We all know the feeling. It’s the end of January, the holidays are over, and you’re trying to get back into the swing of things. If you’re in school, you’re probably already drowning in homework. And if you’re not in school, well, you’re probably drowning in something else. Sometimes, life gets tiring. That’s just the way it is. It happens to all of us, probably more often than we’d like to admit. Honestly, that’s where I’m at right now, and that’s why I decided to write this blog post. Here are a few tips I’ve found to help me when I’m feeling tired, physically and otherwise.

1. Breathe

I don’t know about you, but when I’m fatigued, it stresses me out. I try to rush to get everything on my to-do list done so that I can sleep, and I end up tiring myself out even more. Plus, my work is always sub-par when I’m tired and rushing myself. I get to the point where all I want to do is get the bare minimum out the way so that I can collapse. But when I get this way, I find that finishing that to-do list seems to get harder and harder. It’s a vicious cycle that I struggle to get out of.

But I’ve found a pretty simple solution to this: Just breathe. Take a second. Put everything away. Close your eyes and try to clear your mind. Take a few deep breathes. And then get back to whatever you’re doing. I’ve found that taking just a few seconds to breathe in the midst of all my stress and fatigue can do wonders. It gives me focus and energy to get through whatever it is I’m working on. Plus, it relieves some of the stress so that I can focus on the task at hand rather than on the pile of other things waiting for me when I finish this one.

2. Streamline

I think the number one cause of fatigue in my life is trying to spread myself too thin. I have a lot of things that I would like to do, like learning guitar and writing a book, but I can’t do everything at once. If I try, I get tired, and then I have trouble accomplishing anything at all. When you’re feeling tired, it may be a sign that it’s time to cut out some of the things in your life that are taking your energy but might not be worthwhile.

This will involve prioritizing. There are lots of good things out there for you to do and achieve. But you have to decide what’s most important in your life and build your goals around those core things. Maybe you enjoy playing tennis, but it’s keeping you from spending time with your family. There are only so many hours in the day, and trying to do both is exhausting, so it’s time to put the racquet up for a while until your schedule clears up a bit. There’s nothing wrong with trimming some things out of your life if you’re overwhelmed. In fact, you’ll find that in the long run, you’ll enjoy the things you do choose to do a lot more if you’re not spreading yourself too thin.

3. Pray

This one kind of goes along with breathing. When I give myself a really short break to just clear my head and breathe, I often say a short prayer. And it does wonders.

The truth is that we can’t do it all on our own. We’re not supposed to. It’s not the way we’re made. God made us with an innate need for communication with and reliance on Him. He wants us to come to Him when we’re feeling tired and stressed. He wants us to lay it all before Him and say, “I can’t do this on my own. I’m giving it to You. Do with it what You will because I can’t handle it.” When you’re honest with the Lord about how you’re feeling and you call on Him for help, He will come through for you, and you will feel so much better. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus tells us, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” We can find rest in our Savior if we just reach out to Him.

4. Rest

And that brings me to my last point: rest. This one is so important, and it’s one we often neglect, which is what leads to fatigue in the first place. When we have a lot on our plates, we often forget to take care of ourselves, and this has awful effects. And for me, at least, this gets worse when I’m tired. When things are good and I’m feeling fine, I’m usually pretty good about taking care of myself. But when I’m tired and stressed, making time for rest goes out the window. This is probably the worst thing I can do when I’m tired.

But how does one find rest in the midst of fatigue and stress? I think this is different for everyone. We all have an outlet that helps us relax and re-energize when we’re feeling tired. For some, it may be exercise. Other people people may rest by watching TV. For me, I’ve found the best ways of resting are spending time with my family and expressing myself through writing. I cannot put into words how energizing and relaxing these two activities are for me. Find your own way of resting, and make time for it on days you’re feeling tired.

These are just a few tips I have for when you’re tired. These aren’t full-proof or necessarily right for everyone. But this is what I’ve learned from my experience, and I do my best to incorporate these principles into my life when I feel like I’m letting myself get fatigued. I believe God desires for us to live healthy lives and to serve Him with clear minds. I hope these tips have been helpful, and if you have any others to add to the list, I’d love to hear them. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you guys on Friday for a special life update!