After a pro-long holiday, it is hard to muster up the energy to jump fully back into work and everyday life.  And it turns out some things you might be doing are zapping some of your energy.

Everyone is heading back to work and the stacks of projects which have been put off until after the holidays.  Lack of sleep, lots of fun activities and a variety of visits from family and friends have drained people.  The week between Christmas and New Year’s is known as “dead week“, leaving more things to do the week after.

But it seems we are doing things we work against us.  Here are 5 everyday activities draining your energy.

Emotionally taxing TV

TV is one of the things we do to relax and replenish our energies, but the content of what we’re watching has an influence on how we feel. If you’re binging a show and finding yourself emotionally drained, it’s best to keep an eye on these feelings and to moderate how much time you spend with the program, perhaps taking a little break and coming back when you’re ready or watching other types of things that can balance out the emotional scale.

A messy work and living space

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It’s very common to feel messy and disorganized when our live-work space is a mirror of your feelings. Organizing your work desk can be a time-consuming activity, yet it’s one you should pay attention to, since you likely spend a lot of time there and it can be easy to lose control of it. When it comes to your home, try to keep it in control, since the more disordered it is, the more difficult it becomes to get it back under control. A simple activity you can do is to try to make your bed every morning to help make you feel accomplished from the get-go and providing your bedroom with some order.

 Breathing patterns

Breathing is an unconscious activity, but there are wrong ways of doing it. When you take shallow breaths, you’re likely to feel more stressed due to your brain taking in less oxygen per breath. A helpful mechanism would be to take deep breaths when you’re feeling stressed out, anxious or exhausted. Whether you’re breathing shallowly or not, this activity will make you feel better and will allow you to think more clearly.

Too little or too much exercise

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Exercise is important for regulating our moods. Too little exercise facilitates a sedentary lifestyle and encourages us to move less, resulting in feeling unmotivated and exhausted. Too much exercise provides the opposite effect; it drains of us of our energy, especially if we’re not supplementing our bodies with the right calories.

Waiting too long between meals

Food is our biggest source of energy, so if you’re feeling depleted, it might be because of the way you’re feeding yourself. A balanced diet, one with a healthy amount of carbs, is important for having enough energy. If you’re waiting too long between meals and feeling tired in between, add in healthy snacks throughout your day can provide the necessary pick me up.