
Ask HN: What do you do when you are lethargic? - wemysh
Sometimes - like today - I am not interested in anything. I just feel lethargic. I walk around, try to sleep, try to work, try to lift some weights... nothing works. I&#x27;m just bored. I play computer games and feel bad for wasting time that I could use to build my startup, do sports, plan a holiday or whatever. But I simply find no energy for any of these tasks.<p>I know that in a day or two I will be full of energy again. Maybe even later on today. But these lethargic moments come often. Once every few days I guess. Any Ideas how to approach this kind of situation?
======
revx
So, a few things here that I've discovered in my own fight against this kind
of lethargy & depression.

1\. Eat food. Eat good, healthy food on a regular schedule. The willpower
center of your brain takes a LOT of calories to run, and if you don't fuel it,
you'll find yourself paralyzed by laziness. Make sure the calories you ingest
are solid ones - protien, fat, sugar. Not HFCS or other forms of fructose,
since it messes with your insulin and makes you feel full even when you
aren't.

2) If you are male, check your orgasm and pron consumption. For myself, if
I've orgasmed in the last three days, I get a kind of empty, grey fuzz feeling
that feels a lot like depression. As someone who's fought mild depression, one
of the best ways for me has been to regulate my sexuality and orgasm only when
I know I don't need to do anything the next day. Track your energy and your
sex drive, and see if there's a correlation - I bet the results will speak for
themselves.

3) Sleep on a schedule. Caffeine doesn't count. It's painful and it takes
willpower and it sucks but that's life. I solved this one by getting married
to a woman who keeps a very strict sleep schedule (ymmv :P )

4) Organize your time. Follow pomodoro or a one hour on-one hour off time. If
you find yourself "half-working" (sitting at your computer pretending to work
but really browsing HN and Reddit). Get up. Go outside. Walking and standing
are good for your health and your creativity.

5) Find a friend or partner who energizes you. Someone who you can hang out
with and have crazy ideas and good conversation. If you don't have someone
like this, start by making acquaintances at a local club or meetup.

6) Rest. Understand that recuperating your strength for a day isn't going to
wreck your chances at becoming the next great startup CEO. It's okay to give
yourself a break, before you break.

Hope this helps :)

~~~
porker
And I thought I was the only one who had post-orgasm depressive/flat feelings!

~~~
revx
I don't have a source right now but I think people have written about it since
the ancient Romans!

I think it happens to pretty much everyone, we as society just don't talk
about sexuality or depression enough to put the two together.

------
josscrowcroft
I clean my living space, clear out old baggage and remnants of old identities,
to make space for the new. Lethargy seems to come when I am ready to let go
even more and allow life to show me my next steps, but I need to listen to the
message.

In the depression/anxiety/lethargy space I find it's not time for any major
life breakthroughs.

The biggest breakthrough for me is finding the initial half ounce of mojo to
begin the space-clearing and space-claiming process... whether washing a
single dish, throwing an old piece of clothing, deleting an email I'll never
get around to replying to.

Then, doing it again, and again, one damn t-shirt at a time.

Soon the momentum picks up and the clearing happens by itself.

Also, for me generally the only way out is through - I find it starts with
acceptance of this moment as it is, so I'm careful to not add my judgments
("This should not be happening", "I fucked up", etc.) to the situation, but
instead hold the lethargic/anxious/depressed parts of me in kindness. Not
trying to change anything about them.

From that starting place of self-kindness I can take a breath, dust myself
off, and begin taking one simple, tiny action – not to make anything happen
but only to make space for the new and invite it in.

I ask myself often: Which old junk am I ready to let go of to make space for
the new? I don't need to know what the new is, just trust life and start
throwing away the shitty t-shirts.

~~~
qzcx
+1 for cleaning. Really helps me when I get into a slump. Something mindless,
but productive with clear results. Lets my mind process whatever it is that is
slowing me down.

------
hellofunk
I think sustained cardiovascular activity is the best thing. Not weight
lifting, but running, swimming, or fast walking, biking, any of those things.
Seriously, it works. Also, getting the blood moving in that way tends to
inspire many great ideas; many influential people throughout history
associated active body movement with good ideas.

