After the holidays have come and gone and the New Year’s resolve has worn thin, it’s easy to find yourself in a slump. You feel lethargic, unmotivated, and in a rut.
Here are seven tips to help you restore your energy and zest for life again:
1. Do Something
Sometimes, the best remedy for pulling out of a slump is just to get up and do something. Set the timer for 10 minutes and go organize a drawer, or fold a load of laundry, or clean the kitchen.
Just getting up and getting busy will usually help you shake off some of the feelings of sluggishness. And many times, when the timer goes off after 10 minutes, you’ve forgotten how unmotivated you were and have fresh inspiration to tackle other projects.
2. Serve Someone
I’ve found that going out of my way to bless someone else is one of the greatest antidotes to discouragement. Not only does it take my eyes off of myself and my own situation, but it gives me more purpose, fulfillment, and joy.
3. Get Your Heart Pumping
If regular cardio is not a part of your schedule, that may be why you’re feeling exhausted and despondent. Hearty exercise produces endorphins that will not only improve your health, but that will also improve your overall mood and outlook on life.
4. Make Sleep a Priority
Getting less than seven hours of sleep on a consistent basis can impair your memory, alertness, quality of life, and cognitive abilities. Making it a priority to go to bed early and get deep, uninterrupted sleep and you’ll find that you have much more creativity and energy.
5. Develop a Morning Routine
I’ve been amazed at how much smoother my days go when I create and follow a morning routine. Right now, my morning routine consists of getting up early, reading my Bible, exercising, taking a shower, getting dressed, starting a load of laundry, and then doing my morning blogging/computer work.
When I get up and get all of this done before my children wake up, it has a tremendous positive effect on the rest of our day. As an added benefit, on the days that I follow my morning routine, I get so much more done.
6. Clear Your Calendar
Sometimes, a lack of energy stems from overloading your plate and trying to do too much. It’s high time we stop feeling obligated to be everything to everyone. Determine your priorities, set limits, and freely say “no” if the opportunity or commitment is going to send your home or health into a tailspin.
7. Remember that “His Grace is Sufficient.”
As the hymn writer so aptly said, we weren’t promised “flowery beds of ease.” Life is full of struggles and difficulties. There will be days when the pressures and stresses of being a mom or wife or friend or daughter will overwhelm you. But it is in our darkest hour, that God’s grace and empowering can shine the brightest.
Constantly be looking to the Lord for help. Ask Him for strength and grace when you know you have nothing in and of yourself. He will never fail you or forsake you!
{Editor’s Note: This post first ran on MomLife Today in February of 2012.}
Great ideas Crystal, especially the Clear Your Calendar one! Many times depression is our bodies telling us we need to slow down. I know from experience!
Thanks for the list. Winter is my trouble time.
Exactly what I'm going through right now! The house is a mess, I spend way too much time on Facebook and I know I have overextended myself to too many activities. Thanks for the encouragement. It's nice to know I'm not alone in this.
Great post! it's easy to get lethargic and in a rut after the excitement and busyness of the holidays wind down. I especially like your tip of developing a morning routine. This is especially important when you are home schooling!
Ditto to what Emily said:)
Those are excellent points! Can I also mention, if you don't mind… think about what you've been eating. Sometimes if I've had too much sugar, or too much white flour I find myself in a major slump. I remember reading an article about a woman who realized that she was much more productive when her boss was out of town- she had a great relationship with her boss and couldn't figure it out until she realized that her boss always had a bowl of candy on her desk. When her boss was in town, she would spend time in her boss's office, which meant mindlessly snacking on candy. When her boss was away, she wasn't in her office and therefore didn't have access to the candy!
This is so true. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Stop eating so many simple carbs! (This will perk me up every time.)
I agree. This has helped me tremendously to carry through on the other tips.
I really needed to read #7 today, thanks for your ministry.
hahaha, I wouldn't rely on number seven, but #3 is probably my favorite way to get out of a slump. It's amazing how fast we forget how good we feel after a run.
#7 can really help you pull of #s 1-6. AND you can do it while you run!
One thing is to try to figure out what is triggering your slump, then go from there. Getting out in the sunshine some every day in the winter really helps me.
