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It’s a big world out there, with all sorts of different opportunities, paths to walk down, hobbies to try out, and responsibilities to attend to.

Now more than ever before in human history, the average person has a window into the different possibilities life holds, and an ability to navigate those tides and to create the life of their dreams.

And the result? Well, for many of us, the result is that we find ourselves feeling exhausted, stressed, and guilty that we aren’t living up to our full potential.

It’s always necessary to keep a bit of perspective, and to focus on a couple of meaningful goals, rather than trying to “do everything.” But in order to live the best possible life, it’s also important to find ways to keep your energy levels up, so that you can really take advantage of the opportunities that are present.

On that note, here’s a cautionary list of just a few of the things that can sap your energy levels.

Overthinking and perfectionism

There are various aspects of your life that you should absolutely think about in depth, and try to “get right” to the best of your ability.

At the same time, however, overthinking and perfectionism with regards to things that aren’t life priorities with seriously high-stakes, is a great way of burning out and losing your energy and motivation.

In many cases, if you have a tedious chore to deal with – like a major home tidy up and de-clutter – your best bet will simply be to hire a same-day rubbish removal company to deal with the job as quickly as possible, while dedicating as little of your own thought and energy to it as you can. Navigate here for an example of just such a company.

“Analysis paralysis” is a real phenomenon. So, give yourself permission to save your perfectionism for things that relate to your family, your relationship, your morals, and your core life goals, rather than getting caught up in the minutiae in all areas of life as a whole.

Yo-yo dieting

An incredibly eye-opening study done during World War II found that chronic calorie restriction was an excellent way of destroying the energy, well-being, motivation, and drive of individual study participants.

This study was the famous Minnesota Starvation Experiment, which involved putting male volunteers on a diet of approximately 1500 calories a day, for six months.

These days, many people frequently put themselves through even greater caloric deficit on a regular basis, through a chronic cycle of yo-yo dieting intended as a desperate means of shifting unwanted extra pounds.

Unfortunately, though, there is unequivocal evidence that yo-yo dieting dramatically slows your metabolic rate and makes you less energetic, among other things. It also makes you gain fat more easily, later on. Just consider the Biggest Loser Study.

Instead of yo-yo dieting, make sure that you’re eating enough to feel satiated every day – even if it seems like a lot. Just make sure you’re eating healthy and nutritious foods, and are exercising regularly. Your energy levels will thank you.

Constantly bombarding yourself with too much media, news, and other forms of information

It can be very easy to feel disheartened and apathetic if you’re constantly bombarding yourself with too much media, news, and other forms of information, to an extent where it’s more or less impossible to actually collect your own thoughts.

From time to time, it’s necessary to just shut out the external noise, so that you can bring your awareness back to the present moment, and regain your sense of enthusiasm for everyday life.

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