if you are 'tired of being tired," this is for you!

I've had the following conversation with my mother more times than I could count:

"How ya doing?"

"Tired, but what else is new?"

This exchange has gone both ways & has been repeated for years, which is why I was intrigued when I heard about The Fatigue Prescription, a new (work)book by Dr. Linda Hawes Clever. While I was initially skeptical of a book about fatigue by a Dr. Clever (yes, it's her real name, & yes, she's a real doctor) - I was waiting for it to culminate with, "Buy my magic vitamin herbal supplement!" - the book really delivered.

I admit that I was unable to work through the exercises because of the deadline I was on to get this up (curing fatigue just worked so well with our self-care theme this month!), I found the book to be really eye-opening. Dr. Clever goes beyond, "Eat veggies, exercise, sleep" to allow you to check-in on your relationships, your energy, your attitude, your likes, your dislikes, etc. She offers fascinating insights that had me exclaiming, "Wow!" out loud like a crazy person. One example: people over 50 who viewed aging optimistically lived an average of 7.5 years longer than those who viewed it negatively (what?!). Another example: the Latin root of the word "encourage" comes from "en = in" & "cor = heart", so when someone encourages you, they're putting their heart into yours. Right?!

Here's a smattering of the viewpoints she gives that really resonated with me:

• "If your goal is to overcome fatigue, balance is not your ticket.(...) balance falsely implies a best way. The trouble is, the definition of 'best' is always changing."
• "Taking a chance isn't necessarily a sudden event."
• "When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority."
• "(...) you will need to set priorities not only about what you do, but how well you do it." (Reminds me of Jess Larson's wonderful video from last week!)
• "...happiness is an attitude." (I actually wrote "Whoa!" in my highlighter above that one!)

This really is a book that takes the best of doctor-speak and the best of life coaching-like questions & exercises to allow the reader to discover their own personal Fatigue Prescription. I'm definitely planning to dive in to some of the exercises myself, but you gotta really be in it to win it (translation: devote some real time & thought) to find out your very own Fatigue Prescription. I have a feeling the result would be worth it, no magic vitamin herbal supplement necessary.

And wanna hear the best part? We're able to give away a copy of the book right here on Spring! Leave a comment below about what's part of your Fatigue Prescription by next Thurs, Aug 5th at noon Eastern & we'll announce the winner right here on the 6th! If you can't wait that long, then you can order The Fatigue Prescription on Amazon or pick it up at your local bookstore. It's time to stop telling your mother you're tired & do something about it already!