With 40 hour work weeks and no time to sit down, I often feel so wired by the time I get home that I am exhausted by 5:00pm and I just turned 30! I’m not in the greatest of shape but I can get up the stairs without huffing and puffing.  Thankfully, the answer came from a reflection way back from Kindergarten.  It doesn’t surprise me that the book, “All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten,” by Robert Fulghum has been a bestseller for a number of years.

My favorite part of the day was after lunch. Mrs. Rosario (may her soul rest in peace) turned off all the lights and we would sprawl all over the classroom for our daily nap for almost 30 minutes.  Some would crawl under the desks, some hiding in their jackets and some even brought their own pillows and blankies from home!  Then, Mrs. Rosario would quietly walk around on her tiptoes and choose someone to be the “Wake-Up Fairy.”

This person would be given a magic wand they would use to “gently” tap people awake (not all kids were all that gentle).  :)  All the kids made their signature waking up, yawning, stretching noises as they were woken up (a lot of us got in trouble for this!)  Aha!  This is my answer to the afternoon “I need Coffee” – take a siesta!

Now, ideally, to avoid the afternoon lull and coffee break – you want to literally lie down and take a nap for just 30 minutes or even an hour.  That’s it, that’s the answer to why our energy is zapped by the time we come home.  We need to take naps to re-energize.  Our bodies are not meant to keep on going for all of these hours.  I know – many of us work in cubicles or offices and a bed is not readily available.  Here is a list of different ways to revive yourself in a busy day.

1. First do take a nap if you can! It will definitely be hard at first, your mind and body will want to jump around and you won’t want to sit still, let alone lie still. Your mind will be chaotic, thinking of what to do right after the nap. But, if you want to be able to have more energy without giving in to caffeine, taking naps will help you in the long run. I used to drink coffee after lunch to get through the rest of the day with my students.  But, I realized I wasn’t drinking it because I really wanted to but because I was getting really tired and needed a pick-me-up.  Instead of listening to what our body is saying, “Stop” we stimulate it even more.
2. Step away from whatever your work is and do something completely unrelated. If you work on a computer all day, take a break by sitting in a different room if possible.  Pick up something light-hearted like reading comics or a cookbook.  If you teach kids all day, take a break from them and don’t let them bother you at lunch time if you are eating your lunch.  Pick up a conversation, eat some fruit, run up and down the stairs.
3. Write in a journal.  Record your thoughts, quotes, inspirations of the day.  Vent or write a kindness card to someone in your building.
4. Go for a walk.  One of my favorite things to do is walk in the rain without an umbrella, just a hoodie to refresh myself.  I love the way things smell when it rains.  Or go for a run, yes, yes on your break!  Get up and get out. Choose a co-worker to go with you if you want and get to know them better.  Start a walking or running club if you are really a go-getter and get everyone energized.
5. Make a healthy shake - strawberries, milk (or vanilla yogurt) with blueberries is a personal favorite. Bring a blender to work and let your co-workers use it too. Get other people to bring in different kinds of fruit and make shakes in “reusable” glasses.  Bring funky straws and have fun with it.  
6. Eat a new fruit a day and look at each bite as you eat it, slowly savoring every single juice that comes out – outside on a bench by yourself, watching the people walk by.
7. Work-out at the gym for a solid 30 minutes.
8. Dance wildly behind closed doors for 5 minutes and let out your energy.
9. Meditate.  Or if you are religious read from your Holy Book, a chapter or a verse or two and ponder it’s meaning. Read a poem a day. Do yoga exercises, get up and stretch, do push-ups in your office or jumping jacks.
10. Perform a (not so) Random Act of Kindness and do it secretly.  You can try to do this everyday and it can surely energize you without needing a coffee at all.  The adrenaline from being kind secretly can take you far.

Sneaky Pretenders that Don’t Really Work

1. Music.  I know this might be a little controversial as many many people use music to wind down (including myself). The key thing to do is to choose music that doesn’t mess with your emotions.  Choosing music that makes you sad, melancholy, lovesick, depressed or anything doesn’t help.  If you want to listen to music – choose something that doesn’t make you too high and not bring you too low.  Ask yourself: Are you turning on the radio out of habit or are you really appreciating the sound of voice or instrument that is playing?
2. Checking Email – This can help people wind down sometimes but some of us have inboxes full of emails that need our attention and can be quite demanding.  Checking email can become destructive if you are becoming obsessive and are tied to the messages.  You might need to make time to connect with people outside of the computer too.
3. Junk Food – This makes you swing from extreme to the other.  This is related to the point above about “you are what you eat.”  If you eat chocolate or chips as a quick pick-me-up, chances are your body will crash by the time it is 5:00pm and you will feel exhausted.
4. The voice “I don’t need a nap or naps are uncool.”  Everyone is taking naps!
5. Coffee!
6. Mindless chatter in the staffroom can lead to gossip and more unrest and more trouble!
7. Cleaning on your break is not a break (but sometimes helps some people!)  Put your feet up and close your eyes.
8. Calling family or friends to cheer you up, if you do this, keep it brief. Don’t get into lengthy conversations about family stuff at work, it’s distracting and takes away from your rest.
9. Thinking!

If you are an ambition seeker – talk to your employer about taking rest in your busy day. If you work at home – the best thing to do is to forget these tips, pull down the shades and hit the pillow for a good solid 30 minutes. You will come out revived and able to work much more effectively and in balance.

An Invitation

Do you take time for naps?  I challenge you to try to take a nap today in your busy day and tell me in the comments below how you felt doing it.  Was it hard to find a quiet place?  Did it feel good when you took it?  How else do you rest in your busy day?
image credit: thievingjoker