How to Beat an Afternoon Slump đ´
Oh, the dreaded afternoon slump đ You know what Iâm talking about - that after lunchtime feeling when your eyelids get heavy, your brain gets foggy, and youâre reaching for a 3:00 PM hit of cold brew even though you KNOW youâll regret it later.
Iâve been really intentional with how I spend my afternoons lately and my work has been better and so has my mental health. We hear about morning and evening routines all the time but I think we need to start getting serious about afternoon routines, too!
Keep reading this post to learn:
â 5 tips that will help you create a routine that will beat an afternoon slump
There are 2 things you need to do before you build your afternoon routine. The first thing you have to do is decide when you can do an afternoon routine and how much time you have to dedicate to one. Even if you only have 15 minutes for a break because of someone else creating your schedule for you, make the most of that 15 minutes instead of complaining about not having as long of a break as someone else, ya know? Okay, sassy Jess, check, lol.
The second thing you need to do is decide what you want the purpose or focus of your routine to be? And you can totally copy mine (to re-energize). Once youâve decided your when and why, here areâŚ
5 tips for creating an afternoon routine to beat the slump:
01. Eat food that is real.
Meal prep if you need to but PLEASE donât depend on TV dinners or a bag of chips to sustain you. You cannot eat processed food and expect to have energy, ya know? When I was working 3 jobs, I budgeted for a meal delivery service to help me with this. My personal training days taught me that the food we eat affects our energy levels so choose food that supports you! Set yourself up for success by eating real food.
02. Take a technology break.
Put the phone/laptop/tablet down and let your brain decompress a little bit. Your eyeballs will thank you and I promise you are not missing anything that wonât be there in 20 minutes. Taking a little break from technology gives your mind time to decompress and reset.
03. Move your body.
Now Iâm not saying that you need to go to the gym necessarily - going on a little 5-minute prayer walk is how I move my body during this time. Moving your body in some capacity is going to boost your energy in a natural way. Do 5 minutes of stretching behind your desk, walk around the parking lot at your job, just get your booty moving a little bit and let those endorphins flow. Bonus points if you get fresh air while you move!
04. Make a beverage that gives you âcleanâ energy rather than jittery energy.
I know itâs SO tempting to hit that Starbs drive-thru and get a shot of espresso or a cold brew BUT I AM TELLING YOU that is hurting you in the long run when it comes to managing an afternoon slump. Itâs a quick fix in the moment, sure, but we all know that post-high caffeine intake crash that follows and she ainât pretty. Try a new afternoon beverage that supports clean energy!
If you follow me over on Instagram, shameless plug, @jessmmassey, you know that Iâve recently cut way back on caffeine, and my go-to for clean energy is the Coffee SuperLatte by Clevr Blends. It has 55 mg of caffeine and I only have ½ a serving at a timeâŚone serving in the morning and one serving in the afternoon.
Itâs called a SuperLatte because theyâre full of healing adaptogens, probiotics, and creamy oat milk powder. I love them because they taste amazing and they donât make me jittery or anxious like I feel when I drink too much espresso. I drink Clevr every single day, usually 2-3 times a day, and now I can never live without it, lol. If you wanna give it a try, I do have a discount code (and no they are not sponsoring this post, I wish, lol).
You can use HUSTLESANELY15 at checkout for 15% off â click here to check out Clevr!
05. Do one thing that brings you joy.
For me, this is reading fiction. Reading is one of my favorite things to do and itâs always something I look forward to in the afternoon. Maybe for you, itâs walking your dog, or practicing your lettering on your iPad, or finishing an episode of your fave show, or calling your BFF...whatever it is just do a little something that brings you joy in the middle of the day!
If you enjoyed this post, tune into episode 097 of The Hustle Sanely Podcast to listen into this topic:
