useful as "motivator" or energizer: it just avoids you the deepest lows (= you do not get suicidal, i.e.) but also the heights; it just makes you feel "decent" where you are.

That's why I started from a step beyond and trying to make a plan in order to cope with what I cannot change, at this time.

Stef

[Stef]

No, not been tested for these. Good tip. I will ask my GP even if i doubt he ever heard about these. :-D

[bbdream8]

Hi Stef,

Have you spend any effort in finding out the reason why you are always lacking of energy? Is it because of diet or something else? Or is it possible that you are not enjoying what you are doing right now that cause you to have a lack of energy?

Vincent
Personal Development Blogger

[Neal2009]

i like the threadstarter, never have enough energy. but i do think exerisize is important as well as diet.....how often do you go gym?

[pauldickinson]

Start martial arts classes - you learn self discipline, get some exercise and start new relationships!

That's energy for you.

[loic]

One of the biggest shock I had when I hit the personal development scene was the prominence of advice on eating.

I had never thought about that, but it makes sense: you are what you eat, so to speak. And you would never think of putting raw oil in a racing car, would you?

I tried controlling how I eat for a month, and never went back. Just felt so much better. In fact you don’t notice it until you go to a fast-food with friends, and feel sluggish all day long afterwards.

Basically, no sodas, very little alcohol (if any), no refined products such as white sugar and white flour, and you should already notice a big change.

Some sport might help. Being tense all the time actually consumes lots of energy, so do some moderate exercise, and some stretching (maybe try yoga?). Relaxing your body will leave you feeling much more energetic since you’re not wasting tons of energy being tense.

The best,

Loic.

[Stef]

Originally Posted by bbdream8

Hi Stef,

Have you spend any effort in finding out the reason why you are always lacking of energy? Is it because of diet or something else? Or is it possible that you are not enjoying what you are doing right now that cause you to have a lack of energy?

Vincent
Personal Development Blogger

Of course, it is also because I do not enjoy what I am doing, but i also cannot change things now, so I just need to cope with all this and trying to plan/schedule in order to get some structure.

[Stef]

I am genuinely surprised by all the replies related to healthy eating and exercise. Yes they are all good suggestions. And yes, It is always good to eat well and exercise. In my particular case though, that's not it. That's not my problem. Not because I dont think I need to invest in healthy eating and exercise but because i am already doing it. (well, not really martial arts but im not prepared to start it now :-)).

People who instead wondered if i was happy with what I am doing, got closer to the core of the problem. Yes, I am not happy but also cannot change the situation, so they only thing i have to do is coping.

That's why i opened this thread and hoped in suggestions for scheduling activities to building up self-discipline when u r low in energy and unhappy but I have probably misformulated my query...I still do not know what I should have written though.

Thanks a lot for all the replies, you learn something new everyday.
Stef

[Cultivate]

This is a post related to goals. I don't know if this relates to you, but instead of asking I just wrote the post and you can see if it helps you or not. I hope it does.

I think this may be because most people set goals for things that really have no relevance to their lives. They will attempt to do arbitrary things to make themselves "better people" who are "more motivated", "more in control", "better at paying attention" or "working through stress", etc.

These are fine, but you are not going to have the same kind of motivation as you will when trying to do something more tangible such as acquiring a certificate, getting a grade, getting a job, setting up a website, reading a book, etc.

Do something that will affect your life now. Don't start off doing something where you're trying to "fix yourself" so you no longer have that "one problem" that's been holding you back. No matter how many cool skills you have or how many times you've strained your will power, if they weren't done on moving something in your life forward, I feel its just self-development masturbation.

I think that the advice for healthy eating and exercise fit into this category. They are a little different because I think that they will make you happier, but they aren't going to make you excited for goals that aren't doing anything. I think they will make you feel generally better, but when you sit down to complete your tasks you may find that the low energy creeps back in.

This relates to a lot of self-development junkies (like me!) who have set up goals that when completed really won't change our lives in the ways that we want them to change.

[Stef]

Ok let's speak about goals.

I do agree that goals can be more or less motivating according to whether you are passionate about it or not.

I do no agree however on the distincion between a motivating/non-motivating goal is it being tangible or non-tangible.

