‘Tis a gift to be simple,
‘Tis a gift to be free,
‘Tis a gift to come down
Where we ought to be
And when we find ourselves
In the place that’s right
‘Twill be in the valley
Of love and delight
                                                           - Nineteenth-Century Shaker Hymn

Vani sat staring at her computer blankly. She looked at her watch. It was past one in the night. Sleeping late, or sometimes not sleeping at all, had become a habit. She reached for her cup of coffee, her tenth in the day.

She felt brain dead, no closer to the solution she had been wrestling with for the past four days. Her mind was moving around in tired circles. Sleep, she knew, was impossible although she desperately craved rest.

Does Vani’s condition ring a bell? Aren’t you all in some way    as career women, homemakers, or maybe both– burning your candle at both ends?

Most of you, like Vani, know: you’re giving everything you have to stay ahead.
Most of you, like Vani feel: you are working longer and harder to be successful, to be happy and healthy–but more often than ever, you’re tense and tired, stretched to the limit and scrambling for even the smallest things.
Most of you, like Vani need: ways and methods to ignite your energy, expand your mind, bring more enjoyment into your days and revitalise your relationships.
Most of you like Vani deserve: to accomplish and enjoy more of whatever matters most in your life.
Vani is living life in the fast lane. She is running on overload, powered by adrenaline. She, like many of you, feels guilty if she is not working all the time.
In the words of a song, all you need to do is “Slow down, you’re moving too fast, you have to let the moment last”.

Recognise the signs of stress and hyperactiveness

• You jump up whenever you hear the phone ring.
• You are constantly checking your mail with a feeling of anxiety
• You need to keep doing something all the time. Even if you have finished your housework, you will still find a cupboard to clean, or a bed to straighten
• Your mind is constantly plagued with thoughts that keep you awake in the night. You find it difficult to sleep
• You are constantly distracted through the day. You find it difficult to focus, as you have to do a hundred and one things at a time

It’s time to take matters in your own hands. After all, it’s your life, which is on line here.
Stop being at everybody’s beck and call and adopt some simple techniques to restore your energy level. Take steps to limit your dependence on adrenaline.

Carefully study your habits and behaviour patterns. Make a note of it in your diary.
For example, keep a count of the number of cups of tea and coffee you consume in a day.
Cut back on caffeine consciously as it tends to deplete your energy.

Record your progress in your faithful journal and keep a track of all the other changes that you make in your lifestyle as significant to what you have achieved.

Practise relaxation techniques. Take a series of ten-minute breaks through the day to help distance you from life’s noises and distractions.
This will promote greater clear-mindedness and awareness. Relaxation does not imply depleted energy or dulled senses. It implies a state of restful alertness. It is profound and revitalising.

Select a quiet place and comfortable position. Allow yourself to relax totally and focus on your breathing. Take a deep breath; fill your abdomen, your middle and upper chest. Hold this breath for a moment, then slowly let it go, imagining as you breathe out, you’re breathing all unnecessary tension out of your body.
This takes just five minutes. Make this a daily and sacred ritual and watch your tension dissipate. Link this practice to your day to day activities.
Practise deep breathing before settling down to your desk, at lunchtime, while watching television, or doing the laundry. As you increase the frequency, you will increase your energy.

Watch your diet carefully. Your energy level depends to a large extent on what you eat. Don’t scrimp on food or just grab a bite. Eat a balanced meal.

Work off your nervous energy with brisk walks. You do not have to run a mile or have formal fitness sessions in the gym. Any kind of muscular activity –such as walking up a flight of stairs or down a nearby hallway or taking a five-minute ‘mini-walk’can immediately increase your energy and alertness.

Taking care of yourself becomes the number one challenge in a world that demands the most from you. Learn to cultivate habits that allow you to relax and slow down; which will protect your body and soul from burning out.