If you feel zapped of energy far too often and you don’t know why, the root causes are more often mental than physical.

There are several physical causes you should consider. Yet there many more causes for low energy that stem from non-physical causes. And there are many things you can do to improve low energy.

Physical Causes

Tired of feeling tired and run down? If so, you’d be wise to look at both physical and other common causes for low energy. A physical cause can be discovered by your physician. The more common of these physical causes I would consider are these:

• Low thyroid hormone.
• Congestive heart failure (lack of blood-flow capacity).
• Anemia (lack of oxygen-carrying capacity).
• Adrenal fatigue (lack of cortisol).
• Chronic viral infection (such as hepatitis C).
• Insomnia (with resultant daytime fatigue).
• Hypoglycemia (transient low blood sugar spells).
• Overweight.
• Too much refined/processed food and lack of whole foods/fresh produce.

Eating poorly is the most common physical cause for low energy. It goes hand in hand with a sedentary lifestyle.

Shift to better eating by habits by fresh juice feasting and drinking lots of fruit smoothies. (You can add nuts, eggs and stevia to make smoothies into complete meals.)

For better nutrition, go off these particular food categories in particular: dairy, refined sugar and bread products. Then get yourself an exercise routine with great music (iPod shuffles cost less than $50), and you’ll see your energy spiral upward for sure.

Although physical causes for low energy can slow you down, behavioral and emotional sources most commonly are to blame for zapping energy.

Energy Zappers

What’s in your mind, your feelings and, as result, in every cell of your body is usually the cause of low energy. What you think and how you feel are your reality.

When you first open your eyes in the morning, there is a “feeling tone.” It’s that moment when you are first aware that a new day is upon you. Notice the feeling at that moment, and you will discover if mood is to blame for low energy. A happy feeling tells you that your mood is generally good. Alternatively, a feeling of uncertainty or fear tells you that your mood deserves a boost. Be honest with yourself.

You can shift into a feeling tone of confidence and happiness, which will translate into more energy if mood is your main reason for low energy.

Here’s how: The five minutes when you first wake up are vital to the entire day. Visualize what makes you really happy. Keep your focus on it and allow good feelings to flow into your body. Imagine yourself doing and loving the performance of what brings you joy.

Be sure to focus on the good feelings while you see this picture in your mind. This requires letting go of doubts that what you visualize can be a reality, and it allows fulfilling possibilities to flow into you. Even if you spend only a few moments dreaming about happiness, your dreams eventually take some form of reality.

This gives you the energy to know you are following a passion you really enjoy. The emotional fuel for this energy is a renewable resource. Physical energy may seem to run down as we age, but emotional energy can increase.

Relationships

Think about the relationship that is the one that dominates your feeling tone. If you have at least one good relationship in your life, you can focus on that one and let the good feelings from it flood your mind and body. At the same time, let go of the fight inside you toward all others, because holding on to that fight drains your energy.

Let’s imagine you and your spouse decide to go out for the evening together. You both have plenty of energy while you are preparing yourselves for the evening. Your spouse is even playing upbeat music. As you start your drive together to the city, however, a negative feeling (from a discussion) is thrown into your enthusiasm and suddenly your energy drops. You go to dinner; but instead of going dancing with friends afterward as planned, you both decide to just go home to bed early.

What killed your physical energy? Did you let your discussion turn into negative feelings? It is easy to create a bad mood between you when a simple sentence is spoken without caution, turning into ill feelings that kill your energy. Had you both simply not taken offense (let it go, let the other person be “right” and keep focused on the positive), such energy-draining moods would never develop. The perfect relationship can be the one that takes time and patience and soon becomes a source of emotional fuel.

Other ways that your energy can be drained:

• Being over-committed with duties and responsibilities.
• Allowing others’ expectations to run your life.
• Believing another’s critical views of you.
• Guilt and shame. (Remember that your past is only for you to learn from; it’s not true of you now, if you keep it in perspective.)
• Comparing yourself (with envy) to others’ good fortune, then criticizing yourself.
• Worry or chronic fear.

I’m sure there are a multitude of distressing feelings that can drain energy. You must be willing to take an honest look at them and free yourself. Then, you’ll have passion and energy again. You need to experience pleasure and fun often. Great music, great friends, new experiences, prayers with feeling and positive anticipation will fuel your energy.

To feeling good for more energy in life,

Michael Cutler, M.D.
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