[fatigue] look at the root cause

Tiredness - it's a major issue in our town - yesterday I fell asleep in the car on the way home while being driven :) but it was a happy tiredness as the work part of it had been quite rewarding.

Below is an article on tiredness and the points need to be heeded, yet there is an 11th point as well - the air we breathe - and in this city it is fetid. Virtually everyone has some sort of throat or bronchial problem, virtually everyone is worn out, weary.

Four years ago credit started to loom its ugly head and for a Russian used to the Soviet handout mentality, this was welcome news - more handouts at no personal cost - or so they thought. Every store had an upfront credit sign-up near the front door.

One spin-off from this is that in two years the cars on the road had doubled and now, after four years, they have quadrupled. You have to see the pall of sooty haze hanging in the air to believe it - Los Angeles eat yer heart out.

Most of the city leadership resides on the outskirts of the city near the forest.

So whilst the points below are excellent, perhaps we should also be thinking of getting out of the city.

How to overcome tiredness once your spiritual life is in order:

1. Slow down:

Go, go, go ... being on the go all day long can feel envigorating until you stop! Then the tiredness can knock you out so you feel exhausted. Don't be on the go all day. Slow down. Take tea breaks. Take lunch breaks. Have a stretch break. Have a rest break. Alternate activity with rest and you might find your tiredness stops.

2. Stop trying to do everything:

Each one of us can only do so much in a day. Tiredness can occur when we do too much. We can become depleted when we drive ourselves to perform, achieve or please everyone. If you want to stop tiredness, then stop trying to do everything. Be selective. Know your priorities and do them. When you are doing your priorities your stamina will last longer, as your stamina gets recharged along the way.

3. Get a good night’s sleep:

Ah! The luxury of a wonderful cosy bed, in a nice dark and quiet room, feeling peaceful and sleeping well. Good quality sleep recharges our batteries, it rejuvenates us, it stops tiredness, fatigue and exhaustion. Do everything you can to sleep well, every day. Get regular, good quality sleep to stop fatigue and overcome exhaustion.

4. Reduce your stress:

Stress and tension can eat away at your energy at an alarming speed. When you worry, fret and get anxious about things you are chewing up your energy. To stop tiredness and fatigue therefore, take care of yourself and reduce your stress and tension. There are many ways to relax. A relaxed contented person usually has healthier energy levels and more stamina than a stressed and tense one.

5. Eat well for you:

The food you eat has a high impact on how you feel and how high your energy levels are. Eat the foods that don't leave you feeling tired after eating. Choose to eat the foods that leave you feeling alert and vital. Often high fat foods, for instance, can clog up your whole system, and once the initial "yummy" taste has passed you are left feeling tired and worn-out.

6. Choose your social activities carefully:

Are your social activities leaving your tired? Partying all night can leave people on a short-term high and long-term exhaustion. Constantly being stimulated and excited, and interacting endlessly with people, can run down energy and make people tired and exhausted. Driving around from one place to another, propping up the bar in the pub or being with negative people can make you tired and use up your stamina quickly. Pick a good balance of social activities that re-charge your energy and give yourself time to rest as well.

7. Say "no" to your children:

If you have children or teenagers there is always the danger that you will run yourself ragged if you give into their constant demands to be driven or taken "here, there and everywhere". Sometimes you might have more energy if you say "no" to some demands. I know one single Mum, of three children, who says "no" to running her children around on Sundays, for example, so she has one day of rest. Six out of seven days as a taxi driver seems more than fair. Her stamina gets recharged on Sundays!

8. Exercise:

No matter how much you hate it, exercise is a necessity. Even when people are tired and can't be bothered to go for a walk, if they do it they can come back afterwards feeling more energised. It may sound odd but sometimes we have to spend energy to get energy. Sometimes we have to test our stamina to strengthen our stamina. Finding a friend to walk with can help motivate some people to exercise, while having a dog to take for a walk can help others. Motivate yourself somehow to exercise.

9. Meditate:

When I get home from work tired, I meditate. Afterwards I have more energy. Meditation can recharge people's batteries and stop tiredness from taking over. Tai chi, yoga and similar activities can also help people reduce tiredness.

10. Expect and adapt to change:

People who want everything to be "just right" and to stay the same - can become exhausted and run-down. We live in a world of raging change. Expecting things or wanting things to stay the same may wear you out. If you accept change energy may flow more easily and your stamina stay strong.

To this I'd also add feng shui and doing one kindness a day .

As in the thought of the day last evening, we can make changes if we feel strongly enough about them. We can make quantum shifts to our lives and they'll be efficacious as long as they are not repeating the same old mistakes, e.g. going from one 9 to 5 job to another.

The only limitations are the power to conceptualize these required changes and the mettle to carry them out.