~~~
dylanjermiah
Weight lifting is a form of cardiovascular work.

~~~
hellofunk
Weight lifting is rarely a sustained form of heightened heart activity in the
way the other examples are. Yes it works your heart, but there are usually
many relatively motionless pauses between short sets, as opposed to the
constant push on your heart that accompanies more traditional forms of cardio
work. Not a knock against weight lifting, just emphasizing a different type of
heart activity.

~~~
merpnderp
Aren't those pauses usually people standing around trying to catch their
breath, with their pulses coming down from the 180 they hit while doing a set?

Isn't weight lifting more like doing a 40m sprint, then slowly walking back to
do it again?

~~~
hellofunk
My recommendation to the OP, since it was asked, is to engage in sustained
cardiovascular activity, where the heart rate is elevated at a consistent
rate. I'm not saying weight lifting doesn't have its strengths (no pun
intended!) but it's not the type of cardio activity that _I 'm_ suggesting,
for the same reason as what you've just mentioned: the idea is not to push
your heart to an extreme and let the pulse "come down"... it's to get your
heart to an elevated rate and keep it there consistently for a long stretch.
For that type of activity, weight lifting is not the answer. For other types
of goals, it very well may be.

------
scrollaway
It's ok to be lethargic sometimes. If it's very regular it could be a symptom
of something else (maybe psychological; depression, general lack of
motivation), so maybe you can talk to a therapist about it.

Go for a run? If you don't have the energy to run, go for a walk. If you're
not going to do anything during the day, might as well enjoy the sun and visit
new places.

~~~
neltnerb
I wholeheartedly agree with this. Sometimes you feel lethargic, sometimes you
feel inspired. The best thing to do is enjoy the heck out of the lethargic
times and avoid judging yourself too harshly -- you're only human.

Over time you can try to identify things that lengthen lethargic periods, and
things that inspire you, and try to build those. However, there is absolutely
nothing wrong with being demotivated from time to time. I just see it as a
natural recharge time between inspired times.

Some things that I find bring on inspired times:

\- Sit around and disconnect from the internet. Boredom is _fantastic_ as a
motivational tool.

\- Exercise.

\- Do nice things for your friends and family. Invite people over for dinner,
play board games, mow your grandmothers' lawn. Or just write them a letter.

------
cdvonstinkpot
I just accept & go with it, understanding that it won't last. I wait for
motivation to come & eventually it does- then I take care of my to-do list.

Living with depression, which causes much of these types of feelings, I've
learned not to force anything- as it usually doesn't work. So I just wait for
the cycle to move on & am grateful to have energy when I do.

------
ggordan
I often find that just getting out of the house (going through that process of
showering, getting dress etc..) helps a lot. If 'walk around' implies just
walking around your house, I'd suggest trying that.

~~~
hellofunk
I agree. Getting out of the house is great in general, especially for people
who work at home (in case that applies). Fresh air alone is worth it, and good
for your health. As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate just how
important fresh air really is to the body and mind. And there is never
anything fresh about the air in your house. And when you do get out, the
stimulation of the world around gets you out of your own head and can be
enough sometimes to break the static blah that has been laid over your
thoughts.

~~~
halotrope
+1 fresh air !

------
ylg
1\. Food, as already said, but so very important it bears repeating. I've
found there's nothing like a lack of available chemical energy (or water to
facilitate the reactions) to drag down my kinetic expenditure. Just being
aware of this is helpful, e.g., "I don't feel like doing anything… Wait, I
haven't eaten right today… OK, time to fight through that now that I know the
cause isn't some cosmic force outside my control!"

2\. I've found I've a strong connection to musical context, i.e., when my ass
is dragging, playing tunes I have listened to while doing things I find fun
(in my case, careening down mountains on bikes with earbuds in) can give me a
good jolt out of a lethargic moment.

3\. Redirect the slack. Few time-wasters out there compare with surfing the
web. So, if I'm falling down that rabbit-hole, I surf to find things I find
motivating and energizing, e.g., reading about the training regimes of
athletes I admire, or find youtube clips of them demonstrating significant
badassery, or finding training clips I can follow (I've been enjoying Ryan
Leech's 30 Day Wheelie Challenge lately.)

