Feeling Drained? Try These 5 Simple Daily Exercises

Photo by Denys Nevozhai / Unsplash

Do you have a lot you want to achieve in life but constantly feel low on energy to pursue them?

Specifically, do you experience:

No energy to start – High inertia to take action and follow through on commitments
No energy to sustain – Always anxious and unable to stay present with what truly matters
No self-confidence despite progress – The gap between self-expectation and reality keeps widening

That was my state over the past two years.

The constant juggling of work and family commitments left me drained.

After struggling with this for two years, I finally discovered the root causes of my low energy:

Negative self-talk – Fear of failure, judgment, or abandonment creates a tornado of negative self-talk, acting like an energy black hole.
Multitasking and constant absent-mindedness – Everything feels urgent, and my mind is constantly unfocused.
Neglecting self-care – I took care of my responsibilities at work and home but neglected myself.

To break free from this cycle, I searched for solutions in books, classes, podcasts, and coaching.

Finally, I curated five daily exercises that improved my well-being and gave me the energy to pursue what truly matters in life.

My 5 Daily Exercises

1. Re-Scripting Negative Self-Talk

The first step is to notice the negative self-talk we constantly replay in our heads. Journaling is an excellent tool for this.

Here are some prompts to guide your reflections:

When you felt sad or disappointed recently, what were you telling yourself?
Brain dump any negative thoughts weighing you down right now.
When you think about making your desired changes in life, what internal conversations surface?
What do you usually tell yourself when facing challenges and obstacles?

Most people stop at awareness, but the key is to re-script these negative thoughts. Consciously rewrite them into empowering statements. For example:

Change "I don’t think anyone will find this post useful" to "There must be someone out there who will find value in this post."
Change "This is going to be hard" to "It will take some work, but it will be fun and doable."
Change "It’s not going to work" to "Let’s experiment. If it fails, I’ll still learn something."

2. The 1-2-3 Method for Task Focus

This exercise helps us focus on our work instead of getting lost in multitasking and constant firefighting that drains our energy.

I learned this from a friend who is a highly productive coach.

Each morning, before diving into work, quickly run through this checklist:

1 project or area you want to progress
2 discussions to have or people to meet
3 important tasks to complete

3. Reverse Goal-Setting & Self-Acknowledgment

Many of us live in a fast-paced world where achieving one goal immediately leads to setting the next. This constant chase can feel like an endless treadmill, draining our energy.

To counter this, practice reverse goal-setting, a form of self-acknowledgment and self-care.

Use these prompts:

What can you do today that you couldn’t 2–5 years ago?
How has your life improved over the last 2–5 years?
What are three experiences or achievements in the past 2–5 years that broadened your perspective?
What have you done in the past 2–5 years to push yourself beyond your comfort zone?

4. Gratitude Journaling

When we engage in negative self-talk and neglect self-care, we operate from a place of lack. Gratitude journaling shifts us into a space of abundance.

This is an exercise I do with my kids every night before bed—we take turns saying three things we’re grateful for.

You can do this verbally with loved ones or write in a journal.

When we cultivate gratitude, we tap into more positive emotions and recharge our energy.

5. Meditation

Lastly, meditation helps us stay present, saving us from absent-mindedness and mindless doom-scrolling.

You don’t need to meditate for hours—even 3–5 minutes a day can make a difference.

I personally use the app Headspace as a daily guide.

Or you can simply take a few minutes to sit quietly and focus on your breath.

By practicing these five exercises daily, I regained my energy and clarity. Now, I have the focus and momentum to pursue what truly matters in life.

Which of these exercises would you like to try?