How to put energy back into your life

Are you exhausted from managing work and family? Siphoning off all your physical and emotional energy will work only for so long. You wake one day to feel burned out, used up and miserable.

Most of us, when we’re in our 20s or 30s, love to stay busy. But after another decade or two, we can hit burnout.

Burnout can grow to full-scale depression. If you’re feeling burned out or even mildly depressed, you need to start looking after yourself. This usually involves doing less, not more. Getting control of your life requires you to pay attention to small things:

1. Let your brain rest. Turn off technology. You don’t have to watch the news, check e-mail or phone between dinner and bedtime. Try sitting alone for an hour, allowing your thoughts to calm down.

2. Meet a friend to do nothing. Just relax on the sofa together and eat chocolate.

3. Turn problems over to their rightful owners. Your in-laws and friends might have everything from speeding tickets to rebellious teens. Avoid carrying their problems around in your own mind.

“Just hearing other people’s problems takes away part of your emotional strength,” says one counselor. “Be careful about what you allow inside your brain.”

Slowing down to unwind will give you more energy. Honoring your own need to relax surely will pay off.