We’re told that low energy levels are usually caused by diet, hormones, medications, lack of sleep, not enough exercise, and other reasons. But what if the reason you feel so tired is caused by something else? Something you haven’t thought of. In this coached walk podcast episode, we’ll chat about why you feel exhausted and the easy fix.
Coached Walk Podcast Episode 23
Slip on your walking shoes and let’s get some endorphins flowing as we chat about what is making you tired and what you can do about it. You can walk outdoors or indoors, or listen while doing housework or driving.
Surprising reasons why you’re tired all the time
I’ve been talking to people in real life and online, and everybody seems to have the same thing going on. They can’t focus and they can’t get motivated to do anything. They’re exhausted.
A lot of this has to do with the onslaught of negativity we’ve had for the past six or seven years. I’m not going to take any political side because this applies to all of us. It has worn us all down. Every. Single. Person.
Mentally and emotionally exhausted
When you’re on social media, you see posts from people who are your friends and your family. You like them, right? (Well, most of them, anyway.)
And then you see them start sharing posts that – to you – are completely insane or negative. They don’t make any sense. These posts are mean and not at all like the person you know in real life.
Even if you scroll away, in the back of your mind it still chips away at you. This is someone who has been important to you or someone who is a part of your life. And even if you ignore the posts, the feelings of anger and resentment lie deep down inside you, making you emotionally and mentally exhausted.
Too much negativity wears you out
Think about what you experience when you go on Facebook and when you go on Twitter. Think about the amount of negativity you see there. You may have originally signed up for Facebook to keep in touch with your friends and family… see photos of their kids, grandkids, furbabies, and travels.
That idea went to shit, didn’t it?
Maybe this is why people have flocked to Instagram. More photos and fewer negative diatribe posts. I don’t know.
Even if you don’t post anything political and you don’t “take sides,” the constant negative posts from your family and friends with things that are so “out there” forces you, in your head, to start taking sides.
You them feel like you have to find your “tribe” – others who think like you. And then you start to talk about “the other side” and why they’re wrong, bad, blab la bla. Now you’ve just been dragged into a negativity shit storm against your will and without even being aware of it. And now you’re fucking exhausted all the time.
Invisible stress
There are other places you’re exposed to constant negative energy, too. Movies, Television shows. Books. How much “invisible stress” is added to your life that you are not aware of?
I’m a big fan of serial killer books. How relaxing is that? Do you watch Game of Thrones? That’s going to add some negative stress to your life. The news? Forget about it.
Ways to avoid negativity
Make a list places you’re exposed to constant negativity. Write down the social media sites you regularly visit, the TV shows you watch, any news channels you stay glued to, talk or news radio stations, music you listen to, types of books you read.
Look at that overall picture. Is it too much of a “good” thing? Are you exposing yourself to a barrage of negativity? Are there ANY happy or good feelings generated from your “information diet?” If not, where in your life do those feelings come from? I bet they are outweighed by the negative feelings.
Here are ways to “clean up” the negativity around you:
- Facebook: Create a better feed. Unfollow people rather than unfriend them (if they are family and friends). Add your positive friends and family members to your “close friends” setting so you see their feeds first.
- Instagram: Follow more positive accounts and unfollow people who just don’t post anything of value to you anymore. Even if it’s not negative, if it’s not helping you… unfollow). I follow some cute animal accounts because sometimes I just want to see dogs and cats. It makes me smile.
- Twitter: I follow people on Twitter to learn things, but somehow, I also got sucked into following a lot of accounts with a political bent. If I still want to see some of those account but not a regular basis, I make lists of important, helpful or useful accounts and look and feeds from those accounts first.
- Family events: Don’t engage when someone starts talking crap. Everyone around will be grateful if you change the subject. Become the one that steps up and talks about something else.
Lead the change
Stop posting negative thoughts and memes and start posting things that are positive and uplifting. Be the one that people want to see in their feed. Make your posts funny. Relevant. Interesting. Set the example for others to follow.
Found this interesting? Want more solutions? Listen to the whole episode (link above).
Quotes about avoiding negativity from the show
Those thoughts live rent free in your head. You get tired. You get worn out.
From now on you do things that benefit you. You do things that make your life better. You do things that make it worth getting out of bed.
But I realized I’m not going to change them. All it’s going to do is cause more negative feelings for me and the other person’s off in their own happy world.
You can decide to raise your kids with positivity instead of negativity. They’re always listening. When you’re saying bad things about uncle Fred, they hear it, and you’re setting their relationship with uncle Fred up for failure.
Feel free to tell people that what they’re saying is hurting you. Don’t get into arguments with them. Say, this is not what I came here for. I like you. I don’t want to talk about this.
Photo: Escondido, California
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