At work you've got piles of papers closing in on you that you don't have time to file. At home, there's a week's worth of mail to sort through, take-out-menus all over your center island, and reams of "art" that your children have brought home from school that you just can't bring yourself to throw out piling up. Guess what? All that stuff is waging a two-pronged assault on your energy stores: First, there's the feng shui kind of drain that a chaos-filled space engenders and then there is the time that you waste looking for things.
Getting rid of clutter will make you more organized, more productive and happier at work and home. If you fear you may have a smidge of the hoarding gene, have some friends come over to help you clear out your space. Be ruthless. If you're not going to read it, if the kids aren't going to miss it (they won't), if you haven't worn it in the last year � Throw. It. Out.
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The Zapper: Technology
It wasn't so long ago that mobile phones were tools of convenience, great for emergency situations. Nowadays, forgetting your Blackberry at home is reason enough to turn the car around -- even if you're already halfway to work. The truth is, many of us are addicted to our devices, be they laptops, iPads, or smartphones. And that addiction takes its toll on our energy.
Because we are always "connected" we never truly disconnect from the stresses of work. And stress triggers a fight-or-flight reaction in the body that has a direct impact on energy. Another problem with technology is the wealth of information it puts at our fingertips. We feel compelled to stay informed, which results in mentally draining multi-tasking. It literally becomes difficult to shut down -- both the computer (say, to pick up a book or have an actual face-to-face conversation) and our brains (exposure to screen time has been shown to interfere with sleep).
Try instituting a no-electronics zone. Maybe everything gets turned off when you get home. Maybe you stay gadget-free an hour before bed. Or you could try leaving the phone at home for a few hours while you run errands and see if you end up being more productive.
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The Zapper: Toxic People
We all have them in our lives. The Debbie Downers. The Wendy Whiners. The Polly Perfects. Those people you dread talking to, whose calls you screen. They complain incessantly about their problems, gossip ruthlessly, or thrive on making you feel bad about yourself. Call them frenemies. Or toxic. But perhaps "social vampires" is the best name for them, because people who bring you down are basically sucking the energy right out of you. You can feel the mental drain. And the energy zapping is only compounded by how you internalize the interactions -- be it muscle tension, teeth grinding or churning stomach acid.
The easiest solution, of course, is to cut them loose. If your problem is someone you can't shake -- like a boss or a relative -- try limiting contact, warehousing tactful conversation-changing phrases, or gently confronting the situation head on. And be sure to spend time with your real friends and loved ones, laughter will boost your energy.
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The Zapper: Too many choices
If you've ever tried to choose one moisturizer from the dizzying selection at your local drugstore, you've run into one of life's surprising energy zappers: there are quite simply too many options available. And it's not just lotion, it's coffee drinks, designer denim, cellphone apps, you name it. All day long we are making decisions -- big and small -- and at every turn we are forced to weigh many different possibilities. It's exhausting.
The "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology" conducted a series of experiments, which demonstrated that people faced with having to make numerous choices find it difficult to stay focused. One of the experiments, conducted in a mall, found that people who made a series of shopping decisions reported being more tired than those who merely browsed. The act of choosing, the study's author noted, can cause mental fatigue.
Short of finding a rock to crawl under or a time machine headed for the days of yore, the best thing you can do to reduce the energy drain from making choices is not to weigh every decision so heavily. Small choices --what's good for lunch? or which movie to see? -- can be made quickly. For bigger decisions, try to narrow your options ahead of time. Establish a budget. Eliminate the impractical choices right away. Do your research before you go shopping so that you have a better idea of what you are looking for before you are bombarded with what's available. And take along a friend for support. A real friend. Not a social vampire.
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The Zapper: Your Posture
Your mother called. She wants you to sit up straight. That slouching you're doing -- over the computer, over your lunch, over your paperwork -- it's compressing your chest and reducing the amount of air coming in and, therefore, oxygen that is getting to your brain. That's robbing you of energy. To get even more oxygen, try focusing on breathing deeply two or three times a day: Take a long, slow, deep breath, hold it and then release the air slowly (repeat 10 times).
Sitting up straight will also reduce strain on the muscles in your upper back and neck, which might otherwise wear you down. Your mother just called back. She says to tell you that she told you so. (See? Should've left your phone at home.)
There's an energy shortage in today's society that has nothing to do with fossil fuels. It's a health issue. We're talking about the kind of energy you need to get through the day. And, with the proliferation of energy bars, energy drinks and energy supplements, it's clear that a lot of us are wishing we had more of it.
The problem is energy zappers -- the drains on our bodies and minds that make us feel like we're running out of steam and like our health is in jeopardy. And, as if feeling like you're moving at half-speed isn't bad enough, that energy void is often telegraphed by your appearance: dull skin, under-eye circles, lifeless hair -- you get the picture. It's like wearing a giant sandwich board that says "Will Work for Pep."
Some of the biggest energy zappers in our day-to-day lives are obvious: job pressures, financial stress, relationship conflicts, poor eating habits, lack of sleep, and lack of exercise. Just listing them is exhausting.
But there are some surprising drains out there that may also be taking their toll on you and your health. To help figure out what they are (and what can be done to avoid them), we spoke with celebrity nutritionist Paula Simpson, which is a good thing because, as they say, knowledge is power and once you know what forces are working to wear you down, maybe you can do something to reclaim that lost energy.
And, P.S., if all else fails, we have a backup plan for you -- a few tips to at least help you look refreshed, revitalized and healthy -- even when you feel everything but.
