How to Beat an Afternoon Slump at the Office

It’s common to feel a little less energetic in the early afternoon, and an occasional afternoon nap is a wonderful indulgence. But if you find that you can barely keep your eyes open on a daily basis, and it’s interfering with your job performance, you probably have an imbalance of kapha dosha.

When kapha gets out of balance, we feel heavy, lethargic, weighed down. Our minds get foggy and we can’t think or concentrate. All we want to do is curl up into a ball and take a nap under the desk. Finding the motivation to get work done when you feel this way is difficult at best. With a little effort you can keep the effects of excess kapha to a minimum and begin feeling more alive. Try some of these tips to reduce kapha slothfulness at work:

Ayurvedic Treatments for Low Energy

• Eat kapha balancing foods at lunch. Since kapha tends toward heaviness and oiliness, favor foods that are lighter and drier in general. Include pungent (garlic, ginger, chili peppers), bitter (collard greens, arugula, brussels sprouts) and astringent (spinach, lentils, lima beans) tastes in your meal if possible. A spinach salad with light vinaigrette, baked or broiled chicken, tofu or fish will do a lot more for your afternoon energy level than a cheeseburger and french fries. Dietary modifications are tough – we all have habits and preferences that are difficult to change. But remember: food is always the best medicine. If you really want to feel better, you have to eat better.
• Move! Go outside and take a 15-20 minute stroll after lunch. Getting a little fresh air, sunshine, and natural light in your eyes will help keep your brain awake, support easy digestion, and gently increase your circulation. You could do something more vigorous before you eat, but regardless, make sure to walk a little after your meal. It will make a difference.
• Drink ginger tea. It helps you digest your lunch by stoking your digestive fire (i.e. your metabolism). Try sipping it throughout the day, every day for a week, and you will notice it’s impact. Most people will feel as though they’re able to digest food faster, have more frequent (and easier) bowel movements, and thus feel lighter and more energetic. Ginger tea can be purchased dried, in tea bags, but is much better made fresh: cut up a generous amount of fresh ginger root into ¼” slices (no need to peel), steep in boiled water for 5-10 minutes. Drink all day long. You can chew on the chunks of ginger if you like. It is hot and pungent and will warm your body from the inside out. Highly recommended.
• Drinking coffee is not necessarily bad for balancing kapha. It’s got a natural bitter flavor, not to mention caffeine, which revs up a sluggish metabolism. But when we add lots of milk, fat and sugar, it becomes counterproductive and can even weaken the immune system. Green tea is much better. Even though it contains caffeine, it’s usually not enough to over-excite the nervous system. The bitter and astringent tastes are the perfect compliment to excess kapha, and you get the added benefit of antioxidants which help prevent cellular damage.
• Get some blood up to your head. If you just can’t keep your eyes open at work, drop a pen on the floor under your desk and put your head between your knees. Spend a minute or more “picking it up.” If someone walks by your cubicle you can honestly say you dropped your pen. This is a quick fix for those times when your mind gets cloudy.
• Use your breath. Close your eyes and do a moderate breath of fire* for at least 60 seconds. It will leave you feeling awake, clear-headed, yet calm and centered. If you can’t get away with doing it at your desk, head to the bathroom.

The Breath of Fire

Breath of fire is a yogic breathing exercise called a pranayama. Do a forceful exhale through the nose, then let the inhale happen naturally. Your belly will press in toward your spine on the exhale, and relax back out on the inhale.

It can be done at any speed or at any intensity. An average pace would be approximately 2 to 3 full breaths (inhales and exhales) per second. The length of the exhale and the length of the inhale is about the same. With practice, breath of fire can be done continuously, without breaking rhythm, for 10 minutes or longer.