It’s 3pm and you know by the slump your body is feeling. You’re lethargic and can’t face the idea of two more hours of work. If you’re a stay at home mum, you’re focusing on the next few hours until your partner gets home or when the kids will be going to bed. You can beat that 3pm slump with the following tips.
Have a Healthy and Energy Boosting Snack
It’s okay to want a snack right now. In fact, your body likely needs the energy. Instead of focusing on telling yourself no, focus on giving your body the boost that it needs.
Bananas, nuts and seeds and vegetable sticks are great options for the 3pm snack. They breakdown over the next hour or so, so you’ll have energy until you get home and it’s dinner time.
Get Up and Walk Around
Sometimes, your body simply needs you to get moving around. Get up from your desk and have a wander around the office.
If your boss doesn’t like you doing this, take a trip to the bathroom or make people in the office a cup of coffee. They’ll all appreciate it and your body will recover from the slump.
Drop Your Head Between Your Legs
A quick fix for the 3pm slump is to get the blood rushing to your head. You will need to tip yourself upside down but it doesn’t mean you need to do a headstand somewhere in the office.
Pop your head between your legs and breathe in deeply. Just 20 seconds like this and you’ll feel ready to get on with work. Make sure your arms and legs are also allowed to hang down, relaxed.
Opt for the Green Tea
You may think that coffee will wake you up but it could actually have a negative effect. The amount of caffeine in coffee will quickly disappear and it makes the slump later feel worse.
The best thing to do is opt for green tea. This is lower in caffeine so the boost and slump won’t be as dramatic. Green tea is also beneficial in many other ways.
Get the Blood Flowing into Your Face
Have you ever found that slapping your cheeks seems to wake you up? This is because of the blood circulating to your face, which will help to get over the slump.
You don’t need to hit your cheeks hard; even pinching them will be enough.
Get Some Fresh Air
If your boss doesn’t have a problem with you taking a five minute break, step outside and get some fresh air. The air will really help you wake up and beat the 3pm sleeping feeling.
If your boss doesn’t want you going outside for a break, walk to an open window and stand there for five minutes. If he asks you why you’re doing that, let him know that it will make you more productive afterwards.
Think About Your Lunch
Have a lunch that doesn’t give the sudden slump at 3pm. This can be gained from low carbohydrate, high protein lunches.
Fibre and protein breakdown slower so you’ll have more energy for longer.