Past a certain age, the general feeling that many people often share is a feeling of tiredness. The source of that tiredness can vary, but anyone past the age of 25 can attest that their energy stores essentially dwindle. While the effects of ageing are inevitable, there are ways to slow it down. And often, the source of fatigue is something as simple- such as not resting or allowing yourself to recover.
Recovery is an underrated part of training, exercise, or even work. But it’s also a difficult thing to understand because it’s not something many people talk about. It is also critical for the mental side of your body. In this article, we will discuss what this means, how to assess it, and how to best manage it so that you can be most effective on the field and in life in general. Especially after a tough patch in life, be it in work or personal life.
Get the Right Amount of Recuperative Sleep
The average person sleeps an average of six hours per night, which leaves plenty of room for improvement. And while several factors influence how well we sleep, these tips can help you get the most out of your sleep. They can ensure you don’t get too little or too much of the important deep sleep needed to function at your best every morning.
Things like your room, routine before bedtime, and sleep schedule are worth revisiting to ensure you are doing your best to encourage good sleep.
Rest Your Mind
You can’t always be in a state of mental up-time; not every day is an easy one for you, and even when things are going well, you can still find yourself having some kind of “down” time when your mind isn’t 100% focused on the task at hand (like trying to meet an online deadline).
When our mind is tired, it’s absolutely hard to get anything done, so don’t deny yourself mental rest. Take a break from work and have fun instead. Do some dopamine-boosting activities, such as exercise or your favourite hobby, like watching movies or playing video games. Even if these activities might sound “unproductive,” the fact that they’re contributing to your mental well-being means you have to do them.
Start Moving
Our bodies can get quite sore from sitting for more than eight hours a day- and that’s everyone, being that most lines of work make us live a sedentary lifestyle. So when you think about it, physical activity is something we should all be doing to ensure our well-being and health because the benefits of exercise are endless.
The best way to start this new routine is by just trying one simple thing: getting up from your seat every hour or so and taking a short walk around the room for at least ten minutes to improve your circulation, decrease stress levels, relieve back pains and many other health benefits; on top of that, you will burn some calories, too.
Get a Massage
We’ve already talked about how important it is to start living actively. But too much activity can also cause our bodies to get tired and sore- and that’s when you should get a massage. Massage has been shown to improve blood circulation, relieve tension and stress, reduce muscle spasms, increase lymph flow, increase joint mobility, decrease pain and promote relaxation in the body and mind.
Particularly, if you just came from an injury, a doctor-prescribed massage can be helpful. A post-pregnancy massage can also do wonders for every mother’s recovery, so don’t overlook the value of a good massage.
Take a Day off
Of course, the simple advice of “take a day off” still applies. But many people don’t know what to do on their day off. This shortlist will help you with some ideas for your next vacation. Maybe even more importantly, it can keep you from feeling guilty when you are finally getting your well-earned break after a long time.
- Relaxing with no thoughts or worries for an hour or two
- Taking a hot bath
- Reading a book
- Visiting your friends, family, and pets
- Going out for lunch
- Socializing at the pub
- Dancing
- Shopping
- Playing music
- Walking around town
- Cooking
- Meditating
- Listening to your favourite music
At the end of the day, regardless of how busy one’s life is or what life events happen, having enough rest is still important. One needs to give their body mental and physical rest to face tomorrow and the coming days with energy and motivation.