Unlocking Your Potential: Why The Secret to Increasing Your Energy and Mood Are Key to Building Your Professional Career

My corporate days were long and exhausting. Between client and staff meetings, event planning, and execution, there was barely a moment to breathe. At the same time, I was studying for my Master’s degree—a journey I was determined to complete. But the truth is, I found myself dragging home at the end of each day, barely able to muster the energy to prepare for the next. The mornings weren’t any better. Waking up felt like a chore, and I’d often roll out of bed, running on sheer willpower to face another demanding day.

Sound familiar? If you’re a young professional juggling career ambitions with personal goals, you know how challenging it can be to maintain energy and stay positive in the face of endless to-do lists. Yet, the reality is this: your energy and mood are the fuel behind your professional success. Without them, even the best-laid plans can feel impossible to execute.

In this blog post, I’ll share the lessons I learned from those draining days and how I eventually turned things around—revitalizing my energy, boosting my mood, and ultimately achieving the balance that allowed me to thrive both professionally and personally. Because here’s the thing: building your career doesn’t have to come at the expense of your well-being. Let’s dive into how you can reclaim your vitality and channel it into unstoppable career growth.

Mood plays an important role in your quality of life and energy and in turn can affect your mental and physical health and influence relationships. Perhaps you suffer from low mood and energy, or have done in the past? As a Health Coaches, I support people with low mood and energy.  In fact 4 out of 5 clients I  speak to state that mood and/or energy are areas they need help with.

Boost your mood and your energy will increase. 

Boost your energy and your mood will improve.

Fortunately, energy and mood can be helped with some dietary and lifestyle choices.

Here are some top tips to support your mood and increase your energy.

1. Move more. Often, when our mood is low our energy levels are also low. The last thing we feel like doing is exercising or moving more! However, if you take some small steps towards increasing your movement, it will really help to lift your mood, especially if this is combined with getting outdoors. In my case, I set a goal to participate in 5k races, eventually leading me to run the UWI half marathon!

2. Think food and mood! Add more vegetables and fruits like berries, and dark leafy greens. Dark chocolate, protein rich foods, slow releasing carbohydrates and oily fish can all help with mood and blood sugar balance to increase your energy.  I found myself prepping my meals on a Sunday to ensure I had what I needed for the week ahead. 

3. Breathe – take time to take a breath. Think about your breath. If you only have a few minutes to spare try the 4-7-8 breathing technique which will help to lower stress. Find somewhere comfortable to sit. If you can, close your eyes.

• Breathe in through your nose to the count of four.

• Hold your breath to the count of seven.

• Exhale through your mouth to the count of eight.

During my lunch hour was best for me to take a walk and practice this breathing technique. 

4. Take some time out for you. Do something you love or once loved. 

5. Take care of the beneficial bacteria in your gut by eating pro and pre biotic foods. A balanced microbiome is essential for the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin which affects mood. These include onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, yoghurt, kefir and sauerkraut.

6. Sleep. Try to go to bed at the same time every night and reduce screen time. Have a relaxing bath 30 minutes before bedtime, perhaps add in Epsom salts.

7. Reduce or eliminate alcohol. Too much alcohol can affect your gut microbiome and your liver which can impact your mood and energy. There are many more tips to help with mood and energy, but these are some of my favourites. You can use them to help yourself, your friends and family members. The role of a well-trained Health Coach extends to helping you manage emotions, challenge negative thinking patterns, improve relationship skills, reduce stress and anxiety — all of which bolster mood and energy levels. There are many components to this support which include food choices, thinking patterns and how we relate to our challenges.