Tired? It's in your head... or at least some of it is

I'm exhausted this morning. I had a semi-long run yesterday morning after a fairly late night on Saturday and then made the mistake that I make WAY too often, of not hitting the pillow early last night and now I'm paying for it. (Someday hopefully I'll learn:) ) But as I sit in Starbucks hoping the caffeine will soon kick in, I am reminded that a great portion of how we feel (tired/energetic, happy/sad, anxious/peaceful) is our decision. Granted, that decision isn't always an easy one to make and there are numerous factors that determine how able we are to choose the healthier option, but still, the decision is ultimately ours.

So even though I feel tired today, I've decided I'm going to let it make me feel exhausted, depressed or lethargic. I'm going to continue with my day as though I'm feeling great. What I've experiences in the past is that when we live this way (with the expectation that things are/will be great) they usually end up that way.

Please don't misread me here to think I'm suggesting you don't need to get sleep or take care of yourself because you can just think your way out of exhaustion, depression or anxiety. That's certainly not true. However, I AM saying that your mind is an INCREDIBLY powerful thing. More powerful than most of us give it credit for. So if you possess one of the most powerful tools in the world (your mind) than doesn't it make sense to make sure it's working FOR you and not AGAINST you?

So if you're tired today; wake up! Decide today is going to be a great day. Decide to be effective, upbeat and productive. Decide that you won't allow your feelings to determine your actions, but rather your thoughts. You can't always control how you feel, but you CAN always control what you think. And thoughts lead to feelings. So don't try to feel yourself out of fatigue or exhaustion, BEHAVE your way out of it. Then tonight, when it's 9:00 and you're tired but your favourite TV show is on and you feel the urge to stay up and watch it, or you see that last load of laundry and want to get it done before you go to bed, resist and get some sleep. Your body will thank you and best of all, your decision to be productive, happy and energetic tomorrow will be a much easier one to make:)

Have a great day!