4\. Take a nap. In the sun if possible.

5\. Listen to Car Talk (while eating some proper food, but be careful with
liquids that can come back through the nose.)

6\. Smile. If you can't do #5, just plaster a big, fake grin on your face. I
find it rare my brain doesn't say "hey, we're smiling here, crap we must be
happy and energized and I just missed the memo, time to get on that!"

------
ogreveins
You may want to try sunshine or bright lights.
[http://lesswrong.com/user/chaosmage/overview/](http://lesswrong.com/user/chaosmage/overview/)

Other than that I can only think that you're not properly motivated. I don't
know much about clinical depression so this may be obtuse but let's assume you
were being tortured; burned, whipped, fingernail removal, whatever. Would you
do everything in your power to get out of that situation? Well right now
you're comfortable. There are no pressing matters and you have pretty much
whatever you need from day to day. That emotional inertia that was there when
you began working on your startup isn't there. There are also no new stimuli
to spur you back into motion. So the only thing you can do is rest until your
comfort level with your progress drops enough for you to get back into gear. I
don't know, there's a very good chance I'm projecting from my own past
experiences.

The only solution I've found which works for me every day is to get angry.
Angry about what other people have done that I haven't done. Angry about what
other people have that I don't have. Angry about not using my talents to the
fullest - not seeing what I'm capable of doing. Angry about being told no, I
can't. My progress is fueled by rage and my heart will probably pop by age 50
but I will get my work done. I will never allow myself to be comfortable.

Good luck, whatever you do.

------
lepunk
For years I was only living for work. No girlfriend, no hobbies, virtually no
sleep, nothing. Gradually I became burnt out, depressed and pretty fat for
that matter. My productivity and the quality of my output declined as well

After a while I realized that this is not sustainable and I have to do
something. I started to focus on weight loss since the results are easily
measurable and I felt if I succeed that will give me positive encouragement to
improve other parts of my life. Started off with simple changes. Started
walking home from work (about 6km) instead of taking the bus every day. During
my walks I listened to my favorite tracks or just walked in silence and
thought about stuff that I wouldn't normally spend time thinking about. The
change in my day to day mood was measurable even after the first week.

After a while I started doing yoga at home following YouTube videos and
started meditating regularly. Yoga, besides having positive health effects
(flexibility, weight loss) teaches you about being aware of your body and it's
needs. I noticed that after a couple of weeks I started eating way healthier
and drinking way more water (these days I do at least 3 liters / day) and way
less alcohol.

In six months I lost over 26 kilos, which is obviously really nice but what is
even better that I feel happier in general and more confident in myself. My
life is not revolving around my work anymore. This new found self awareness
also had positive effect on my professional life. I'm thinking more clearly,
my code quality is better and I solve problems faster than ever.

------
contingencies
Sometimes it's natural to take a break, don't beat yourself up about it! Try
to stay positive instead of stressing yourself about output. If you can't
manage your psychology around it, try searching for 'psychology of rest' or
'creativity and rest' or something else likely to turn up positive results
about random breaks, then convince yourself you're taking the most pragmatic
approach!

------
super_mario
Vigorous aerobic exercise does wonders for your mood and it doesn't have to be
that long. Half an hour will do the trick. Make sure you raise your HR to
above 80% of your HRmax. This does wonders for your brain, it makes it produce
BDNF, which helps you learn and retain memories better too, and improves your
mood.

I know it can be really hard to make yourself do it, esp. when you feel down,
but after you are done, you will be asking yourself what were you objecting to
in the first place.

If you want to learn more about the link between exercise and brain health
read "Brain Rules" by Dr. John Medina or watch his Google talk by the same
name:

[https://youtu.be/IK1nMQq67VI](https://youtu.be/IK1nMQq67VI)

He also has "Baby Brain Rules" on parenting techniques to help your new baby
get a good start (some of the stuff you need to do way before you even get
pregnant/decide to have a child).

------
DanBC
Rule out thyroid problems (simple bloodtest) amd sleep problems.

Then focus on diet and exercise.

~~~
CmonDev
_" Sometimes"_ not _always_.

~~~
DanBC
What?

