Something that I wanted to work on was getting to sleep earlier.
I noticed I was building a bad habit of staying up very late which had numerous consequences. I can honestly say that I’m a night owl and an early bird. I genuinely enjoy the quiet of both times in the day but if I had to choose one for my health and lifestyle it would be to be an early bird. Sleep affects your mental focus, metabolism, and time management. When you are tired you will not want to do anything and even if you do want to do something it will feel so much harder. Your thoughts will not allow you to conquer simple things when you experiencing this exhaustion. I find it so difficult to be positive when I’m tired. When I’m becoming increasingly negative it’s a warning sign that I may not be getting enough rest. Simple things become huge tasks. I also waste so much time when I’m tired. When you are tired and staying up late you are more prone to overeat. You might surprise yourself with how well you function when you’ve had enough sleep and how easily you can come to solutions.
Give yourself permission and time to rest and reset. Make rest a normal part of your life and routine. Don’t wait for yourself to burn out before you start to prioritize rest. This is a journey- learning how to mentally and physically know your limits. Once you feel you have gotten a good grasp on this aspect of your life try adding in those small habit changes. Once you have a few of those under your belt it will lead to feeling positive about other areas of your life and give you the motivation boost you need to add on more good habits.
Find areas in your life where there is room to add on simple habits that will improve your life. I’ve found that exercising helps to boost my mood and build focus. I didn’t like feeling burnt out and spent after work because it led me to feel unmotivated to do anything when I got home. So I decided for a week that I would exercise every morning and every evening after work. I thought at first this would be a difficult challenge since I often feel pressed for time but somehow it worked and it helped me to get to sleep earlier.
Thinking about how I’d feel after my workout motivated me to put on the workout clothes, working out helped me feel better, and then after the workout, I found that I used my time better. Actually, knowing that I had a workout to do helped me plan better ahead of time. Working out makes me a bit more conscious of what I’m eating which in turn also helps me to preplan meals. Do you see how one change can lead to many more?
When I am feeling low energy I either rest or try to finish things that don’t require a lot of mental planning. These are the times when I read or listen to inspiring audiobooks, tidy up, clean, or cook. I reason if I can get those things finished it will free up my time for those moments when I have other important things I’d like to do with my time and the mental energy to accomplish them.
Each win you have will lead to more. Set small goals for yourself that you can win.
What are some of the things you do to keep yourself motivated? What are some wins you’ve experienced lately?
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