The Power of Movement

Chances are, you’ve been feeling or likely have recently felt like a blob. That sluggish, lethargic feeling is understandable – spending so much time indoors, in front of a screen, and being limited to interacting with others virtually sucks a lot of energy out of people, even if it doesn’t require a lot of activity.

This blob-like feeling doesn’t just suck the energy out of you, but it can also make you feel really bad, and even trigger mental illness symptoms. You may experience guilt because you don’t have the energy to work, despite being in your designated workplace, and you may get anxious because you aren’t being as productive as you feel like you should be. There is also a link between fatigue and depression, so if you are already feeling tired and guilty as a result, your depressive symptoms may also get triggered, leaving you in the frozen, lazy spot.

While there’s no “cure” to this lethargy necessarily, doing little active things where you can almost feels like a jolt to the system. You may feel the pressure to be in one place at all times, especially if you’re in school or work and feel like you have to be in front of your screen, but two minutes away is not the end of the world and despite those anxious feelings that you might get called out or fired or lectured by your teacher and/or boss, you are likely to find yourself feeling even more productive and in the zone by the time you return to your workplace. It may also be tough to snap out of that depressive haze if you’re feeling tired and blob-like, but setting a goal and knowing that you are very likely to see an improvement in how you feel can motivate you to simply get up and pace back and forth in your room.

The movement can be anything. Though we just listed pacing back and forth, you can also stand next to your desk or bed and do some stretches, go to the kitchen to get a glass of water, or even make the journey to your bathroom to splash some water on your face. 

As humans, we aren’t supposed to be frozen in one place for an extended period of time, much less expected to do substantial amounts of work. Taking breaks where you can, and using those breaks to get your muscles moving can make more of a difference than we realize, especially mentally. Giving yourself that (very brief) time just for you, to do whatever you want, as long as you’re moving, is needed.

What have you been doing just for yourself during school and/or work hours? Do you give yourself breaks? Do you find yourself spending too much time in front of a screen without breaks? How does this affect you?