We all have limited time – as in the number of things you can do in a set amount of time. In a similar fashion, the energy in your body is limited too – based on your nutrition, health, the activities that you do and the emotions that go through your body.
Have you ever thought what is the best way to use your energy? Or do you just keep going till you deplete your energy and are tired and grumpy?
I used to get fascinated when I saw people who kept going from one thing to another to the next with the same enthusiasm – day after day. I used to think how come some people seem so energetic and can keep going on and on, whereas some others get tired come 3 p.m.? And then some use caffeine to keep going.
I realised energy was an important factor. Of course, enthusiasm also comes from doing what you love!
If you want to live the best life you can, then it is up to you to monitor your energy levels.
Stock take your life. Go on, right now – ask your self – how is your energy when you wake up in the morning? Do you jump out of bed? How do you start your day? Do you need a cup of coffee to jet-start your energy? What about through the day – is it caffeine that keeps you going? How is your mind? Are you constantly battling ups and downs, re-wiring negative thoughts to positive thoughts or do you struggle when you get overwhelmed?
If you want to rock your day – with your work, with all your relationships, at home – it is important to monitor your activities.
Here are some tips to help you conserve energy (in terms of time)
- Plan your meals every weekend and meal-prep if you can.
- Every night, take 5 minutes to plan your next day – think about busy meetings, kid’s classes, exercise and time to meditate/journal. If it is going to be a super-busy day, make sure you have an extra snack on hand (nuts, banana) to fuel yourself.
- Make sure you drink plenty of water.
How do you deal with emotions?
This is an area where you don’t give much thought. If you have ever been short-tempered (like me in my younger days), you realise that it doesn’t help solve any situation at all. There are other negative emotions that can drain your energy.
This is a huge topic and there is no ‘one simple solution’ to solve it.
The best tip I can suggest is to fully sit with your emotions when you feel it. Say you feel disappointment, if you can, pause when you feel disappointed. Take out your journal and pour your heart out. Write in detail the situation that caused it, the people involved and anything else. If you need to cry, do that.
A couple of days or weeks later, go back to what you’ve written and see if you can learn from the situation. The best thing with journaling is that, you capture everything on your mind. So, when you read through, you will know if the disappointment was because of something you did or because your expectation was not met.
I bet 99%, a disappointment results from your expectation not met. If that’s the case, you need to revisit your priorities and expectations of others. Is there a way to re-wire your mind? If it is some action of yours that caused the disappointment, then you can definitely learn from this and get on with life.
Emotions in itself are neither good nor bad. It is the story behind the emotion that drains your energy. And the story you make-up is entirely yours. If you learn how to re-write the stories and handle your emotions, then you will be the master of your energy!
I cannot emphasize how important it is to conserve your energy to do all the things you want and be happy.
Hope my tips above helps make a difference to your energy – right now. I would love to hear from you how you make the best use of your energy.