2 (easy) ideas for when you're emotionally and mentally exhausted
Among the many things that I help my clients with, one category is what I’d call “feeling better” (we could call that “feeling less anxious” “feeling less tired” or even, “going from good to thriving,” depending on the client).
If you’ve been getting this newsletter for a while, you know that I have lots of ideas on how to do just that — from a two-day prescription, to ideas for intrepid intentional tech adventurers.
Today, I thought it might be nice to share 2 no-brainer ideas. For me, “no brainers” are not hard, don’t require a much (if any) emotional energy, and are at least slightly fun.
If you’re already doing both of these, awesome! If you’re not, they’re pretty no-brainer ones to add to your life.
Here they are:
1. Read a physical book or magazine for 30 minutes.
Design magazines or romance novels (my favorites) count. So do celebrity gossip magazines or Revolutionary War histories (just finished this, 100 pages into this). Anything counts as long as it is a physical reading material.
Just get off of your phone or laptop or TV and read something. Do it for 30 minutes. If you haven’t been reading much that’s not an internet article lately, it may be a bit hard to focus. That’s okay. Just practice, and it’ll get much easier.
I find it astonishing how much my breathing slows down, how much my nervous system calms down, when I read a physical book.
For extra credit, go for a full hour.
2. Take a walk.
Walk to your corner and back. Walk around the block. Or, sure, walk for 45 minutes or an hour. But if you’re anxious or overwhelmed, if you’re not walking…you need to start walking.
I know, I know: I’m so overwhelmed. Walking won’t help. Walking won’t fix it.
I dare you: Go take a walk. Email me if you don’t feel better afterward.
…
On one hand: maybe these feel “obvious” to you.
On the other hand: are you feeling low-level anxious, tired, or overwhelmed today? Have you done both of these things?
You’ve got this.
Katie
Sign up for my newsletter to get helpful + encouraging essays like this every Sunday morning. It’s free!