Five Ideas for Renewing Your Energy

I’m concerned about you. No, really I am. The data is in, and it does not look good: CNBC reports that nearly 70% of Americans are showing signs of burnout, and the CDC recently concluded that two thirds of adults currently have symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Many of us are hitting—or have already hit—our limits. I know, because I personally hit a wall of physical exhaustion about 12 weeks ago: in the span of five days, I dozed off at the wheel—thankfully, avoiding an accident—and then sprained my ACL a few days later, landing me literally on the bench for nearly two months.

While hitting our limits is obvious in a pandemic world, many of us have also learned how sneaky those feelings of being “overwhelmed” can be in our new normal.

So, yes, as the quarantine drags on, election day draws nearer, the weather gets colder, and the days get shorter, I’m concerned about you.

If you’re feeling tired, stressed, or just in a “funk”—you are not alone. Some days are easier than others and a few “others” in a row can feel crushing. Here are five simple ideas for renewing your energy this fall:

If you’re feeling tired, stressed, or just in a “funk”—you are not alone.

1. Seriously, take some time off. I have a rule that nobody is allowed to tell me they’re burned out until they’ve taken a week of true vacation (that means no inbox monitoring). Many of us are working longer days than ever before, and almost all of us could really use a break. So, open up your calendar and book yourself a “staycation” in the weeks ahead. If you can’t swing a week, can you at least try for a long weekend?
2. Get more sleep. I know how important sleep is these days because, like many of you, I am not getting enough of it. But the days and weeks that I do sleep, I honestly feel amazing. If you’re struggling to sleep like me, then you are part of a new wave of “coronasomnia.” Psychologists attribute this sleep disruption to increased stress levels and decreased accessibility to our normal routines. So try building new sleep routines, like committing to turn-off-times for your computer, TV, and phone. Or try journaling before bed to get all the ideas that race through your head in the dark onto a piece of paper. The latter has been a game-changer for me: in fact, the first draft of this article was written on the scratch pad that now lives on my nightstand.
3. Turn off your phone. We need our devices to work and stay connected, but they also connect us to all the things that stress us out, like social media, news, and work email. One thing I personally started over the summer (the day of my almost-car-wreck, in fact) was taking a weekly tech Shabbat: turning my computer and phone off from Friday night to Saturday night. Don’t get me wrong, my weekly screen time average still horrifies me, but the once-weekly digital detox has become something I truly crave by Thursday afternoon.
4. Get “social” in different ways. Many of us have felt like we’re in a social “funk” and, according to new research, we’re getting more socially awkward as the pandemic continues. Try going “old school” and picking up the phone to call a friend. Not a Zoom, not a text, and not an email—a good, old-fashioned call. Bonus points if it’s somebody you’ve thought about but haven’t reached out to in a while. For my introverts: consider writing a letter to somebody, sharing a memory, saying thank you, or just letting them know you care about them. These gestures can help get you out of your own funk and also be a lifeline to the recipient.
5. Make like RBG and get a passion project. Some of you will protest that you’re too busy, while others will protest that you “tried the sourdough thing” back in May and are over it. It was RBG who famously implored us, “if you want to be a true professional, do something outside of yourself.” For her, that passion was opera, and if RBG could keep up with her husband’s law school work while he was ill, raise Jane, and also make the Harvard Law Review, you can find time to get a passion project, too. Passion projects invite us to get creative, spark joy, and recharge in a way that vegging out with Netflix just can’t. Here are some passion projects I’ve seen friends, family members, and clients take on recently: playing an instrument, running, playing tennis, training a new puppy, woodworking, writing, and cooking (that one is mine, something I “hated” for years and am now enjoying for the first time ever).

Taking care of ourselves isn’t a “nice to have” these days—it’s “need to have”, as urgent as any other priority in our life. So which of these ideas will you start with today?

Randi Braun is an executive coach, consultant, speaker and the founder of Something Major.