Need an energy boost, and don't necessarily need to get it from a can? Try considering these energy drainers and boosters, for more sustained energy.

8 psychological energy drainers/boostersDrainers:

1. Energy vampires: the people that suck energy from you, and don't bother replacing it

2. Poor time management: contributes to stress, which drains your energy

3. Poor diet: lots of sugar, caffeine, refined carbohydrates and heavy foods can deplete you mentally. also, not eating periodically throughout the day, including breakfast.

4. Poor or not restful sleep

5. Sedentary lifestyle: not walking, running or engaging in another form of exercise can leave you feeling flat and low on energy.

6. Not taking time out of the day for yourself: even if it's five or 10 minutes to meditate or to organize your thoughts, when we don't attend ourselves, and are consumed with attending to others (family, work responsibilities), it can leave you feeling burned out.

7. The news: is usually filled with stories of suffering. Try a news fast, or limiting your time or exposure to TV or Internet news.

8. Anger: learning how to deal effectively with anger, and communicated in a way that it is non-toxic to others, will help to expel it and leave you more available to yourself and others.

Boosters:

1. Nature: taking a walk outside, or on your lunch break can revitalize and reinvigorate you for the rest the day

2. Hanging out with positive people, who can fill you up and rub off positivity on you.

3. Meditation: my preferred method of meditating is mindfulness meditation. There are a lot of good books, podcasts, and other resources on the subject. Try looking into Jon Kabat Zinn and mindfulness-based stress reduction to help.

4. Dumping your worrisome thoughts onto a to do list, into a journal, or onto some thing external from your brain that can help you expel the thoughts that are nagging at you and to help you organize them in a way that you can attend to them later.

5. Yoga: there are plenty of guys doing yoga, and it's great way to crank up your energy in a short amount of time. Try a class in town, or go with someone you know.

6. Get in touch with your emotions: emotions, especially negative ones, have this way of freezing up and going nowhere when you don't attend them. They suck up valuable psychic energy and physical energy, so if you can learn to get in touch with them in process then, you'll free up needed energy for other things.

7. Eating small meals regularly through the day: when your blood sugar is consistent and not spiked, you'll experience more stable energy through the day. Try eating five or six times throughout the day, drinking plenty of water as ago, and notice if your energy levels stay balanced.

8. Positive self talk: the way that we talk to ourselves is critical to how we deal with the world and with other people. Try validating yourself, talking positively to yourself or generally supporting yourself through your own self talk to improve your positivity in your energy.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Men’s counseling , or if counseling might be right for you, please feel free to contact me directly or visit our Men’s counseling page for detail.