LOVE this post. It's exactly what I needed b/c I have been in a terrible slump! And the follow-up posts were very helpful as well. I absolutely believe that what you eat plays a huge role in how you feel. In fact, I know it does for me, anyway. I went on a kick last summer and started eating healthier…not just "dieting". I felt so much better. I had more energy. I slept better. And I felt so much better about myself. It was a New Year's resolution to start eating healthy again but I simply have not had the will power or motivation to do it. I also wanted to start a routine for myself. I have yet to do that as well. This post & helpful comments just reinforce what I already knew I needed to do. Thanks for sharing!
Just what I needed to hear today Crystal! Thanks so much! I was doing so well in early January and then my husband injured his leg badly 2 weeks ago and has surgery coming up. It has totally challenged our routine of course. It makes me also think that we need to add to that list, "be flexible". Being distressed that I've been out of my routine has added to my "slump". I need to let go a little and do what I can with the situation!
Great post – and so true. Especially getting moving, getting enough sleep and looking at what you are eating. All excellent tips! Another idea is to call a friend – someone who is positive!
Spiritual reading is always a helper to me, the slumps always happen when I slack off on it! Prayer also. The Lenten season is always best for starting new habits, a little extra prayer, penance and sacrifice go along way!
These are absolutely excellent! So relevant for this time of year, as well. I always tell everyone that the cure for depression is to do something for someone else. It also works for children…and frees them from being so self-focused! I wrote a bit about that here:
http://vimandvigor.typepad.com/vim-and-vigor/2012…
Thank you for your wonderful words, Crystal!
Joy~
Most be something going around. I just wrote an article on my blog about the same subject – lack of motivation. Glad to know it's not just me.
It always helps me when I accomplish something or get some exercise!!
Great post! We must definitely start on our knees, so to speak, before the Lord. Looking UP instead of in and down boosts us, as we praise God for all of His mercy, kindness, and blessings!
Writing a list of things to accomplish is a very healthy step towards emotional stablitiy, as long as we are reasonable and do not put too strict of a time limit for accomplishing our tasks. Also…are we doing this for God’s glory or for ourselves?
Again, to do with this list idea….Did you know that when we physically make a check mark beside, or cross off, a task or chore we have recorded on a "to-do" list, that is affects our whole being? It actually raises the level of serotonin in the body! The Bible tells us that a merry heart affects our physical well-being in a very positive way (Prov. 17:22) Even when we smile on purpose, or just position our mouth to produce the sound of a long "e," we can actually FEEL happier! Scientists think that this is because smiling causes changes in the blood which actually cool the brain; when the brain is cool, we feel more cheerful!
Of course, exercise, eating good protein,eating one square of DARK chocolate a day, drinking raw milk, taking fish oil, getting plenty of sunshine and fresh air, taking vitamin D, breathing deeply from the diaphragm, and so forth also help one feel more "up." At the beginning of a new year, somehow the check-list appeals to most of us. What an easy way to get out of a slump AND accomplish things around the home. Of course, once again, we must do this for God's glory, so that our countenance will be cheerful and so that we can be a blessing to those around us.
I learned, too, that there is a "cuddle hormone," called oxytocin! Don't you feel better when you cuddle your little toddler or baby? What about hugging the older ones, too? Then everyone can feel happier!
I have been the same way. Thank you for the excellent tips, and it's comforting to see that we're not alone in this winter blah feeling. It sounds like many here have the same problem. I like what you said about the morning routine. Since my children are grown and out of the house, I tend to sleep in and get my day started too late.
Great advice, thank you! I admire that you get all of that done in the morning before your kiddos wake up! Can I ask what time you get up and what time they wake up? I'm just curious to know how much time you allot for those morning tasks. I try to wake up and do a 5:45 a.m. gym class so I can be home by 6:45 a.m. to wake my kids up and get ready for school, and that feels like a huge accomplishment sometimes:)
Good words. One tip that I ave heard and tried with success is to do one thing you have been "waiting" to do …a small project, a fun trip to the park or a craft. It needs to be something you delight in doing but always put off for later. Sometimes the sadness of never "getting around" to what brings joy to our hearts makes us depressed so stop and take the time to do that one thing.
Right on, as always Crystal. You are my inspiration!!!
Thanks for the post! I am definitely in a place where I am feeling very overwhelmed right now. I am extremely busy, but at the same time I think I am just making the situation worse by not taking the time to take care of myself and letting my usual routines fall to the wayside. Thanks for the reminder to make sleep a priority, take the time to exercise to improve my mood (and in turn my ability to deal with stress), and to stay on top of organization to make things run smoother.
Thank you for the tips. I need to spend more time being into the word and pray, and less of Facebook and Fox News.