What makes you feel energetic?

[thyme4change]

I am lacking enthusiasm for life. I drag myself to work, I drag myself home. I flop on the couch. I think it is because I am doing so much, but never feel like I have any big accomplishments.

What things do you do that make you feel stimulated, energetic, proud and happy?

[Deleted]

I don't know if I have any big accomplishments, either, but overall I feel very positive and I think that helps. First of all, a workout is good for killing a midafternoon slump and making me feel focused again. Second- I get a kick out of feeding my brain. I watch a lot of mindless stuff on TruTV with DH, but I also have a load of podcast subscriptions in areas that interest me and in languages I want to keep in my brain (Spanish, French and German). They're mostly news but they keep me in touch with the world beyond CNN headlines and expose me to new ideas. I love food, especially DH's cooking. And then, once a year, DH and I get on a plane and go to Europe. We love our quiet routine at home, but in Europe we go onto brain overload with all the things we're seeing and learning and we enjoy that, too.

Have you seen or read "Eat. Pray. Love."? Maybe you need to go to Italy and then India and then to Bali where you meet a hot Brazilian guy in the jewelry business, fall madly in love with him, and sail off together.

[dancinmama]

Jan 11, 2011 15:21:17 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

I am lacking enthusiasm for life. I drag myself to work, I drag myself home. I flop on the couch. I think it is because I am doing so much, but never feel like I have any big accomplishments.

What things do you do that make you feel stimulated, energetic, proud and happy?

Honestly, I don't "DO" anything. For me, it's all about attitude. I try to have a most excellent day even when things are not exactly most excellent.

[ModE98]

Thyme4: Check with your doctor for thyroid problems. If the thyroid is no longer doing its normal job, borderline diabetes or worse may develop. Another problem may be depression. Do you have a good social and support circle? There has to be a reason for a lack of some enthusiasm for life. Better "get a upbeat life" before it is too late. See a counselor soon if you cannot get a bit of zest within you.

[Tennesseer]

Thyme: do you feel like this all the time or is it only during certain times of the year. It very well may be the shortness of daylight hours. If it seems to only happen in the winter months, try and get outside more often and get some sun in your face. Fifteen to twenty minutes a day can do wonders.

[thyme4change]

I don't think it is depression or even thyroid, but I will get that checked. I think it is just the "steady as she goes" portion of my life. In the past, I've shaken things up every 5 years or so - changing jobs, moving houses, having babies - all huge changes that shake up your life. But, we have been set for a while. I really like my job, so I don't see a good reason to take a chance and move jobs. I'm not changing houses - and hell no am I having another kid!

[Deleted]

What about learning something new, preferably unrelated to your work? Ballet dancing, a foreign language, art- something you've always wanted to do.

I keep wanting to take flying lessons but it's so expensive I'd have to give up all my other hobbies.

[thyme4change]

I'm fearful of adding any "to-do's" to my list. We have 2 jobs and 2 active kids. We don't get a lot of downtime. I am never sitting around bored. When I'm not doing something (laundry, dishes, kids homework, etc.) I have guilt. If I signed up for something, I believe it would tax an already full schedule. If I try to do something on my own time, it would probably feel like a heavy obligation to carry.

Plus, I don't really have a list of things I want to do. I mean - I want to see St. Petersburg and Paris, and I want to learn to surf - but those aren't things I can do in my downtime on a Tuesday night. (Yes, we are planning our next couple of vacations - we are doing NYC, Boston & Philadelphia soon. We are saving the Europe trip for later.)

[Cookies Galore]

thyme, let me know if you want/need suggestions for Philly!

[thyme4change]

My family is from the area - I lived there as a kid, but my parents were there half their life. We are going for a family reunion - so I'm thinking any free time will do the obvious touristy stuff. We are also going down the shore.

What else should we do?

