Occupational Therapist tips on how to manage your energy levels

If you’re having difficulty managing your energy levels, occupational therapy can help.

There are steps you can take to help you manage day-to-day and do more with the energy you have. Penny Firshman, an occupational therapist who has co-written a new, free guide about managing your energy levels for The Royal College of Occupational Therapists, has shared some of her expert tips.

For more information or to find a registered occupational therapist, visit rcot.co.uk.

1. Pace, plan and prioritise (also known as the 3Ps)

Using this approach can help you do the things you need and want to do in your life. It helps you to manage your energy levels by adapting your activities and adopting new ways of doing them. It is useful to put aside some time and energy to really think about how these techniques can fit into your daily routine and work for you.

2. Pace

Pacing means breaking activities into smaller parts, or adjusting activities to reduce the amount of energy needed. Make sure you build proper rest breaks into all activities and in between all activities. For example, rather than climbing a whole staircase in one go, climb five steps at a time with a 30 second rest in between.

3. Plan

Plan ahead as much as possible and create routines. Think about times of day when you are least tired, and plan to do more strenuous things then. Keep items you need together and within easy reach and look for equipment that might help reduce effort. Equipment doesn’t mean you can’t manage something, use it to save your energy so you have it for other activities.

4. Prioritise

Prioritising the things you want and need to do helps you to have energy for those activities. Sometimes you may ask someone else to help or drop tasks, but remember that by saying no to one thing, you’re saying yes to something else you value more.

5. Rest your body

If possible, rest before you feel you need to. If you’re physically exhausted, then you probably needed to rest earlier. Planning rest breaks into activities before you start can help reduce how often you run out of energy. Rest your body by stopping the activity. Sometimes it may help to change activities. Different people need to rest in different positions. Your body can rest best in a supported position. Many find a seated position or lying down for a short period useful.

6. Rest your mind

Most of us find it difficult to rest our brains, but this is as important as resting the body. The brain uses a lot of energy, so find techniques that work for you to help rest your mind. This could be things like breathing exercises, relaxation, mindfulness, or listening to music.

7. Find support where you can

Be clear with yourself and others about what help would save you the most energy, so people know how best to support you. Be patient with yourself while working this out.

8. Monitor your energy levels

Keep a record of how you feel throughout the day and what activities you’ve been doing, including when you’re resting – you may see patterns of when you have the most or least energy and what activities take the most energy.

9. Think about the demands activities put on you

Different things impact on the amount of energy that an activity uses. This can be the activity itself or the environment that you complete the activity in. Things like the physical demands of standing or reaching; the mental demands of concentrating or speaking; sensory demands caused by noise, light and temperature; and emotional demands causing you to feel excited, stressed or upset.

Consider seeing an occupational therapist An occupational therapist works with you to help you overcome challenges completing everyday tasks or activities.

They create a practical, realistic and personal plan to help you achieve your goals. There are occupational therapists who specialise in managing energy levels and condition.