What To Do When You Feel Uninspired And Exhausted

Sometimes you just feel exhausted and totally uninspired. Like the little light of productivity and creativity has flickered out. For me, this almost always comes after I’ve overworked myself, ignored it, and pushed just a little further. Even in these times of running on fumes, when I’m tunnel-visioned on a goal, it can be difficult to stop (even though I know it’s exactly what my body and mind are calling for). 

Often, the knee-jerk reaction to this is to focus on better productivity options and to try to inspire yourself out of exhaustion with some pumped-up productivity tips. But often, the best inspiration comes from rest and a little kindness. Let’s talk about what to do when you feel uninspired and exhausted.

Just Stop

We all need time to disconnect and rest. If you don’t allow for this to happen, your body and mind may make this decision for you with exhaustion, burnout, or even physical illness. You may need several days of full-on lazy mode with frequent naps. Just allow yourself to totally let go and be determined to let everyone else figure things out on their own. 

Be ruthless with your rest. Turn your phone onto “do not disturb” mode and see if you can get someone else to cover the basics of your workload for a bit- even if that means hiring temporary help for just a few days to a week. Sometimes it feels like we can’t stop when, in reality, it’s the only thing we need to be doing. 

Remind yourself that overworking is a habit, how much you pack into your to-do list and schedule is a habit, and remember that there are people all over the world who are able to have happy functional lives while doing less. 

Focus On Your Body

You might find that you’re a little stir crazy or at a loss for what to do or focus on when you stop. This is a great time to focus on your body. See what happens when you listen to your body completely and give it what it needs. 

Have your eating habits been suffering? Think of ways to bring in some vitamin-rich antioxidant foods. Some of my favorites are fresh fruit smoothies with Greek yogurt, sliced cucumbers sprinkled with Cavendar’s Greek seasoning, and fresh avocados. 

Keep a bottle of water by the bed and see if you notice a difference after a full day of hydrating and flushing out your system. Drinking water, stretching and intentional breathing are all amazing for detoxing your body (and your mind). 

Stretching allows you to find and release the areas of your body that have been holding and clenching. Letting that physical representation of stress go is a great way to begin feeling better in a physical and immediate way. 

Intentional breathing can help to control your parasympathetic nervous system. For example, box breathing affects the vagus nerve which stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and aiding in calmness and relaxation. 

Your nervous system has a memory and it can be easy to relax temporarily but then quickly snap back out of it into your typical state of stress. Making relaxation a regular practice can help break that habit. 

Make Physical Space Without Overdoing It

Your space not only contributes to your stress levels but can make you more successful in resting and getting your mind and body back on track. Having a clear space that’s conducive to rest and relaxation (as opposed to visual reminders of your to-do list) can increase the effectiveness of recuperation. 

At the same time, this isn’t the time to dive into another project or clean your entire house. Allow yourself to do the bare minimum- only what needs to be done in order to feel more peaceful. I’m a big believer in organic decluttering and cleaning for this. That is, don’t make a special trip but carry something with you if you’re already going. Wipe something off using little exertion when you already happen to be in that space and then go back to resting. 

If you’re taking a week off then you might occasionally want to clear off a tiny space at a time over the course of the week. Maybe your bedside table could use a refresher after a couple of days. Find a balance between restful spaciousness and hyper-conserving your energy. 

Reconnect With Things That Make You Happy

We spend a lot of time in delayed gratification and “someday” thinking. There comes a time to cash in on enjoying the things that make you happy. Many times it’s the simple enjoyments that we bypass on a daily basis because there just isn’t time. 

Pull out the old favorite movies or read a book that you’ve been putting off. Allow yourself to passively enjoy a hobby with no deadline or pressure. 

When I’m feeling low on inspiration, in particular, I pull out my favorite inspirational mentors and listen to messages that I haven’t heard in a while. They help to rekindle the spark behind why I do the work I do. Who brings you clarity when things feel foggy?

This is a great time to wake up the artistic right side of your brain. Chances are, you’ve been operating in the analytical left side- figuring things out, working, and strategizing. Try passively sketching or doodling, pull out your bullet journal, or listen to music. 

When you feel uninspired and exhausted it can help to switch your brain from “producing” mode to “learning” mode. This, of course, after you’ve adequately rested. Sometimes the reason we’re uninspired is that we’ve been doing things the same way for so long. It can be relieving to learn a new fresh method. 

This brings hope for future progression which can be inspiring and uplifting. 

Practice Complete Kindness 

We have so many expectations of ourselves and other people. We think that we should be able to accomplish a certain amount or at a certain standard; we think that other people should respond and behave the way we would. All of these expectations come with sharp edges and disappointments that can feel heavy. 

Practice intentional complete kindness for the remainder of your rest. You’ll likely find that it feels relieving. Other people might immediately catch wind of the attitude shift and be a little more gentle with you in return making things even easier on you. 

The important thing to remember is that this practice doesn’t require you to DO anything. You don’t need to go out of your way and work to find something kind to do. It could be as simple as letting something slide without a fight. Releasing the need to be right or to give advice. 

Even practicing gratitude can change the tone of your conversations with other people and can influence the scope of satisfaction you feel in the moment. We can so easily forget all we have and how far we’ve come- especially when we’re exhausted.

Zoom Out

Finally, when you feel uninspired and exhausted, one of the best things you can do is to zoom out. Take a birds-eye perspective of your life and the situations in it. We easily get caught up in the stories and patterns of the day-to-day. It’s the natural mindset to be in and it takes effort to open your perspective to a bigger picture. 

Take a step outside and look up. Try to physically see things from a different perspective than you’re used to when running on autopilot. Try a guided meditation to move your thoughts in different directions from the norm. 

One thing that always makes me pause and glimpse a bigger picture is looking at photos or videos about space. Nothing snaps things back into perspective faster for me. Remember that you’re world isn’t as big or heavy as it feels. You’re a tiny piece of a much larger picture. Allow that realization to lift some of the heaviness and the pressure. 

See what it means to slow down to speed up. The rest and reconnecting may be exactly what you need in order to regain your motivation and next-level productivity. I hope that these practices help you to find some rest and, eventually, inspiration. Please subscribe, and let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

See you next time, bye.