13 Ways To Beat The Afternoon Slump
Updated: Mar. 20, 2019
After a delicious lunch and a morning of hard work, the afternoon work slump arrives and can stop you in your tracks. It’s tough to beat, but we’ve got 13 tricks and tips to help you feel more energized and be more productive for the rest of the day.
1. Get Outside
Getting outside for even 10 minutes and sitting in the sunlight can make all the difference. Head outdoors and spend some of your time eating lunch, and the rest of your time going for a walk. Doing this will help reset your chronological clock, keep down the amount of melatonin (the sleep hormone) your body produces during this circadian dip and give you a valuable boost of beneficial Vitamin D, reducing your risk of osteoporosis as well as various cancers.
2. Watch What You Eat
Avoid eating carbohydrates, which can zap your energy, and replace them with some protein. Try making a tuna salad without the bread, like this one, or a green salad with hardboiled egg instead of a pasta salad. These slight changes can make all the difference.
3. Have Teatime
A mid-afternoon cup helps beat the sluggishness but does not give the same buzz (and therefore crash) of highly caffeinated coffee. Try out a selection of herbal or exotic teas with some caffeine to help glide you through the afternoon.
4. Tidy Up
Cleaning up your desk as well as your email will help you feel refreshed. Being bogged down by the physical and electronic clutter can be very draining. There is a benefit to this as you will feel energized after accomplishing a task you can see.
5. Make a Phonecall
Having a quick. 5-minute chat with someone close to you, whether it’s your friend, partner, siblings, or parents, gives you the break your mind needs and provides the motivation to finish your work for the afternoon.
6. Get Minty
Adding a drop of peppermint oil to your hands and rubbing them together, as well as over your face (not in your eyes!). Enjoy the energizing scent of peppermint.
7. Stretch!
Try rolling your shoulders forwards and backwards or another stretch that makes you feel a little looser. Taking two minutes to truly concentrate on your breathing and the stretch is a great afternoon break.
8. Eat Some Dark Chocolate
Don’t use it as an excuse to overindulge, but a little piece of dark chocolate can make for a sweet and satisfying snack. There are advantages to dark chocolate, as opposed to milk chocolate. The abundant fibre, magnesium, antioxidants, and healthy fat are all perks of this guilt-free treat. The tinge of caffeine and overwhelming feeling of decadence as it melts in your mouth will make you want to work extra hard.
9. Chew on Something Spicy
Spicy gum, such as strong mint or cinnamon flavours, are stimulating. Simply chewing on these flavours can help reactivate the brian.
10. Plan an Afternoon Activity
Plan an activity with workmates around the time when your concentration begins to wean. Be sure to do something interesting and interactive, even if it is just a walk outside. Sitting in the break room and lisiting to eachother talk may only make you more tired.
11. Do Some Isometric Exercises
Take 10 minutes at your desk to focus on these exercises, which only require you to tense your muscles. Try this: Hold out your arms and tense your biceps and triceps at the same time. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds and release. You can do this with your calf muscles, thigh muscles (front and back), chest, abdomen, buttocks, shoulders and back.
12. Benefit From the Scent of Rosemary
Having some greenery around your desk is always an uplifting sight, but studies show that the scent of rosemary can actually be energizing. If you need a boost, just rub a sprig between your fingers to release the fragrance into the air. Or, if you’re really wiped out, rub a sprig on your hands, face and neck.
13. Have A Snack
Have a snack set aside for the afternoon, but make sure to avoid things with a high glycemic index, such as a chocolate bar or candy. While items like this may make you feel great for a while, pushing your blood sugar sky-high and giving you a boost, as soon as that sugar is gone, your blood sugar will plummet, making you even more tired than you were before. Look for snacks such as whole-grain crackers or raw vegetables, or other foods that are high in protein, fibre, and complex carbohydrates. These snacks will raise your blood sugar level at a steady rate and keep them there, avoiding the sink.
