Get Your Buzz Back

Revive your emotional energy with something you enjoy

Maybe you cry. Maybe you snap. Maybe you feel like you just.... can’t. Or you’re getting that insidious urge to put something off to a mythical “tomorrow.’’ These are sure signs that you’ve lost your emotional energy, the sense of well-being and upbeat optimism that invigorates you and also imbues those around you with some of your can-do, want-to, life-loving sparkle.

When we’re low on emo, “Everything becomes a to-do list, whether it’s showing up for the people you love or doing the things you love,” says Jude English, teacher and director of yoga at New York City’s Exhale. So not only do you feel disconnected and overwrought but others notice, too. As New York-based therapist Karen Sherman points out, an overwhelmed mother who rushes home and distractedly greets her children isn’t really on the case. The children can sense her distraction and “feel rejected,” Sherman says, “That mother would have done better to sit in her car for 5 minutes, closed her eyes or listened to a song she loved, and then gone in the house, ready to interact.”

The good news is that it takes far less time to recharge than it does to burn out. Getting back to your yoga practice can make all the difference. So can making the right decisions when faced with many seemingly minor choices that we face every day. Here are some common edible either-ors, and how to choose the alternative that will increase your emotional energy, so you’ll feel empowered and in charge. Call it the Energy Showdown; you just might be surprised at what’s good for you.

The Energy Showdown: Food and Drink

Wine or herbal tea?  Cheers! Sure, a nice chamomile tea can be soothing, but a glass of wine can be that and more. Liz Applegate, M.D., director of sports nutrition at the University of California at Davis, advises sticking to one glass only, but adds, “If you enjoy the taste and a glass has a mild effect on feeling good, then that’s what you deserve.”

Snack or abstain between meals? Go for it. Calories give you energy; hunger weakens the spirit as well as the stomach. And some sweet, juicy fruit or even a piece of chocolate can also serve as a treat you give yourself. The caveats: Show restraint—one chocolate is treat enough--and then make sure you skip the remorse course. Beating yourself up about that chocolate will sink you right back into the emotional energy pit.

High carbs or high fat? You make the call. “Studies about emotional eating show that carbs soothe some people, while others go for fat or protein,” says Applegate (she craves cheese when she’s stressed). “Trust that you know what makes you feel better, and then just keep the portions in check.”