[Cookies Galore]

That's right! I remember you talking about your Mom saying Ac-a-me!
If you're doing the obvious tourist stuff and you have the kids with you, how about:
Eastern State Penitentiary (it's really cool and creepy, and Al Capone's cell is decorated nicer than my apartment!)
The zoo
Franklin Institute
Penn's Landing (the Seaport Museum has a battleship and submarine you can walk around)

But you probably know all this stuff since you're from the area.

[Tiny]

I drag myself to work, I drag myself home. I flop on the couch. I think it is because I am doing so much, but never feel like I have any big accomplishments.

So, you aren't doing anything (drag to work, drag home, flop on couch) but you are doing soooo much? > being devilish here.

Why not list off all the stuff that you doing so much? Sometimes you just need perspective. If you write it all down you can look over the list of stuff. If you look at the list of stuff and find that it's mostly stuff you don't really care about... then you've found your problem: figure out how to stop doing stuff you don't care about so you can do stuff you do care about. If the stuff on the list is all stuff you care about - then you have a legitimate reason to be tired - and you ARE accomplishing alot!!

FWIW: I'm assuming that flopping on the couch means you are also watching TV... TV sucks the life out of me. If it's on I MUST watch it - I can't sort clothes or read mail or talk on the phone or do anything more than watch TV. I avoid turning it on. I've also found that if I watch an hour or two of TV I get pretty "wound up" and can't quiet my mind enough to get to sleep or if I'm gonna go and do something else none of my "tricks" to help me focus (I've already got an attention span of a gnat) work - my mind is just too fragmented/spinning I guess while it processess thru everything I've experienced/seen on TV. Needless to say I don't get anything done after watching TV and I can't get a good night's sleep either.
What am I trying to say? Maybe it's time to turn off the TV and see if that helps motivate you to do something else that you'd like to do...

[thyme4change]

Just because I care about it doesn't mean it excites me. For example - I don't want to live in a dirty house - I like it to be somewhat clean - especially dishes and laundry. So, every day I do the dishes and every day I do laundry. Technically I don't care about doing them, but I do care about them being done.

What about learning something new, preferably unrelated to your work? Ballet dancing, a foreign language, art- something you've always wanted to do.

I was thinking more about this - and I guess that is part of the question I'm asking. I'm looking for things that people like doing in their spare time that might be something I would look forward to. As of now, I'm drawing a blank on things I would like to do or learn.

[Tiny]

I'm looking for things that people like doing in their spare time that might be something I would look forward to. As of now, I'm drawing a blank on things I would like to do or learn.

Are you looking for things you do by yourself or things you do with other people (maybe even strangers)?

Things you can do by yourself:
Cook something different - make an effort to plan it out and then do it. If it comes out poorly don't beat yourself up - try to figure out what went wrong and try it again. I do this all the time without spending alot of money.

Pick up an old craft you already know how to do but haven't done in a long time: crochet, knit, needlepoint, cross stitch, sew, whatever... try to remember why you liked doing it and try to re-capture that feeling while working on it again.

Do the daily crossword/jumble/soduku puzzles!

If you have a pet - play wit/interact with it! Dogs like to go for walks, learn new tricks, etc. Cats like playtime (or catnip), too. I'm sure birds and even Fish/reptiles/spiders are interactive in some way!

Choose some around the house project (like finally get that closet cleaned out!) and work up a project plan to get it done!
Maybe spend an hour coming up with new outfits based on what's in your closet and then make the effort to wear the new combinations (I get stuck in a rut and then feel like I'm wearing the same old same old - I don't always think to change it up alittle!)
Choose some new habit you'd like to acquire and then come up with a project plan to get it done!

Working on one's plan for the new year can be interesting - if you don't know anything about your investments it's time to learn! If you know you want to go somewhere for a vacation - nows the time to start looking for different ideas!


