Feeling sluggish in the afternoon? It's a common issue, but coffee or a nap aren't the only solutions. Discover five innovative strategies to reinvigorate your energy levels and conquer the rest of your day with renewed vigor and focus.
Most of us are at our sleepiest between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m.
Even a 20-minute nap in the afternoon can have a dramatic effect on your mood and productivity
- However, the rhythm of modern work often makes this solution unworkable
- The next best option for many people is to pound down some coffee and try to sneak in some energy-boosting exercise during your lunch break
- This also suffers from the same practical challenges as taking a nap
- Some alternatives, such as a hype session with someone you love or watching a mindless sitcom, don’t lend themselves to an office environment
Up your snack game
Take the time to prepare yourself a visually appealing, healthy plate of food to help refocus your mind and body for the rest of the day
- Treat yourself to a simple charcuterie board in the afternoon – it feels more elegant and calms you down
Take an organization break
Your space has an outsize impact on your mood, use it to your advantage
Take Two Deep Breaths
Consciously engaging your diaphragm and slowing your breathing can also help you get to sleep at night
- Here are some helpful details on how to do this kind of breathing, along with some handy deep breathing videos you can even follow along with as needed
Create an afternoon transition ritual
The content of your ritual is up to you.
- Be intentional about creating a script that mentally moves you into the right frame of mind to get the most out of your afternoon
- Other ideas
- A quick meditation break, moment of gratitude or something else
Read a chapter of fiction
Disconnecting, focusing on something else, and then re-engaging can pry you out of that state of being stuck or demoralized in dealing with what you’re dealing with
- Stanford psychiatrist Dave Spiegel tells Self.com that reading fiction has benefits, too
