A Mindful Method for When You’re Tired

A Mindful Method(ˈmeTHəd) for When You’re Tired

By Leo Babauta

My family & I flew(flo͞o) back to California(-nēə,ˌkaləˈfôrnyə) after nine months of being in Guam(gwäm), and boy are our arms tired! OK, our entire bodies are tired, and our brains(brān) — we’re suffering from jet(jet) lag(lag) and feeling tired during the day.

This isn’t necessarily(ˌnesəˈse(ə)rəlē) a problem — jet lag is to be expected, after all — but tiredness can affect everything in your life. I find myself less able to do work, more overwhelmed when I’m behind on email and messages, less able to keep up with healthy(ˈhelTHē) habits, more likely to eat junk(jəNGk) food, and in worse(wərs) moods.

Being tired can have such huge effects on us. And many people are tired much of the time, from being overworked and underslept.

So what can we do? Well, there are the usual methods of trying to get better sleep, like better sleep hygiene(ˈhīˌjēn), setting a consistent bedtime and wake time, and so forth. These are highly recommended(ˌrekəˈmend).

But what do you do today, when you’re still tired? What can you do tomorrow if you’re tired then too?

Here’s how I try to practice in the middle of the tiredness, which is sometimes unavoidable(ˌənəˈvoidəbəl).

Recognize(ˈrekigˌnīz,ˈrekə(g)ˌnīz) that my battery(ˈbadərē) is low. First I notice that I’m feeling tired, that my capacity(kəˈpasədē) to do things is lower than normal, that I am not as sharp(sharp) or in as good a mood as I normally am (I’m normally a super dynamo(ˈdīnəˌmō), you know!). Bring awareness(əˈwernəs) to my state.

Lower my expectations(ˌekspekˈtāSHən). Next, I bring acceptance(əkˈseptəns) to the fact that I’m just not going to be super productive or on top of things as much as I’d like. I recognize and accept that I just want to curl(kərl) up in a ball, watch TV and eat junk food. With this acceptance of my lowered capacity, I try not to expect myself to get too much done.

Experience the tiredness. We try to eat junk food and procrastinate in order to not feel the tiredness. Instead, I try to actually feel it. That means to fully experience the tiredness, as if it’s just as delicious as any other experience. I try to bring curiosity(ˌkyo͝orēˈäsədē) to the experience — what is it like? How do my eyes feel behind my droopy(ˈdro͞opē) eyelids(ˈīˌlid)? What does my face feel like? What about my chest(CHest)? Throat(THrōt)? Gut(gət)? Legs? I try to feel it as an experience, not something I need to get rid(rid) of.

Give myself compassion(kəmˈpaSHən). This might be so obvious(ˈäbvēəs) or trite(trīt) that many readers will skip this step(step), but I recommend that you give this a genuine(ˈjenyo͞oən) shot. I pause(pôz) and give myself some love — I’m feeling tired and down, so I wish for my suffering to end. It’s the same feeling if someone you loved were feeling anxious(ˈaNG(k)SHəs) or hurt — how would you send them love? Do the same exact(igˈzakt) thing for yourself. This is a physical(ˈfizikəl) feeling of sending love to your tiredness, not an intellectual(ˌin(t)əˈlek(t)SH(o͞o)əl) concept(ˈkänˌsept). Practice it now!

Aim(ām) for small victories(ˈvikt(ə)rē). As I have a lowered capacity, I just try to get small victories when I can. Don’t have energy(ˈenərjē ) in the morning? Maybe I can just answer a couple of emails. Don’t have the capacity to write a blog post? Maybe I can just write two paragraphs(ˈparəˌgraf). So I’m not entirely(enˈtīrlē) abdicating(ˈabdəˌkāt) my responsibilities when I’m tired — I’m just trying to do a small amount(əˈmount). It makes a huge difference.

If I give in to temptation(tem(p)ˈtāSHən), really be present(priˈzent,ˈprezənt) with it. If I decide to go for the pizza(ˈpētsə) or ice cream(krēm), that’s nothing to feel guilty(ˈgiltē) about. But for goodness sake(sāk,ˈsäkē), don’t do it mindlessly! If I’m going to eat ice cream, I want to be entirely present with the sensation(senˈsāSHən) of the sweetness on my tongue(təNG), the coldness in my mouth, going down my throat(THrōt). Savor(ˈsāvər) it. Experience it entirely.

That’s my mindful method, and I am imperfect(imˈpərfəkt) at it. I violate(ˈvīəˌlāt) every single one of these. But I try to practice, and when I do, it’s always wonderful.

https://zenhabits.net/tired-2/