For example, the getting a job goal comes very close to where i am now. it is very tangible and would make a huge difference in my life, however, the more you get rejected, the less motivating it becomes. And of course, looking for a job is (almost) never a passion when you just want to make ends meet.

Also, there are goals that you ought to pursue even if it is just for avoiding begging in the street. Choosing other goals is not an option, for me at this time.

It is for these unwanted and unchosen goals which i get low in energy, and it is on these that I ask for advice.

Thanks
Stef

[jbsmith]

Low energy is a symptom, you need to find the root cause.

Do you have a typical point in the day when you feel like you have more energy? Do you have peaks and valleys or just low all the time?

How much sleep do you get?

What is your typical diet?

Have you taken antibiotics in the past few years?

Do you have other symptoms (digestive problems, spaciness, susceptibility to catching colds...etc?)

One of the most common mistakes made by the personal development advice out there is to assume you are starting off physically well when that is NOT the case for the majority of us who are battling all kinds of weaknesses brought on by imbalances in our flora, over abundance of yeast in our system, sugar out of whack, poor circulation, terrible digestion, de-hydration, etc...

You can't expect to make any progress on goals, motivation, productivity, happiness, etc...until you get your own body in better working order.

To improve, you need energy...that usually means improving one of the aspects above first.

Jeff

[liamona]

Originally Posted by jbsmith

One of the most common mistakes made by the personal development advice out there is to assume you are starting off physically well when that is NOT the case for the majority of us who are battling all kinds of weaknesses brought on by imbalances in our flora, over abundance of yeast in our system, sugar out of whack, poor circulation, terrible digestion, de-hydration, etc...

You can't expect to make any progress on goals, motivation, productivity, happiness, etc...until you get your own body in better working order.

Great points, Jeff.

I think yeast problems are really common, even for those who think they're eating healthily. I've heard a lot of people get good results from Bee's Candida Diet, but it's pretty strict.

A friend of mine who's doing it has had massive yeast die-off symptoms, and lost a lot of weight.

[simplystephen]

Originally Posted by Stef

Hi Smarky, I'm the forum poster. As I hinted kedzer too, eating healty is always a good suggestion, should it be the cause of your (our) problem or not.

Healthy eating and exercise is also what doctors suggest when you suffer from depression or are overweight. It seems there is no way around it :-D

On the other hand, I fully understand your frustrations and you are right: healthy eating might cost more money and efforts on your side. And when you are low in energy .... it's a loop...unfortunately.

Online, there is plenty of sites about healthy and frugal eating too. Try to google for them. Or maybe there is another reader who could suggest a site...

Good luck with your goals too. :-)
Stef

Stef...the low energy you may be referring to is lack of motivation and focus. That is not to say you lack the motivation or focus but rather the discipline or desire to make the changes. A goal buddy is a good idea but try something even more simple - set a target in mind and only focus on that goal. Remove all other obstacles.

As for the low energy with reference to health. Most people will try to put up every excuse in the book that it is expensive to eat healthy or insist they are healthy but....if you shop at the grocery store it is not likely. For starters stick to the perimeter of the store....all the junk is in the aisles. Stuff labeled low fat and healthy choice is really just marketing. Healthy is about:

1. How you eat
2. What foods you eat
3. When you eat
4. What foods you mix
5. What foods you eliminate

The basic rules - eat lots of fruit and vegetables, drink lots of water, don't eat late at night, avoid wheat, have probiotics every day to help your body protect and digest (yogurt is an example but careful, most of them have sugar...uh, uh), stop eating processed foods and fast food...start eating slow foods.

Buying food from the market or a farm is cheaper in the long run. The amount of fresh food to provide you with nutrients is far less than the amount of processed junk. I am by no means a health nut, I smoke and I do drink sometimes. My exercise is sporadic (in the winter for sure) and I try to cook with whole foods. It makes a huge difference and it is not expensive to buy a bunch of fresh veggies and produce and make an awesome meal with them.

Smoking and alcohol also contribute to both depression and lethargy. Regular sleep patterns and positive thinking will help your mind control endorphins that make you tired. And lastly, guess what if you want more energy, exercise will actually increase your energy not reduce it. Just a little FOOD for thought.

Good luck either way with it.