How Can I Feel Less Tired?

Lately, I have often found myself feeling unusually tired. Initially, my response was to fight back against it. “You just need to let go and enjoy the moment,” I would tell myself. However, my inner thoughts would revolve around how the next weeks and months were going to unfold. With those thoughts came a lack of clarity; the sensation of uncertainty, and this great tiredness. It comes as no surprise then, that the key question I kept coming up against was: How can I feel less tired?

Feeling tired is different from being tired

I have spent the last weeks with my family, who live in the German countryside. At the start of my stay with them, I believed that if I only slept a little more, I would be less tired. Soon I realized, however, that more sleep was clearly not enough.

At some point, a friend asked me how my tiredness felt. I described it as a constant drain of energy. I watched my son playing in the outdoors with his cousins, and even though there were many moments of bliss, these moments were accompanied by a feeling of tiredness and a lack of energy.

My conclusion was that feeling tired is not the same as being tired and simply needing more sleep. So how could I feel less tired? How could I wake up from a good night’s sleep, filled with energy and rearing to go?
Well, here is what I did in order to help me answer the question: How can I feel less tired?

7 ways to transform your tiredness

1. Rest

That was a start. I allowed myself to rest and sleep when I could. I allowed myself to stare at the landscape before me, at my son playing with his cousins in the backyard, or simply at nothing at all. When I could, I slept and I accepted feeling tired.

2. Experience and explore your own physical resources

I teach people to experience their own body and their internal energy stores. I, therefore, made sure to spend time throughout the day, to feel my own body and my own physicality, even when it was tiredness that I felt. I went out for walks and practiced breathing exercises. I stretched more often and did some of the yoga training I was once taught. I took the opportunity to run along with my son and his friends, and I took my dog to play in the nearby fields.

3. Notice the space around you

When I felt tired, I felt the space around me shrink. I knew that to feel less tired, I needed to claim back this space. One way was to notice the space around me. The immense sky in my family home has always impressed me, and by watching the sky, I could feel a sense of spaciousness. I then noticed the ground under my feet, the wind in my hair, and the breeze against my skin. My own experience of inner space grew by noticing the space around me.

4. Expand in space

Whenever I took some time to explore my physicality, I also let it expand. I moved in ways that allowed my body to stretch, and I breathed with the intention of giving myself more personal space. I felt my steps turn into long and powerful strides. This allowed me to expand my horizons and gain more clarity.

5. Connect to friends and loved-ones

People and your relationship with them are a key to so many things, among them the ability to feel less tired. I allowed my heart to love the people who are in my life. To think about them, to feel them. I allowed myself to share with them how I felt, and to listen to what they experienced. This reminded me of why the Pantarei Approach is all about being attentive to the people around us. By communicating with people, I remembered that I am not the only person to feel tired these days; that it is somehow part of this moment we are all going through. And with that, came a certain permission to just be who I am.

6. Invite your emotions to show themselves

Emotions are so powerful, aren’t they? When I was able to invite my emotions just to be, I found rest. I allowed myself to feel how much I miss my father, who passed away just a few months ago. I felt the joy of the growing Pantarei school. And I felt the confusion of this period, my uncertainty, concerns, and my hopes. When I allowed it all, I felt as if I had unwrapped a gift.

7. Notice your own unique needs

What do you need right now? Listen to yourself, listen to your heart, and hey – don’t forget to drink, walk, eat something you enjoy, and find a reason to smile.

And where am I now?

I’m still at my family home in the countryside. The lockdown in Germany has been extended, and so I too will stay put. My energy is returning with every passing day, and so too is my motivation and sense of love. I have a chance to embrace so much. I feel more connected. I feel love and the sense of being loved. And I feel that I am part of it all. I am part of life again.

Some days I still feel tired. And then I ask: How can I feel less tired?
I follow the steps outlined above and acknowledge everything I feel. In this way, I become present in my experience.
If you cannot do this alone, get some support

Use the opportunity to contact our practitioners. They will happily give you some guidance on how to transform your tiredness; how to connect more with yourself and your surroundings, and how to get back to feeling energized and alive. That is what they love to do. Online (and when possible, in-person) sessions are a great way to support you in getting back your energy, your strength, and your sense of connection.

If you try out these 7 steps, either on your own or with the support of a practitioner, share your experiences with me. I would love to hear more about your journey.

Written by Claudia Glowik