It's only too easy to feel a little drained and out of energy.



The popularity of 'high energy' drinks, - so often loaded with caffeine, stimulants and 'quick fix' simple sugars like fructose and sucrose - is testament to our desire to boost our energy levels by almost any means.

And often we do this so that we may continue with the very things that are depleting our batteries and causing us to feel so drained in the first place.

All of this, of course, can so easily intensify and increase low energy levels and feelings of fatigue. And the end result is that this can easily lead on to feelings of anxiety, stress and even depression.

In approaching energy levels, it's important to understand that fatigue is our body's way of telling us to slow things down. It's nothing more or less than effective bio-feedback: Feedback that we would be wise to listen to.

Rather than going for the 'quick fix', drinks and drugs, it just makes sense to take care of some of the basics when it comes to energy levels.

1. First off, we need to make sure that we are eating well. Without proper nutrition, we simply cannot function at our optimum energy levels. You've heard it before, probably over and over again, but it's worth repeating once more: NEVER skip breakfast! It really is the most important meal of the day.

Regardless of whether you have an appetite in the morning or not, make sure that you start each day with some kind of raw fruit and then follow this up with some kind of complex carbohydrate - wholemeal bread, oatmeal, muesli etc - which will provide the slow released energy that you need to tide you over until lunch.

2. Clean out all of the junk food! That's right, go ahead and get rid of it - it really does you no favours. In fact it has an energy depleting, rather than an energy enhancing affect on the body.

Avoid excessive eating - small amounts of fresh, unprocessed food will provide all you need to nourish and sustain you throughout the day.

3. Reduce alcohol intake, as this is a central nervous system depressant and though it may, at first, seem to provide an energy boost, it really can deplete your real energy.

4. Exercise regularly: You don't need to join a gym or participate in time consuming organised exercise. A skipping rope can work just as well -- provided you use it! Simply by walking up stairs instead of taking the elevator or escalator; parking your car just a little farther from your place of work so you'll have to walk that bit more, you really can add to your fitness - and your energy levels.

Remember, energy is a bit like money, it can take it to make it.

5. Learn to pace yourself: When we try to get everything done all at once, we set ourselves an overwhelming and unrealistic task; it's an almost sure fire way to bring frustration and depleted energy levels.

Prioritise things and work your way through them, first things first. Ask yourself whether you really do need to get everything done right now, or whether some things might just wait their turn.

6. Develop a positive mental attitude and energise yourself mentally. Talk positively to yourself every time you look in the mirror. Get in the habit of smiling back at your self on a regular basis and notice how infectious this really can become! If you just don't feel like smiling, well, go ahead and do it anyway. Act 'as if' and notice the results!

You are here and you are alive and you are learning what it is that makes you satisfied and happy.

7. Set yourself realistic goals and work steadily towards those goals. The clearer and more enthusiastic you can be about your goals - your dream - the more energy you will manifest.

The world is full of inspirational stories of people who, just like you, have succeeded in realising their heart's dream. Read about others who are or have been passionate in pursuit of their dream. Passion and energy just go hand in hand together.

8. Allow yourself to feel. We become stuck when we switch off and deny emotions. Shrugging things off with a 'stiff upper lip' might work in the short term, but it really does have its own emotional price, its unique energy depleting cost. Remember that 'what we resist persists'.

If you are having trouble coping with emotions, consider working with a professional therapist who can help you to process them. Let be and then let go is the healthiest approach and we sometimes need a little help in achieving this.

9. The single most significant change that you can make is to change your attitude. This alone can realign and re-energise every atom of your being.

One of the most effective and quickest ways of doing this is to work with a qualified hypnotherapist who knows how to help you process things at the subconscious level and move on in a balanced manner. All the energy you need is there inside you and it is available to you. It's simply a question of knowing how to access that energy in an effective way.

Working with a knowledgeable professional really can help you when it comes to having more energy - and enjoying your life more fully.

10. Let go and let God. Do your best and then move on. You're not God -- stop judging yourself and others as if you were. Do this and just watch your energy increase!