Three Ways to Beat the Blahs

Where are you on the “blah� scale? If number one is bedridden and number 10 is on top of the world, do you operate at a constant five? Characterized as not bad, but not good either, five is the number that many of us spend years of our lives living.

The problem with five (or three, or four, or six) is that you can stay there for a long, long time and not even realize that it’s a bad thing. At five, you go through the motions of each day, wondering why life isn’t very joyful and why you’re so tired. Wondering why you feel so blah.

The good news about blah is this: by making a few simple changes in your life, you can quickly and easily climb the scale to six, seven, eight, or more. A simple, mind-body-spirit approach is the key to being happier in your life and to unlocking the energy within.

Here are three tips for beating the blahs:

1. Change your internal dialog. Every time your internal dialog gets negative, stop the thought immediately and reframe it into a positive. For example, let’s say you look in the mirror and your thoughts tell you, “I’m fat (or ugly, or have bad hair, or a bad complexion).� Check yourself immediately and change that dialog to, “I love my body (or I’m beautiful or I’m perfect just the way I am).�

2. Move your body. If you’re feeling blah, the temptation is to sit and wallow in that feeling. Instead, get up and move. If you have a desk job, take frequent breaks to move around. Take a five-minute walk or do some toe-touches and stretches in a private conference room or the ladies room if you have to. If you’re at home, go outside and putter in the yard, walk to the mailbox or wash the car. Whatever you do physically, moving your body is an antidote to feeling blah.

3. Eat consciously. It’s common to choose the wrong foods when you’re feeling blah. In an attempt to gain more energy (falsely of course), people tend to reach for high sugar snacks or caffeine for a pick-me-up. Instead, use high-energy foods to give your body a life. Choose raw, organic fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and lots of pure water.

Life is too short to live it blah-fully. You deserve to beat the blahs. Begin today to live your life joyfully.

Sleep Deprivation Plagues 75% of Us

It’s National Sleep Awareness Week and the National Sleep Foundation’s recent poll (released today) states that most of us are not getting the rest we need to be healthy, productive individuals.

That’s no surprise to me, since I regularly stumble from bed after a less-than-restful night to carefully apply under-eye cover-up to disguise my fatigue.

The poll results are all over the media today. CBS News reports that lack of sleep correlates to lack of sex. CNN tells us that this significant health problem makes us a hazard on the road, among other issues. (They also touch on the sex statistic.)

Over time, lack of quality sleep can take its toll on your health and wellbeing. It slows your metabolism, makes it more difficult for your body to recover from injury and suppresses your immune system, making you susceptible to a myriad of illnesses.

Lack-of-sleep isn’t new news, but it is newsworthy. (Back in November I saw an article on CBS News titled, “Can You Sleep Off Fat?� I bookmarked the article because it resonated with me.) Until people are committed to slowing down and taking steps to make quality sleep a priority, we will continue to see the frightening statistics associated with sleeplessness.

Excuse me, but I must go nap now.