Where has my energy gone and how can I get it back?
This scenario may sound familiar:
“I have had time off over the holiday season. I ate well, played games, watched television, listened to music, exercised frequently and slept much more than usual. So, why am I still so tired and drained at the beginning of a new year following some good ‘rest’ away from work?”
This post focuses on some advice to help replenish energy levels with the right kind of rest.
A considerable part of the answer is not confusing sleep with rest. Sleep is not the same thing as rest and people often conflate the two and wonder why they are still energy sapped after getting more rest through sleep.

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, physician, researcher and the author of the book “Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity” talks about seven types of rest that we need to replenish our energy levels. Below we focus on five of the seven types of rest.
1. Physical Rest
2. Mental Rest
3. Create a space to work
It can be tempting to work from your bed or the sofa when at home, but people who already successfully work from home recommend that it is best not to do so. Set up an area in your home as a workstation to give you more of a feeling that you are in an office environment. This will also help you to avoid distractions, maintain good posture and leave the workday behind you at the end of the day.
4.Sensory Rest
5.Creative Rest
Many professions require brainstorming or finding creative solutions to problems. We also need rest from this creativity and a great way to replenish ourselves is to connect with nature and the great outdoors. It slows down our thought processes and provides the creative escapism the brain needs. The arts are another way to get creative rest. Wherever you work, either your workstation or room, you can put up artwork, design, pictures etc. to give your brain the creative rest it needs when you look at these. They are also often a useful source of inspiration for when it is time for that creativity to kick back in! Another useful piece of advice is to move between spaces where you work, if possible. The room or space where you take calls and write emails will not be as inspiring as a new space when you have to write, design or think creatively – a window with a view, plants, works of art all help to reignite and engage energy levels.
You can watch Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s TEDxAtlanta talk, from which this post was adapted, below:
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