As a society we’ve faced unprecedented change over the last 6 months. We’ve gone from living according to routines we’ve cultivated over years or decades to facing whole new challenges as we learn to navigate remote working, furlough and sharing space with our loved ones 24-7, periods of isolating alone and then trying to ‘get back to normal’ (whatever that means) before going back into lockdown. That’s a hell of a lot to deal with, and change takes energy. It is stressful even before you throw a global pandemic and all the stress that creates into the mix. The mental burden is high and that takes a hell of a lot of energy to navigate.

I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted.

Sadly it doesn’t seem like things are going to let up for awhile yet, so what can you do to get through the last few months of the year when you’re already running on fumes? Here are 5 easy (and nearly free!) ways you can boost your energy RIGHT NOW.

movement

What’s really cool about movement as a tool to boost your energy is that it not only gives you a boost in the immediacy, but it also helps you manage your energy more effectively in the longer term too. It’s a double energy win!! In the short term movement raises energy-promoting neurotransmitters in the brain like dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin that make you feel really good!. While in the long term, regular exercise improves the strength and efficiency of your muscles so that they need less energy to function and conserving adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - the molecule that is what we call energy. The great thing is that it doesn’t really matter what kind of exercise you do as long as you’re consistent about it, and research has suggested just 20-minutes of low/moderate activity three times a week could make a difference to your energy levels.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to take advantage of the energy boosting powers of movement is to go out for a walk. Just 20 minutes in the fresh air walking at a moderate pace will increase your breathing and heart rate and raise all those lovely energy-promoting neurotransmitters. What’s more if you’re outside and away from your desk you’ll also be taking advantage of two other energy boosters - rest and time in nature!

breathe

Our breath is one of the most powerful tools we have when it comes to our wellbeing, and when I’m feeling sluggish one of the first tools I turn to is State, an app that guides you through tailored, intuitive breathing exercises designed to create specific physiological states. State is underpinned by the work of the team at Sh//ft and the Health and Human Performance Foundation who combine ancient wisdom with modern science to understand how we can use breathing to influence our state of mind, physical and emotional health and maximise our potential. When I’m feeling low on energy I’ll boot up the app and run through the exercises designed to boost alertness a couple of times and it works a treat!

connection

Connection is one of the most basic human needs, in fact a lack of human connection can be more harmful to your health than obesity, smoking and high blood pressure (House et al, 1988). Soclal isolation isn’t just bad for our physical health, it can also be extremely damaging to our mental health.

Connection is one of the ways that we cope with stress. You know the phrase ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’? The act of speaking to someone about what’s bothering us is a great example of the power of connection, like wise the act of touch can have a very real impact on how we feel, just think about how you feel after a hug! We are social creatures who operate best in groups, we crave and rely on interaction with other people to give us that boost we need to feel well and energised!

While connection might not look the same as it has done in the past, with a little creativity we can still make the most of the wellbeing benefits that come with connecting with other people, check out this post for lots of ideas!

rest

There’s an equation that is central to all the work I do (and how I live my life) - stress plus rest, divided by awareness, equals energy. Stress is an unavoidable part of life that we need to thrive. However, we don’t have unlimited capacity for stress and if you’re not getting enough rest then you might find that your tolerance for challenging situations can go down. Unfortunately humans aren’t always very good at resting.

Rest doesn’t have to mean sleep (although that’s my favourite sort of rest), it’s simply time where you unwind from the demands of life. Claudia Hammond, author of The Art of Rest, describes rest as something temporary, restful and restorative and might include going for a gentle stroll between work commitments, meditating, reading a book or moving in a way that feels good. Even making a cup of tea could help improve our mental performance and cognitive function.

time in nature

Spending time outside in nature could be one of the best ways to beat that sluggish feeling according to researchers at the University of Rochester. A series of studies published in 2010 found that being outside in nature makes people feel more alive and that that sense of vitality exists beyond the energising effects of both physical activity and social interaction. As humans we have a natural connection with living things, so it makes sense that we’d flourish in nature and just 20 minutes a day in natural surroundings could make all the difference when it comes to our energy.