Selectively useful energy advice
Among the most tired people from yesterday’s microsurvey of Watsonian fatigure were Elin who worked evening and night shifts back-to-back at a nursing home, and Lydia who had to deal with her boss crying over her difficult son breaking a toaster. Both of these, and some other responses, carry a lot more weight than my minor boast of having done quite a lot of TV over the past few days.
On the other hand quite a few people reported being tired even though they hadn’t done anything much; and I hear people say this kind of thing all the time. Being someone who makes a feature of cramming my life with the most activity I possibly can – even when it’s not very advisable – I used to get quite pissed off with people who claimed that life itself was just tiring, for no specific reason. As I get older I make (often unsuccessful) attempts to understand traits that piss me off, and I’ve realised that in this case, probably both sides of the argument are true. If you’re doing loads of things with every second of your time then you will indeed get tired, but if you’re struggling to find enough to do, the drain on your mental energy caused by boredness/nothing-quite-happeningness/getting-through-the-hours-as-best-I-can-ness is enough to leave you just as weary. Some of the days I’ve felt the most knackered in my life have been ones where I was stuck somewhere or my plans fell through or, basically, I didn’t get to do stuff. Some of the days I’ve felt most wired and alive have been when I’ve stayed up through a whole flight to Australia in order to write, say.
So – I don’t have scientific research to support this, and I feel slightly patronising offering it as advice, but – if you quite often find yourself weirdly low on energy or drive for life, and like you can’t quite face doing anything, try… just bloody doing more stuff. Take on a creative project or run or just read a book which is a bit of a stretch beyond what you’d normally think of as acceptable effort. Your brain will re-draw its boundaries of when it’s tired, and you’ll be capable of more, and you’ll just be more mentally fulfilled. This advice won’t work if you’re tired because of a stressful job which you can’t get out of. Or because of a baby. Or another dependent. Actually it won’t work for most people. But it MIGHT just land with a couple of people and that’s what I’m all about. I know that my blog about drinking ‘proper coffee’ converted just one person, for example. This again might do something for one person out of the 600 or so who’ll read it. Which is 0.0016 percent of my readership enlightened. I like, as they say, those odds.
Posted by Lydia on February 7, 2011
I agree, I think doing more is good for you. Especially something like reading, ’cause books can give you so much that you never even thought of before. I am in love with books. I don’t think I could live without them.
Oooh, and just because I can: SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY!
Haha. Sorry.
Posted by MusicalLottie on February 7, 2011
Hmm. While I agree with this, and much as I would like it to be that simple, it doesn’t work for me. I actually have plenty to do but most of it doesn’t get done due to constant tiredness. When I worked 25 hours a week, it wore me out and I got nothing else done. While I was at school, I crashed at the weekends and during the holidays because I just had no energy to do anything.
That said, I do feel a lot better about myself when I get up early in the morning and get things done – but then I pay for it the next few days!
Sorry, that’s not very optimistic, is it? I have a busy week so y’never know, this might be the time it works
Posted by Tracey on February 7, 2011
Perhaps I should really make the effort to do my exercises more regularly than I have been! Trouble is the weather up here just makes me want to curl up – as much as I’m able to with cups of tea and the television. I’ll procrastinate today……. Tracey x
Posted by Craig on February 7, 2011
Its worth mentioning the concept of sleeping TOO MUCH. I’m 24 and I now understand my body to require only 7 hours of sleep a night. This will decrease as I get older.
If I sleep much more than this (i’m talking 9+ hours) then I will start to feel LETHARGIC the next day, and actually it will pass much quicker, making me feel like I haven’t achieved anything.
I think back to my first years at uni when I slept for 12+ hours and wondered why I was always tired. I laugh now of course.
The days I felt most alive were when I awoke at 6:30, showered immediately, occupied my mind with coursework and 20 minute TV breaks, and went to bed around 11pm. Strange but true.
Posted by Rachael on February 7, 2011
Alright then, this week I will attempt to test this theory and get stuff done for once.
Posted by Carl on February 7, 2011
You’re a good bloke. x
Posted by A lot of Rachels on February 7, 2011
I believe this theory, when I’m busy I don’t feel tired until I sit down and “relax” and then it takes me several days to muster any energy.
I love being busy and having lots of things going on but I hate doing things on my own so I tend to mope about doing nothing. Need to work on doing things on my own.
Posted by Ally on February 6, 2011
I’m goind to try that advice of yours, I often find that I get tried or worn out for absolutely no reason whatsoever. I shall let you know if it pays off.
Posted by Misha on February 6, 2011
Having been diagnosed with depression for the third time in my life on tuesday, i’ll admit i’ve been using it as an excuse to mope about. BUT I am aware that several things aside from medication said to help with depression are things like you’ve mentioned. Exercise! Doing stuff! Etc. For example, I walked into and around town today, and went to a pub quiz. I went out last night too, and as a consequence tonight will be the first time in over 2 months i’ve been to bed before 3am.
So thank you Mark, for this proverbial kick up the arse. Tomorrow, i’m going to go out and bloody well do something.
Posted by Josh (the magnificent one) on February 6, 2011
ALSO, SLEEP MORE.
Posted by Rachel on February 6, 2011
I also agree with this idea…I pretty much do college/college work from 8:50am ’til 10:30pm every Thursday (with about 30 minutes break in between at 1:40) yet it’s probably the easiest day of the week ’cause I just get stuff done. My tutor also lectures us regularly on this theory…so I’m guessing it probably is a good theory.
Posted by Corey on February 6, 2011
It drives me mad when people say they’re bored! Theres far too many things in the world for us to even do a fraction of them, and people waste days complaining of having nothing to do, or pissing about on facebook or accusing you of having a show on SKY!…..
Posted by elin on February 6, 2011
Yay, I won the tiredness competition!
And I’m still a bit tired, but soon I can go to bed again, and hopefully I’ll wake up my normal self in the morning… because then I’m back to twelve hour days in the studio… which I’m not complaining about, I love my studio!
Still, if anyone could make the days longer, I’d appreciate it. I think 26 hours would be ideal.
Posted by Meg on February 6, 2011
I’m extremely tired. So should I go for a walk or go to sleep?
Posted by Alex on February 6, 2011
This is definitely true. I work much better when I’m busy and I generally feel shit when I do nothing (like today, when all I’ve wanted to do is sleep, even though I slept for ten hours last night. TEN! That’s more than I sometimes get in four days).
So yes. I have nothing really to add other than to say that, in my experience, this works.