What Gives You Energy?

“Be as still as a mountain.  Flow like a great river.” – Lao Tzu 

 

 

Many of us rush through life without thinking about our energy balance.  Without reflecting on where our energy is being spent.

 

We auto-pilot through our days without stopping to question whose schedule we are operating on?

 

Our lives can be frittered away in this way.  Lost in motion.  Motion that might be taking us further away from where we want to be.  Motion that might be leaving us tired and worn down.

 

How do we know if our energy is out of balance?  There will be many tell-tale signs but some could include:

 

Less:

  • Sleep
  • Rested (in mind and body)
  • Enthusiasm
  • Relaxed
  • Positivity
  • Get up and go

 

More:

  • Fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Irrational decision making
  • Feeling angry
  • Confusion
  • Feeling low and/or generally spaced out

 

To combat this tendency towards giving our energy away, in a less than targeted way, we can complete some simple self-care routines.  These routines can guide us back to utilising our energy more mindfully.

 

Energy Self-Care in Real-Time – A Call to Action:

Sit down in a quieter moment and try the following.

 

Step 1:

Reflect for a moment and then make two lists:

1) What drains your energy?  (What is dragging you down? What weight would you like to be free of? What tasks would you rather not engage with?  What appointments do you wish would disappear from your diary?)

2) What energises you?  (What contributes positively to your everyday life? What tasks and actions do you find joy in? What are you doing in the best parts of your day? How does this time make you feel?)

 

Step 2:

Check to see if there is anything from list one (‘energy leaks’) you can either remove completely or do less of.

For example: 

  • Can you get someone else to clean your house or mow the lawn (or both) if you feel these tasks are draining you?
  • Say no to that work party if you would rather do something else that day.

 

This exercise should immediately offer some opportunities to give you time back, free from these commitments

 

Now, go to list 2 (‘Energy Givers’) to see if it is possible to do more of the things from here with some of the space you have created.  Can you expand the time in these moments?

 

While this exercise is simple in principle, the application might prove harder.  Saying no does not come easy for many of us.  Making space for ourselves may feel selfish initially.

 

What and Who Gives You Energy?

Having clarity on what drains our energy and what gives us positive energy is a powerful step in the direction of personal self-care.

 

What gives each of us energy can be different. It’s personal to our unique journey.

 

Some people like having people around them all the time.   Others might love being with people, but also feel a much greater need to also be alone frequently.  Solitude doesn’t always equal loneliness.  This time for inner reflection gives some of us energy.  In contrast, too much of this time might drive someone else to distraction.

 

Try to notice what gives you energy right now and see if you can do more of it. Get in tune with the rhythms and circumstances you need to feel your best.

 

What’s the right amount of time with people?

 

What’s the right amount of time for you in solo activities?

 

Which people in your life give you energy?

 

Which people in your life drain your energy?

 

What tasks give and take your energy?

 

What moments in your working day give you a burst of positive energy, which drain you?

 

This simple exercise and self-inventory can serve us well if we can implement it frequently (monthly, bi-monthly etc) to ensure we remain on track.  To ensure our energy remains in positive balance most of the time and heed the warnings if it does not.

 

 

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