------
rrss1122
Have a little coffee for a quick pick-me-up. I just drink little by little
till I don't need to any more. I try to keep the coffee to an absolute
minimum, and save it till I'm really feeling lethargic.

------
Thriptic
Are these feelings correlated with anything? Do you feel this way after a
particularly tough time at work? Do you feel underlying anxiety about your
startup?

I generally ascribe to the "show up and do something" philosophy on days like
the one you're describing. I tell myself that I can have the rest of the day
off guilt free if I just do one task that I've been meaning to get done. For
me the biggest challenge to working is starting, so generally once I start
working on that one task, I find new energy and will continue working once I
finish it.

------
azernik
Take a break! Sleep, go out to a park and lie down in the sun, whatever makes
you feel like you're not struggling to motivate yourself. Don't do leisure
activities like computer games if they make you feel bored and unfulfilled -
that'll just make you lethargic _and_ depressed, in my experience.

If this is a regular problem for you, the time to address it is when you're
feeling "up" \- get exercise, get enough sleep (even if that involves midday
naps, and I'm sure many other things that people can suggest).

------
halotrope
I have similar dynamics where phases total lethargy are often followed by
episodes of surprising energy. I can second that exercise and the lack thereof
can seriously affect your mental wellbeing. Watching sleep hygiene, excise and
diet are important. Also check if you might be suffering from depression.
Apart from that I have to say that I personally like this alternation and
resting. If it does not feel awful for you maybe just accept this as your
nature :)

------
shreyas056
I suggest you get tested for psychiatric diseases like Bipolar or depression.
I used to have similar mood swings and a year ago I went into major
depression. I consulted a psychiatrist and got diagnosed with Bipolar disorder
and depression. The mood swings were due to Bipolar. Now after one year of
treatment and still going, I am having less mood swings. Depression has pretty
much gone away too. But general lack of motivation still persists.

------
louithethrid
Go for a walk. When not enough energy for that, draw something, create
something, that takes no huge mental effort, just a wandering mind.

Usually when i get lethargic it means something is wrong with my enviroment,
nothing new, everything run of the mill and other people have allready down
it. In that case- try to automatize it or find out how one could do that .

------
wozmirek
Put on your fav music and dance when nobody sees you. I do it really often. I
hate running, though I really enjoy cycling and dancing - managed to dance for
like 6 hours to happy hardcore at a rave once, while I detest the 10-min
running warmup before a lifting session (love lifting!). And yeah, go outside
every single day if you're WFH.

------
maxlamb81
Sometimes it can mean you are dehydrated or suffer from sleep Apnea. I would
try drinking a quart of cold water, take a cold shower, eat a meal with
complex carbs, veggies and lean protein. Get at least 8 hours of sleep.

------
stephengillie
Just do the first step. Just one step at a time. Get the notebook open. Open
the program. Stare at it for a while. Think and meditate. Remember why you
like to do this. Get yourself caught up into it.

------
fit2rule
I put some music on. This always snaps me out of it. Of course, it depends
what sort of music. Loud, obnoxious, and appealing. Something I haven't heard
in a while.

------
Bostonian
Can you do necessary things that don't need inspiration, such as respond to
email, pay bills, or clean your office?

------
abramN
coconut oil and a b vitamin - works wonders for energy. But sometimes your
brain needs a break - give it one. There are times when I don't want to do a
darn thing, and I have to fight the feelings of guilt that come with that.
But, why feel guilty? Are we meant to be productive 24/7?

------
marcosdumay
Aren't you just tired?

If you are, stopping feeling guilty because the time is not productive will
help a lot.

------
asantash
often, it's discipline over motivation. having a routine helps to actually get
you up and doing activities during the day. then the small accomplishments
accumulate to motivation returning. break things into small tasks, and
socialize.

------
justin_d
coffee

------
98Windows
Try noFap and meditation.

------
jalayir
Read!

------
hockeybias
I do some exercise or something that makes me feel productive:

    
    
       - Clean the house a bit
       - Do some yard work
       - Get some exercise (bike ride or stretching & 7-minute workout)
    

I find that if I do any of the above - especially if I am NOT in the mood to!
- makes me feel a lot better!

