Increase your Energy and Buy Time!
Tell me this sounds familiar…
To enhance your overall wellbeing, you need to embrace a daily gratitude practice, meditate, drink green smoothies/kombucha/plenty of water, eat raw foods, get enough sleep, exercise, take time to connect with your loved ones, enjoy time for yourself, connect to your pet (see July blog), pay attention to the now, exfoliate, floss, keep up to date with the latest social media trends, give back and of course journal this all before going to sleep.
So, is this realistic? Is it possible for us to fit all this into a 24 hour day in which we also have to shop, cook, work and very often run after kids?
I have to say an emphatic YES. I believe that we can all incorporate the main components of good health into our lives—connection, exercise, eating well, taking moments to be grounded, paying attention to what is important to us and getting enough sleep—by tapping into our super power, our energy!
A few weeks ago, I was running with one of my awesome running buddies on a very cold Melbourne morning, when we got chatting about feeling the heat of the sun on our skin. My friend described this heat as little parcels of energy that travel through the ozone, hit a surface and release their energy to produce heat. This made me think about how the sun’s radiant energy is the source of energy for most of life on earth. Energy is responsible for the growth and development of a cell or biological organism, and, in human terms, is the strength and vitality we need to sustain physical and mental activity.
We know that we have a complex system of energy circuits that run throughout our body
The Chinese discovered our meridians of energy about 5,000 years ago. Our energies—physical, mental, emotional and spiritual—are divided between our home life, work life and our community activities. There are times we feel we have unlimited amounts of energy and other times when we could sleep for a week. Our lives are so full that it’s not surprising that we often feel that our energies are depleted.
How often does this lack of energy lead you to limit yourself and stop you from focusing on what’s really important? What we need as a basis for overall health and wellbeing is an energetic mind and body. Imagine what would be different if you changed your mindset and tapped into your expansive energy capacity?
Just as the energy from the sun creates a cycle of warmth, so our internal energies create an ongoing cycle for us to draw on
We are able to create our own cycle of energy by incorporating daily activities that give us more energy. In a fortunate twist, the very same things that give us energy are in fact the things that are important for our overall wellbeing.
Think about it. The things listed below are both good for us and have the added bonus of increasing our energy.
Connection: There is energy between ourselves and others
Making time to connect with people who energise you—rather than those who seem to sap it from you—will increase your energy levels. Finding a community of like-minded people will add an extra energy boost as well.
Paying attention to your conversations (yes, of course there is a Conversational Intelligence® piece) and how you speak to others, asking questions and trying to learn more about them, will bring forth a ‘pull’ energy, rather than the alternative ‘push’ energy where you spend time telling or persuading others. There are even subtleties in the energy created when asking “How can I support you?" rather than "How can I help you?" or “Is there something else I can do for you today?” rather than “Is there anything else?”.
Routine: Create habits and make it easier to bring more energy into your day
Having a regular bedtime leads to increased energy. This is because as you are more likely to gain the 7-9 hours of sleep we need, and more likely to wake earlier.
Starting your day early has the added benefits of being able to incorporate some kind of exercise into your day and helps set the tone for the day. It also creates a sense of calm energy as you enjoy a very peaceful time of the day, often experiencing magnificent sunrises, as well as kick starting the day with a sense of achievement.
Exercise: No debate here.
If you have done any form of exercise, you know that you feel so much more energised afterwards. Spending energy exercising will greatly increase your energy supplies.
Eat well: Another obvious one.
Notice how much more energy you have after eating a fresh, well balanced meal, rather than a processed, sugar-loaded one.
Be mindful: Doing what you love gives you energy.
Take the time every day to Take In The Good (see June blog) and do one thing each day that aligns with your values. (If you are unsure of what your core values are, I would be happy to guide you as this is an important part of living true and authentic lives).
The more you learn what works best for you, the more your energy can increase and you are able to live a life more in flow. Imagine gaining more and more energy every year of your life as you continue to learn and grow. When our energies are strong we feel a sense of power and feel that we are able to do anything that our hearts desire.
What is one thing small step you can take towards creating a habit which will lead you to increasing your energy?
