It’s fair to say most people have heard the importance of a healthy diet, right? It’s important to eat healthy foods so our bodies get the nutrients we need to thrive.
What about the importance of a healthy “energy” diet? What’s on your energy menu every day? Do you have toxic energy, positive energy, or perhaps a lack of energy all together? You wake up with energy to spend each day, but have you ever checked to see where you are expending this precious commodity?
We have all had those days where we are drained of energy because of a bad night’s sleep or when events in our life have become overwhelming.
There are some things that are unavoidable in our lives that will rob us of the good energy we need to thrive. If you are in a place where your energy is low, then it’s important to recognize it may be a time for important self-care, a time when you need extra support.
When we recognize that our energy is low or negative, we may just need to reconnect with the present moment.
To hit the reset button, sit down and take a few deep breaths to connect with yourself. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, then take a minute to smell it and truly taste it. Step outside and breath in the fresh air. These are things that can renew your energy, reclaim your mood, and set the tone for your day.
Like the importance of a good breakfast, we can start our day out right with an intentional focus of good energy. For example, when you are feeling jealous could you switch your energy towards gratitude and start to notice all the good in your life? Gratitude is a positive energy and starting your day by writing what you are thankful for can help you to see things in a fresh perspective. Include your family in this activity and have them say what they are grateful for as well.
Deeper Look
Take a deeper look at what’s on your energy menu.
Without judgement can you look at where you are spending most of your energy. Is it in a state of joy, apathy, resentment, or creativity? Do you have a range of emotions throughout the day, or are you critical of yourself and others?
Bobby Darnell was quoted saying “Negativity is cannibalistic.\”
The more you feed it, the bigger and stronger it grows.” What energy are you putting into your body? Like a diet, your body and mind will respond to what you are feeding it.
Blocks in your life can create energy that is consuming you in unhealthy ways. Some things need to be processed to help us move on with our lives, moving past the place where we are stuck. If you change your patterns, then you can start to change your life.
Like a healthy diet where we need to limit saturated fats, here are some forms of energy that need to be fully processed, or limited, to create space for good energy. Examples of these are: grief, shame, guilt, anger, apathy, fear, and jealousy.
There is good energy that can be thought of as the base of the food pyramid such as healthy grains and vegetables. We want to strive to have these in our energy diet every day! Examples of these are: love, gratitude, creativity, courage, healing, empathy, laughter, and connection.
Everyone can improve their diets and rework their daily menu, even Olympic athletes. So, progress not perfection is the goal. Some ways you can recognize if you could benefit from shifting the energy in your life would be if you are feeling stuck, or if you notice yourself complaining often. When you talk to other people do you find you point out negative things like events on the news or the weather? Take an honest look at your perceptions.
Menu Items
Here are some menu items you can sprinkle in to invite more positive energy into your life:
- Start the day with a grateful mind and heart. If you see all the things you have, it’s hard to miss the joy in life. Write down these statements as the first thing you do each day.
- End the day by writing three good things that happened during the day. Who or what is responsible when GOOD things happen to you?
- Create a connection to the world! Close your eyes, imagine you are sending your good energy out to others, expand this energy to the world and anyone that needs it. Think of energy as a light that will spread to anyone that needs extra support.
- Practice being non-judgmental. Take note of your judgments throughout the day. These can be judgments of other people or yourself. Take those judgments and re-frame them into positive statements. For example, if you think to yourself, “Why am I so disorganized?” Re-frame your judgement into a statement like this, “I was not prepared today because things have been a little hectic at home, but I can take this opportunity to figure out a better strategy.”
- Invite joy into your life! Go play a fun game with your kids, watch a comedy show so you laugh, go on a hike, or do anything else you love.
- Avoid things like the news, negative people, or TV shows that are depressing or violent. See where negative messages are coming from and try to push the pause button or turn them off all together.
These small tweaks in your energy menu can go a long way. Hungry for more? Simply think: React. Realize. Re-energize.
React:
Everyone has their natural reaction to events, we are all human! Take note of that reaction and see how it is impacting your daily happiness.
Realize:
Realize you have a choice. How do you want to spend your energy? For example, if someone is being negative on social media do you want to spend your energy arguing with them or do you want to focus your energy elsewhere?
Re-energize:
Switch directions and integrate positivity into your day. Where are your thoughts going – to what you HAVE, or what you DON’T have? Making a few changes can help you have more joy in your life.
Check us out at www.turningstonecounseling.com for more information!