If you are looking for things to do with other people (maybe even strangers)...
Get together with friends for an evening or afternoon and play a game - cards (poker, rummy, uno) or a board game - scrabble? something else...
Invite a couple of friends to read the same book and then talk about it or after reading it rent the movie!
Join a book club at your local library or Jr College or Park District. It's not much of a commitment.
Invite a couple of friends for an inexpensive outing - any nature trails? small town shopping districts to walk thru? or free festivals in your area? yeah, it's probably cheesy but sometimes cheesy is fun!
Maybe check your local park district/YMCA/Jr College/Library for things to do... yes, you may wind up doing something with Old Folks but it might give you a jump start.
This is alittle expensive but you could borrow someone's kids for the afternoon and go to the zoo, muesum, movie, festival, whatever. Kids are a BLAST - especially when they go home to their parents at the end of the day.
You could also borrow someone else's dog and go for a walk... I borrow a relatives doggie for an hour or two of afternoon fun a couple of times a year. Doggies like to go for walks, etc.


I'm weird and for fun and amusement with other adults (and their kids), I play a variety of old fashion Role Playing Games so I spend alot of "alone" time working on my "characters" or "champaignes" in preparation for Game Night which is also often a social night out. I actually enjoy all the books and rules and whatnot involved in the old RPGs...

[Malarky]

Thyme,
My life isn't really different from yours. I need something for myself but one more scheduled activity will push me right over the edge. Even if it's meant to be for my benefit.
The one thing I have is four other women friends as part of my support network. We play card sporadically. Usually we do drinks, appetizers and cards. After a week of phone tag and emails three of us managed to get together Sunday afternoon. LOL, we all brought drinks, but no food.
For that couple of hours it was all about bitching and moaning and carrying on and generally decompressing. We actually did play cards this time, but sometimes we don't. When it was over, we still had laundry and dishes and dinner etc. to face, but we felt better and were better able to handle everything because of that little break.
Any chance that you could do something like this for yourself?
Sometimes just a little bit of something different is enough to put your mood back on track.

[Tiny]

Just because I care about it doesn't mean it excites me. For example - I don't want to live in a dirty house - I like it to be somewhat clean - especially dishes and laundry. So, every day I do the dishes and every day I do laundry. Technically I don't care about doing them, but I do care about them being done.

This made me think of a Zen saying "Before Enlightenment: Chop Wood, Carry Water; After Enlightenment: Chop Wood, Carry Water". Since you need something to do I'll let you google it... but in a nutshell it's all about being mindful of the everyday routine and finding meaning/pleasure/joy/choose your own word - in doing it. Maybe not finding profound Excitement in doing laundry but still finding something profound in doing it.

I do love me some Zen/Buddhist stuff...

As an aside: another thing to do is think back to your youth and remember the things you enjoyed doing, or never got to do, or always wanted to do... that's often a good place to 'discover' something you'd like to persue that atleast has a spark of interest - you were interested in it in the past!

[Deleted]

Have you seen or read "Eat. Pray. Love."? Maybe you need to go to Italy and then India and then to Bali where you meet a hot Brazilian guy in the jewelry business, fall madly in love with him, and sail off together.

Where do I sign up for that kinda life?

[Deleted]

I have a regularly scheduled girls night every week and I've picked up a few of my hobbies. I like to "see" something I have accomplished. I paint, sew and knit. The beauty of these is that you can fit them in when you have time. And at the end I have produced something. That energizes me. Then figuring out my next creation. It's a blast.

[yogi]

I have found that I have a much higher energy level when I am eating well and getting enough sleep, and drinking enough water - this is key for me. I also feel energized when I am able to spend time with family/friends and just unwind in general. Reading is also a nice break for me. If I don't have "me time" at least a few times per week, I tend to feel drained.

[NancysSummerSip]

Eastern State Penitentiary (it's really cool and creepy, and Al Capone's cell is decorated nicer than my apartment!)

We visited Eastern State last year. It is very creepy. When we looked at DH's photos, we noticed some strange round lights in some of the photos of cells. It seemed odd, since there was no source of light in those particular cells. Ghost hunters calls these lights "orbs" and say they are indicative of ghostly activity.

