Energy

Another issue I have with my meds is lack of energy.  Most of them cause drowsiness and unless I take my Ambien I often don't sleep well.  I've suffered from insomnia since I was about fourteen.  It wasn't until my last psychiatrist put me on Ambien that I started sleeping more than a few hours a night.  But, even with sleeping better now, I still struggle with being tired most of the time.  At least I did...

I talked things over with my newest psychiatrist about starting on a B vitamin complex, since this is supposed to improve your energy and metabolism.  Even though he can't endorse it he said it was worth a shot since it couldn't hurt me.  It took a couple of weeks to start to feel the effects of it but let me tell you...it works!  Even if it's just a placebo effect, I can really tell a difference in my energy levels since starting my High Potency B Complex.  I would recommend that anyone who struggles with not having enough energy start a B Complex...and give it a chance to work.  Like I said, it took a couple of weeks before I felt a real difference.

Another thing that has made a huge difference in my energy levels is regular exercise.  Since losing my job last fall, I've started exercising four to six days a week, doing everything from Zumba and Walk Away the Pounds to numerous Jillian Michaels workouts.  I am typically more sluggish on the days I don't work out.  The typical thought process would be that if you expend energy working out that you would have less energy, but it's just not the case.  On the days that I get up and work out I am able to stay up later and feel less tired throughout the day.

Boredom seems to be my downfall from time to time.  Before starting the B Complex I was going to bed around 8:30 every night...exhausted.  The vitamin supplement had me staying up until around 9:30 most nights.  When I added the exercise my bedtime went to about 10:00-10:30.  I don't stay up that late often these days.  But it's not because of exhaustion, but because of boredom.  Without having a job, I get all of my hobby activities in during the day and by the time evening rolls around there's nothing left to do but watch television and loaf on the couch.  this drags me down, both mentally and physically.  I am looking forward to getting back to work because then I will get up and work out, spend my day at work, come home, have dinner, and then enjoy my hobbies like reading, beading, and building puzzles.  By the time I finish with leisure activities it will be time to go to bed and start it all again the next day.

The point is, a lot of things can suck the energy out of us...it's our job to find what works for us to get a little of it back.  These are things that have worked for me...maybe they'll work for you.  If you try them, I'd love to hear if they work for you as well as they have for me.  If you have other things that you've found have worked for you, please share them.