You may (or may not) have noticed that I haven’t sent a newsletter out for the past two weeks. Despite having taken a recent vacation, I was still feeling a bit unmotivated lately.

As women, it’s really hard to give ourselves permission to take breaks and not do “what we’re supposed to”. Most of the time, when the words “supposed to” are in any given sentence, I feel compelled NOT to do that thing, or at least rephrase the sentence into something I want to do or will feel satisfaction once it’s done.

Despite our best efforts to stay motivated and productive, we sometimes simply run out of energy.

Here’s the good news … there are reasons for it and we can do something about it!

During the course of any given day we may feel less energy due to our natural circadian rhythms, how well or poorly we slept the night before, the types of foods we’ve eaten, our hydration levels and/or exercise we’ve engaged in. Dealing with extra stress or anxiety can also drain our energy.

We’re going to have ups and down with all of the factors listed above. If you’re feeling tired and are someone who can nap, go for it. A quick power nap, or a longer mid-day siesta is a nice reset when you’re underslept.

It’s impossible (for me anyway) to eat healthy all of the time and the extra sugar and carbs are going to spike our insulin levels which often results in the tired “crash” later. Getting out for a walk or simply moving even though you don’t feel like it often helps here.

Movement and exercise in general help to increase our energy levels. If you’re new to exercise, you may experience a short period of time when you’re more tired after working out, but if you stick with it, you will soon experience the wonderful benefits of more energy from your exercise.

Water is another essential component to helping our bodies function better and it’s always surprising to me how many people I know that don’t come close to drinking (the recommended) half of their body weight in ounces of water each day. If we exercise, we need more and if we’re out in the heat sweating, we need to replenish both our fluids and the electrolytes we lose.

If stress is your issue, that’s a job for mindful breathing and/or meditation. There are many guided meditation and breathing apps available if you’re not feeling confident about this on your own, and a lot of them are free.

If none of the above seem to be a factor in your low energy, it may make sense to check in with your doctor, as certain medical conditions could also be a factor.

If your issue feels like a simple Iack of motivation and your energy is fine, that’s when you need to take a break from whatever it is you’re avoiding.

I like doing this blog but sometimes I just want to play when I’m done with work. There are certain things I have to do around my house to make my life work and many of us have been socialized to think of the weekends as a time of rest. If I haven’t gotten to the blog by Thursday night, then I start to feel stressed about it and that make no sense to me.

Bottom line, it all boils down to balance and really giving yourself the permission to take a break when you need it, even when it feels hard to let yourself have one!

Action Steps:

Take stock of your overall energy levels on any given day.

• Do you feel pretty good during the day?

• Does your energy tend to dip during a certain part of each day or are you pretty stable?

• Are there any of the factors above that you consistently struggle with, and if so, could you make a small change to improve in one of them?

What would be the worst thing that happened if you took a break from something that feels overwhelming to you?

• If you really can’t take a break, is there a way to do something differently?