When Your Brain’s “Get-Up-And-Go” Has Got Up And Gone…

Sometimes, there are days when the body feels heavy, the brain feels sluggish, and even the smallest tasks feel Herculean.

When these days stack up, this is usually a sign of depression, and needs attention. Unfortunately, when one is in such a state, taking action about it is almost impossible.

Almost, but not quite, as we wrote about previously:

The Mental Health First-Aid You’ll Hopefully Never Need ← this is about as close to true mental health bootstrapping as actually works

Today though, we’re going to assume it’s just an off-day or such. So, what to do about it?

Try turning it off and on again

Sometimes, a reboot is all that’s needed, and if napping is an option, it’s worth considering. However, if you don’t do it right, you can end up groggy and worse off than before, so do check out:

How To Be An Expert Nap-Artist (No More “Sleep Hangovers”!)

If your exhaustion is nevertheless accompanied by stresses that are keeping you from resting, then there’s another “turn it off and on again” process for that:

The Off-Button For Your Brain

Fuel in the tank

Our brain is an energy-intensive organ, and cannot run on empty for long. Thus, lacking energy can sometimes simply be a matter of needing to supply some energy. Simple, no? Except, a lot of energy-giving foods can cause a paradoxical slump in energy, so here’s how to avoid that:

Eating For Energy (In Ways That Actually Work)

There are occasions when exhausted, when preparing food seems like too much work. If you’re not in a position to have someone else do it for you, how can you get “most for least” in terms of nutrition for effort?

Many of the above-linked items can help (a bowl of nuts and/or dried fruit is probably not going to break the energy-bank, for instance), but beyond that, there are other considerations too:

How To Eat To Beat Chronic Fatigue (While Chronically Fatigued) ← as the title tells, this is about chronic fatigue, but the advice therein definitely goes for acute fatigue also.

The lights aren’t on

Sometimes it may be that your body is actually fine, but your brain is working in a clunky fashion at best. Assuming there is no more drastic underlying cause for this, a lack of motivation is often as simple as a lack of appropriate dopamine response. When that’s the case…

Lacking Motivation? Science Has The Answer

If, instead, the issue is more serotonin-based than dopamine based, then green places with blue skies are ideal. Depending on geography and season, those things may be in short supply, but the brain is easily tricked with artificial plants and artificial sunlight. Is it as good as a walk in the park on a pleasant summer morning? Probably not, but it’s many times better than nothing, so get those juices flowing:

Neurotransmitter Cheatsheet ← four for the price of one, here!

Schedule time for rest, or your body/brain will schedule it for you

There’s a saying in the field of engineering that “if you don’t schedule time for maintenance, your equipment will schedule it for you”, and the same is true of our body/brain. If you’re struggling to get good quantity, here’s how to at least get good quality:

How To Rest More Efficiently (Yes, Really)

And, importantly,

7 Kinds Of Rest When Sleep Is Not Enough

Take care!