tired
I think we can all agree that in this fast-paced world, our days are pretty full and hectic. It’s only natural to feel somewhat tired at some point during those long days. If you are feeling like you’d rather be taking a dive back into your bed instead of working, exercising, or doing whatever it is that you need to do, this article is for you! I have compiled here the best methods to cure your fatigue right away:

1- Take a deep breath
Yes, we all breathe without even thinking about it. However, we all mostly don’t breathe properly. Deep breathing helps in the better delivery of oxygen to your body’s cells, along with nutrients in your blood stream. As well, it helps in the process of carrying away toxins via your lymphatic system. If you do not detoxify properly, which proper breathing does, you become susceptible to weight gain, muscle loss, inflammation, and yes, fatigue! Try it out, take a couple of deep breaths, you will automatically feel better, and more awake instantly.

2- Drink water
If you aren’t drinking plenty of water by now, you should! This may be the reason why you are feeling tired. Juice, soft drinks and the likes aren’t what you should be consuming if you are tired. You see, dehydration reduces the blood volume which creates fatigue. Those other drinks are full of sugar which actually causes dehydration. Water is king, so make a habit to drink a glass of water whenever you feel tired. While I work, I always have a full glass next to me. This is the best way, because if you have to get up and get water, you will never remember it, especially while you are working intensively. With water right next to you, your mind will just know to take a sip here and there throughout your activity. You will be surprised how quickly just drinking water can get rid of your fatigue.

3- Get up and move!
Sometimes our fatigue is caused by inertia. Especially when you have to work at a computer or sitting at a desk all day. Movement, any type of movement is exercise! Moving your body creates an increased blood flow which in return increases your energy and defeats fatigue. As well, it makes you breathe deeper and you already know the benefits of breathing deeply as mentioned in point #1. So, all that you need to do is just get up, stretch a little bit, and walk around if you can. The best would be to do this every hour, so that you break the pattern of inertia. So get up and move, you will feel more awake right away!

4- Listen to music
Whenever it’s too quiet, we tend to get bored very easily. Being bored leads to fatigue. So turn up the radio, or pull out your iPod and start listening to your favorite tunes. In an instant, you can turn your boredom and fatigue into a fun, entertaining moment. As you sing along to your favorites songs in your head, your thoughts of being tired will slowly fade away. If you can actually get up and start dancing, then you will have mastered point #3 and #4 in one shot ;)

5- Laugh a little
Laughter has a lot of benefits, such as releasing higher levels of endorphins which make you feel better. This also sweeps away any feelings of being tired. As a matter of fact, recent studies have shown that even the anticipation of laughter increases endorphin levels. So you don’t have to laugh out loud, simply finding something amusing is beneficial. So start reading some jokes online, listen to your favorite radio show, or watch some funny videos on YouTube. You will notice that once you start laughing, you won’t be tired anymore.

6- Speak your mind
It is very easy to find ourselves being tired when we are quiet. Think of a classroom for example. It’s very easy to get bored and feel fatigue during a monotonous routine. However, the cure is to participate! Speaking can bring about the same benefits as movement (after all, you are moving muscles when you talk) and being a part of something such as a conversation or a discussion can give us an extra boost in focus and energy to counter the feeling of fatigue. So say something to a co-worker, or pick up the phone and call up a loved one for a few minutes. If you are alone, then maybe sing along to your tunes out loud? :)

7- The Ultra Quick Power Nap
A quick power nap in the middle of the day is a great method to revitalize yourself and boost your energy to last you until the end of the day. However, most people who work in public settings cannot just take a nap like that! What you can do is take an “ultra quick power nap”, which consists of simply closing your eyes for a few minutes, clear your mind, breath deeply and slowly, and then return to your task. You can do this either at your break, or even at your desk. Just like that, you have gotten rid of your fatigue, and you can also enjoy better focus and alertness.

Practicing any of these techniques will make you feel more awake, more energized, and increase your concentration skills. With the very long working days that we now experience, it is crucial to implement such methods into your routine so that you can get through your days without always having to feel tired. I used to always feel like I wanted to sleep, all day, whether I had enough sleep or not. Basically, I got tired of being tired :) These methods worked really well for me, so I hope they can be beneficial for you as well.