Written by Nicky
I have been thinking a lot recently about energy and had been getting curious about how I could feel more energy on the daily. Then this morning, in group, we explored the topic and it got me thinking a little more! So I decided that today I would share some of my learnings on this subject and in turn it may also help me to remember all I have learned so far!
Ok so to begin with, I think I’ll first take a little journey into the past…
For years I had felt like I had so much energy! I was always doing stuff! Loads of stuff, all the time!! Running around the place helping others or doing courses or shows or joining teams or clubs! Always organising and forever making plans! I met friends all the time and went for dinner and went to the pub and went dancing and went to all the after parties and I was often the last to leave! I was the entertainer! The loud one! The funny one! The crazy one! The kind one! The friendly one! I was seen as bubbly and confident and energetic! And that was only in the evenings and at the weekends! I also brought all of the craziness and hyper activeness every day to work too! I was like a Duracell Bunny hopping around from place to place like a mad thing! Rarely, if ever, stopping or slowing it down!
But then it all seemed to change…
I couldn’t sustain it anymore! The joy drained away! And my days became darker and darker! I couldn’t even get to the party at all, let alone find my way to the after party! And it seemed that, just like that, the energy was gone!
And I couldn’t understand what happened or why it all changed! I wondered where the energy was gone and I tried desperately to get it back but no matter what I did I just couldn’t do it! I felt hopeless and like I would never feel any energy and joy again! I became the opposite of everything I used to be! I was still like the Duracell Bunny but the one without it’s batteries!
But then, thankfully, that all changed too…
I began to work on my Recovery. And slowly but surely the energy began to come back and I began to experience what real energy felt like. And I noticed my energy got stronger with each passing week and it was real energy this time not the other madness I thought was energy in the past!! And it is amazing and such a wonderful feeling.
And so now, i am going to share some of the things that I do to help me feel more energised each day…
Meeting my basic needs
I eat regularly! I drink enough water! I take time to rest! I do my best to get enough sleep! I take time to pause and breathe throughout my day! I get outside in the fresh air!
These are all non-negotiable. There can be no excuses or avoidance here! All of the other energising activities are worth little, when I fail to attend to all of the above.
Connection
I spend time in nature, by the water or near the trees. I often go alone! I take off the headphones! I take photos! I slow down the movement! I use my senses! I sit and I am present! And I feel the energy building!
I spend time with others. I chat to my daughter and hug her and kiss her and tell her I love her! And she tells me the same and she hugs me back and kisses me too! I meet friends for coffee or for a walk! We chat and laugh! I visit family! I send voice notes or text messages or I phone a friend! I even chat to the locals I meet each day! And it energises me so much!
Music and Dance and Movement
My body likes to move! Sometimes gently and sometimes more quickly! Sometimes for a short time or sometimes for longer periods! I take a brisk walk or I stroll! It depends on how I feel at the time! And I feel refreshed!
I play piano or flute just for my own pleasure! I forget the perfectionism! I release the pressure! I notice how it makes me feel! I let the energy in!
I turn on some music! All sorts of music! Soppy songs or cheesy ones! Fast ones and slower ones! I sit and listen or I dance! On my own or with my daughter or with my husband and sometimes even with the cats! It seeps into my soul and fills me with so much energy!
Celebrating My Successes
I spend time, often, reflecting on my successes, big and small! I give myself credit! I notice how far I have come! I give myself a pat on the back! I tell myself I am wonderful! I notice how much more energy I feel when I do this! I notice how it makes me feel so light and how it helps me to have the energy to keep moving forward!
Kindness , Love and Compassion
I speak to myself more kindly now! I treat my body with a deeper respect! I do things like put on hand cream or body cream! Instead of ignoring my body, I am learning to acknowledge all of the wonderful things it does for me! And I feel the energy flow through me!
There are many other activities that help me to feel energised each day! Getting compliments or receiving kind words or deeds from others! Hearing laughter or watching a funny video clip or reading an article about something wonderful or amazing! But I’ll leave it there for now as I couldn’t possible list them all in this blog!
But before I go there are a few other things I have learned along the way that help with this whole energy thing and Ill finish by sharing them here..
- No self-judgment allowed ever! I am not doing something wrong if I am tired! And anyway judgement depletes my energy way too much!
- If feeling low energy, I can choose to add something in, instead of looking for what I can change or what I didn’t do right! A snack or glass of water or a little break is sometimes all I need!
- Always check my expectations! I can’t predict, in advance, exactly how I will feel at any given moment! I can just do my best!
- Check in for sensory overload! Certain situations can drain my energy as a result of my sensitivity! And sometimes I can’t control this! I can choose gentleness and alter my plans if I need to!
- Some days my energy levels will be lower regardless of what I do! And that’s ok! I can just do the best I can with the energy I have available!
So that is it! It has taken time and practice for me to learn all of this! In fact, sometimes there are moments that I forget I learned it all! I had to spend time quieting down the mind and changing the language! I had to unlearn so many things too!! But the more and more I practice it the easier and more accessible it is becoming to me! And the more and more energised I feel as a result!
One last thing I’d like to share…
For a while there, after I realised how destructive my past behaviour was, I thought that Recovery would be the complete opposite of that! I thought that there would be no more entertaining or dancing or laughing! I believed that, in order to be recovered and to be able to feel peace, I would have to sit at home and rest and move slowly and breathe deeply all day so that my mind and body would be as one! I thought that I would be forever “minding” myself and only going out to hug trees or watch sunsets! But recently, I find that this thinking has changed somewhat! I have realised what I was doing “wrong” for all those years before the energy left me! And it is seems so simple and obvious to me now!
In the past…
My days were full of busyness!
I didn’t look after myself in the middle of all the madness! Not one basic need was being met….well most of the time anyway!
I never took a rest or a pause from the thinking and the doing!
And my body could only take it for so long…
But now when I think about Full Recovery and Freedom I see myself again doing things like helping others and taking part in clubs and meeting friends and even dancing like a crazy lady on random dance floors some nights too but….
In the future I will remember….
Prioritise meeting my basic needs!
To top up my energy levels regularly!
To take a break often!
To listen to my body!
And to look after myself!
Always!!!
Nickyx
