health and wellbeing
Feeling fatigued?
words by
peter barlogh // go vita tanunda
We all get a bit tired from time to time. If you need an energy boost, here are some ideas to consider.
What do you mean when you say you’re tired? For an experience that’s so familiar to us all, fatigue is a surprisingly complex topic, and can mean different things to different people.
A good way to summarise it is that fatigue or tiredness is a state in which you have reduced capacity for activities that require effort – like your job, parenting, household chores, socialising or exercising.
Fatigue is often a natural, healthy state.
For example, the drowsiness we feel as bedtime draws near is a normal experience that occurs after you’ve spent hours meeting the mental and physical demands of your day.
On the other hand, tiredness can sometimes be symptomatic of underlying health problems, so it’s important to consult your healthcare professional for further investigation if your fatigue isn’t relieved by rest; is brought on by only a small degree of effort; has developed suddenly; is associated with physical symptoms; or interferes with your daily activities.
In many cases though, fatigue is the result of lifestyle choices such as our sleep, diet and exercise habits.
A healthy lifestyle is the foundation of optimal health and the vitality it brings to the body and mind, so if you’ve been feeling fatigued, it might be time to nourish yourself!
Start by embracing the four pillars of health:
- Consume plenty of fresh food, ideally in harmony with the seasons.
- Enjoy regular physical activity, ideally in nature, since breathing fresh air is a great way to enhance your qi and get it moving around your body.
- Create a balance between work and play in which you prioritise optimal amounts of rest and relaxation.
- Take good care of your emotional and mental wellbeing, e.g. connect with the people you love.
Power up with these herbs for vitality:
- Korean ginseng to relieve fatigue and increase energy and physical endurance based on its traditional use in Chinese medicine.
- Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic (Indian) adaptogen herb that improves the body’s ability to adapt to stress. In Ayurvedic medicine, ashwagandha is traditionally used to support a healthy stress response and is used as a rejuvenating tonic.
- Astragalus, which is traditionally used to improve immune defences and help reduce the frequency of common colds in Chinese medicine, as well as to increase vitality and help the body cope with stress
- Reishi Mushroom which is traditionally taken to enhance immunity as well as relieve tiredness and general feelings of weakness in Chinese medicine.
