12 habits that make you weak

Imagine that your entire supply of energy is contained in a bowl, at the bottom of which an impressive crack or hole has formed, says psychiatrist Tyson Lippe. How to make it so that it always has the same water level? Constantly top it up or close the gap?

This is what the psychiatrist calls to do: “When we are looking for how to increase our energy level, we, in fact, continue to pour water into a leaky cup. This is also a completely working method, but you should not neglect the repair of the container either.

What causes energy to flow?

1. Watch emotionally charged TV shows

By imagining themselves in the place of the participants in the show and trying to understand how they feel, the most empathic and sensitive can reach emotional exhaustion.

“Such shows and series make it possible to experience even those feelings and emotions that we have never experienced before,” explains psychiatrist Leela Magavi. – Because of this, some are overexcited, and the psyche has to spend a resource to calm down. Interestingly, not only negative, but also joyful experiences can exhaust us.”

How to fix it? Choose the content you consume carefully. Note how the shows and movies you watch affect your condition, and avoid certain genres whenever possible. It is also useful to spend at least some of your free time without TV and gadgets.

2. Too long breaks between meals

The body receives energy from the food we consume, and the “supply” of this energy must be regular. “The brain is in dire need of glucose contained in carbohydrates, and it should not be deprived of it. Our body “stores” a certain amount of carbohydrates in the liver, but these reserves are not unlimited – they are enough on average for three to six hours, ”comments nutritionist Carolyn Lacey.

At the same time, in the intervals between the main meals, you should not lean on fast carbohydrates – this increases the level of insulin, and when it reaches a peak, the blood sugar level drops and we feel exhausted.

How to fix it? Try not to make the intervals between meals during the day longer than five hours. “However, everything is quite individual and depends on many factors,” Lacey adds. “Some people need to eat more often—like every three to four hours.” It’s also important to keep healthy snacks on hand at all times, such as nuts, crackers, or protein bars.

3. Working at an uncleaned table

The clutter around us causes more distractions and reduces attention, as a result, we spend more time on each task, which means that we are forced to concentrate longer.

How to fix it? End each day by tidying up your desktop, for example, to your favorite music, to combine business with pleasure. If in the evenings there is no strength left for this, you can start the working day with such cleaning.

4. Overplanning

With planning, we can make sure we get it right, Lippe says, but over-planning leaves us no room for maneuver and spontaneity, and we begin to live in the future rather than the present. In addition, a calendar “stuffed” with meetings and deeds causes anxiety, which in turn affects memory, productivity and motivation.

How to fix it? Plan the most important things and tasks (deadlines, meetings) and leave time for everything else – including hobbies and recreation.

5. An abundance of open tabs on the computer

This “plants” not only the laptop battery, but also our energy level. “When we endlessly switch between tabs, we have the illusion that we have time for a lot of everything,” explains neurologist Rana Mafi. “But in reality, we don’t accomplish much, and along the way, we also waste energy.”

How to fix it? Try to immediately close the pages that you do not need to work right now and will not be needed in the near future. And if you are afraid of losing them, save them in your bookmarks.

6. Immediate responses to calls

“Phone calls tire even the most sociable of us, because we have to spend energy, firstly, switching from the current task, and secondly, to capture the essence of what the interlocutor is saying, although we cannot even see his facial expressions and count body language,” comments Mafi. “At the end of the call, it is estimated that we need about 20 more minutes to focus on the task again.”

How to fix it? Every time before picking up the phone, ask yourself: is this call really that important? Can I afford to take a break right now? You can also ask colleagues and loved ones to send you messages in advance before calling.

7. Abandoned tasks halfway through

Chances are, no matter how hard you try to avoid it, you get interrupted every now and then and leave things unfinished. For the psyche, this is not very good: an unfinished task continues to take our attention, and the brain is forced to focus on several things at once. And the more often this happens, the more difficult it is for us to concentrate and the higher the energy consumption.

How to fix it? If possible, turn off notifications on your smartphone, especially notifications coming from social networks; agree with relatives and colleagues on one specific messenger where they can write or call you if the matter is really urgent.

It is also helpful to allocate a specific time for the implementation of a particular task and try not to be distracted during this period. If you do have to take a break, it’s helpful to write down key points about the current task so that it’s easier to return to it later.

8. Poor posture

“When we slouch, the muscles, ligaments and joints are put under additional stress,” says therapist Noin Safdar. “In order to compensate for the incorrect position of the spine, the body is forced to expend additional energy.”

How to fix it? If keeping your back straight is hard for you, make sure to get an ergonomic desk and office chair. Do exercises to strengthen your back muscles daily and/or see a physical therapist regularly.

9. Shallow breathing

Of course, in the vast majority of cases, we are not aware of how we breathe, but because we do it superficially, the body receives less oxygen and cannot fully function.

How to fix it? Try to observe your breathing, especially during periods of stress or tense situations, and take deep, measured breaths in and out. Master diaphragmatic breathing and do the appropriate exercises at least several times a day.

10. Tasks that snowball

Call a colleague, change a light bulb, make an appointment with a doctor. Such tasks, even the most insignificant ones, form a significant mental burden, and when there are too many of them, we feel that we can no longer do this and there is no more strength. It seems to us that we owe everything and that there is no end to this.

How to fix it? If the task takes less than five minutes, ideally do it right away; if it takes more, add it to the list: this already helps to unload the brain a little.

Try to set aside half an hour to an hour every week to deal with the accumulated small tasks so that the to-do list does not remain endless. Among other things, this way you can feel satisfaction from what you have done.

11. Light burning all night

This is a signal to the brain that it’s still daytime, which means our sleep-wake cycles are disrupted, says Lippe, and this can lead to insomnia or other sleep problems, making us almost guaranteed to feel tired and overwhelmed.

How to fix it? After sunset, try not to turn on the overhead light in the apartment, especially bright; get by with floor lamps and nightlights. Give preference to light bulbs that give warm light. Set all gadgets so that in the evening they automatically turn on the night mode of the screens.

12. Recklessly following other people’s recommendations

Yes, there are people around us who have a lot to learn from, but if we do not adapt their recommendations for ourselves, our goals, characteristics and needs, following them will lead to nothing but frustration, disappointment and exhaustion.

How to fix it? Critically evaluate each advice given to you, try to understand whether it suits you, taking into account your lifestyle and standard of living, as well as the state of health – both physical and mental. What works for one may destroy another.