On the energetic side, I find exercise does it for me. A side job I love helps, too.

[Abby Normal]

Sounds like you have the dulldrums. Busy with life. I've been there. Your busy with work and kids and everything is the same day after day, because your in the routine of life.

My advice- try something new or something you haven't done for a long time. We've started doing this occasionally on our "days off" when we don't have anything scheduled. Instead of sitting around the house we go out for a couple hours and try something new.

We went ice skating a few months ago. I've only done that one other time in my life, so I was as new at is as the kids. We went snowshoeing a couple weeks ago and it was a blast.

You don't have to make it a new hobby or do it alll the time, but it certainly breaks up the monotony of life.

[swamp]

Jan 11, 2011 15:21:17 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

I am lacking enthusiasm for life. I drag myself to work, I drag myself home. I flop on the couch. I think it is because I am doing so much, but never feel like I have any big accomplishments.

What things do you do that make you feel stimulated, energetic, proud and happy?

This and Thyme's following posts could have been written by me. I don't have any advice, but I know exactly how you're feeling.

[Artemis Windsong]

I have low BP so when I am sitting for too long, I want to sleep. Also, low resting HR. This explains my gloom snoot so thank you for the reminder as I had forgotten. Yes, I really had forgotten my low BP/HR side effects.

A change in self-talk might help. When I need to clean house, I change that to bless my house. Thank you for the dishes to wash as I had plenty to eat, and I have dishes to wash with a place to wash them.

Upbeat music and songs to sing-a-long can be helpful.

[thyme4change]

I change that to bless my house

Too "Fly Lady" for me.

[thyme4change]

I'm having a really hard time today. I didn't sleep well Saturday or Sunday nights in a row, and the injury and subsequent search for medical care last night took out the little energy I had left. I then ate a bowl of ice cream and a glass of wine after having seconds on dinner. (By the way - I like the whole wheat pasta. That will be the new norm here!) We did work out last night (before the injury) and I had absolutely no energy for it, so I mostly just stood there. I didn't get anything done at work yesterday, and now I'm behind - yet here I sit. I need to get in the shower.

Anyone ever try that 5-hour energy drink? I feel like if I can just have a couple of "wins" today I might get back to normal.

[cael]

Thyme, what happened, are you ok? if you were injured last night it's ok for you to have a blah day!

This time of year is hard for a lot of people too you know, I barely have motivation to go to the gym and I drag myself only half the time probably. February is probably one of my bottom months of the year. I have to try to stay busy, listen to music, be with people, anything to keep me focused so I don't slip into a zombie-on-the-couch coma.

[thyme4change]

My son was jumping on the couch, fell off and hit the coffee table. He split his lip. It ended up being okay - although there are still blood stains on my carpet and couch. It was just so frustrating because all of the urgent care centers in this area have gone out of business. I have money, I have insurance, but I can't get medical care because a whole bunch of poor people think the best plan is to go to the emergency room with a sinus infection and never pay the bill.

I love living in this part of town, but even though we are surrounded with hospitals, actually getting care when you need it is nearly impossible. It really pisses me off. Just like I want a rich-person DMV, where you can make an appointment at a small office near you to get the same services, but pay 10x the price (or 5x) and not have to wait with all those people that smell, I would like a 2-tiered medical system where you can actually pay for the services you need and if you can't pay you have to go to the facility with a 6 hour wait. Of course, I couldn't even find one with a wait - they are actually closed. There are no services outside of the full blown ER within 20 miles of my house. Next time, I'll drive to the suburbs where most people have insurance, so there are facilities.

[cael]

Ugh, sorry to hear that glad he's ok! ER's are a huge pain in the ass. Do I remember correctly that you're in the NYC area? That must be a nightmare...

[Deleted]

With me, energy begets energy. I feel good when I'm doing. It's why I clean houses. When I'm not doing anything, I get gloomy, and if I do nothing long enough, I get depressed.

[thyme4change]

Nope - I'm in Phoenix.