Ever find yourself in the middle of the day feeling very drained, with nothing particularly taxing that caused it? You slept. You ate. You showed up. But at the same time, your body is feeling heavy and your mind is not working.

The reality is, it isn’t usually one thing that takes away all of your energy. It’s the little, unthought-of, invisible habits that you do that you don’t give any thought to that slowly chip away at your energy without you realizing it – the ones that seem like a good idea, or even comfortable.

The good news? You don’t need to make a complete change to your lifestyle. It’s simply a matter of what you find is taking you out of the game, and making smarter changes. Check out 10 habits that are worse than you think and what to do instead.

1. Scrolling Your Phone First Thing in the Morning

You’ve barely left the bed and already you’re reading a dozen notifications, news updates and social media posts. Suddenly you find yourself in a reactive, distracted, kind of scatterbrained mode – and that kind of energy is going to stay with you for the day.

Swap: No phone for at least 15-20 minutes after waking up. Take advantage of that window to stretch, breathe, drink water or just sit quietly. One of the most underrated habits for the entire day is to start the morning on your own terms.

2. Skipping Breakfast or Eating the Wrong Thing

Many people believe that breakfast is a time-saver or weight loss, but really, it starts your body in a low fuel mode. On the other hand, you can get too much of the sugary cereals or pastries and feel a quick rush then a rude shock when lunch comes.

The Swap: Have a snack that contains protein, healthy fats and fibre within an hour of getting up. Consider eggs with vegetables, yogurt with nuts or whole grain toast with avocado. This will help maintain stable energy levels and will help you concentrate well, instead of operating on fumes.

3. Sitting for Hours Without Moving

Anyone who is reading this can attest to the fact that many of us are stuck in our chairs for 6-8 hours a day, if not more, and we are not really happy about it. Many people don’t know that sitting for long periods will actually work against them but make the body tight, numb and cloudy, which is a misleading sense of fatigue.

The Swap: Make movement breaks every 45-60 minutes. Get up, move to a different room, roll the shoulders or stretch. No need to get to the gym – just a few minutes of activity is enough to get the blood moving and to give the brain a true refresh. This is one of those lifestyle changes that you’ll immediately see the benefits of.

4. Drinking Coffee on an Empty Stomach

Coffee is the first thing many people put in their mouths before food, water or even getting fully awake. Caffeine does help you get a jump-start but eating it on an empty stomach can make you jittery and cause a faster crash than you may expect in the afternoon.

The Swap: Drink water and have a snack of at least a small item before your first cup. Twenty minutes is a good enough time interval. Your coffee will still function – you just won’t experience that “double dip” where you get to the point where you want to drink another cup by noon.

5. Breathing Shallowly All Day

This one seems crazy, but it’s true. Most people even under mild stress tend to go into shallow chest breathing a short tight take of breath that doesn’t get you the depth of oxygen you need. This can lead to low-level stress, brain fog and a sense of weariness, over hours and hours.

The Swap: Notice the breath, a couple of times throughout the day. Place hand on abdomen and inhale and exhale slowly three times, using your nose. You can program a reminder on your phone to do this twice daily and this will eventually alter your energy level. Free and fast.

6. Eating Lunch While Distracted

Working at your desk during lunch, in front of a screen, or sending emails while eating – it’s the regular occurrence. Distraction while eating causes your body to not be able to concentrate on the process of digestion, leading to bloating and sluggishness, and that dreaded post lunch slump.

The Swap: Take lunch as a break, whether it’s 15 minutes off your screen or a full lunch. Sit somewhere different. Eat slowly. This is not only for digestion, it restores your mind, and that’s one of the easiest life hacks to recover more thoroughly in the afternoon.

7. Saying Yes to Everything

Over-committing is one of the biggest hidden energy drains out there. Every “yes” that should have been a “no” adds an invisible weight to your mental load. You end up carrying the stress of too many obligations, too many people to satisfy, and too little time for yourself – and that emotional weight is exhausting.

The Swap: Discuss what you have to do before agreeing to things. Allow yourself some breathing room to really consider if you have the bandwidth. Saving time and energy is not selfish – it is one of the easiest life habits you can form that will last you a lifetime.

8. Drinking Too Little Water Throughout the Day

Dehydration is super easy to do and super hard to detect. When you start to get thirsty, your body is already dehydrated a bit – and even mild dehydration can make you feel tired, unable to focus, and just plain run-down.

The Swap: Always keep a water bottle on your desk, and make a simple (and easy) commitment to drink half a bottle at least twice before dinner. For easier consumption, add a slice of lemon or cucumber. One of the most simple but important routines for a healthy energy balance throughout the day.

9. Staying Up Too Late to “Wind Down” with Screens

One of the advantages of binge-watching at night is that the act of scrolling through an iPhone or a TV show seems relaxing, but actually keeps the mind entertained until it finally reaches its sleepy state. While blue light doesn’t block the sleep process completely, it does make falling asleep and staying asleep more difficult, while also lowering sleep quality.

The Swap: Put a “screen down” time into place approximately 30-45 minutes before sleep. Use something truly soothing in its place: reading a book, a bit of stretching, a warm shower or some quiet journaling. When you get better sleep, it doesn’t just cure the morning fatigue, it reinforces itself over time, and becomes one of the most effective lifestyle changes you can make for your overall health and wellness.

10. Ignoring Small Emotional Drains

Tiredness is not synonymous with fatigue. A conversation you don’t want to have, a situation you can’t deal with, background worry that keeps creeping up in the back of your mind – it’s constantly eating away at your mind, even if you aren’t actively thinking about it.

The Swap: At the end of your day, look at it real quick in your head – five minutes max. Do you have an unresolved question in your mind? An unsent letter you’ve been procrastinating on? A decision that you don’t want to make? Seeking any one path toward resolution – or just as importantly, expressing the feeling – can release surprising energy. Here are some of the greatest yet underutilized lifestyle habits you can cultivate – emotional awareness.