[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Do you find yourself constantly saying ‘if only I had more time, I would…’ or ‘if I didn’t have so much to do I would make more time for myself’ Perhaps you want to make time to work on hobbies or goals that fulfil you or you want to develop new skills, but feel time slips away from you easily, and you just don’t have the energy to go that bit further to better yourself. You try all different ways of increasing your energy and trying to fit more into your days just so you can get your ‘down’ time, only to find yourself being very busy achieving NOTHING. This is where you slow down, and ask yourself ‘How can I manage my energy so I can do all the things I need to do and also put effort into the activities that I enjoy?’
I have been running a successful business for nearly 17 years, and throughout that time I have consulted, travelled to teach workshops, demonstrated and consulted at expos, been the keynote speaker at conferences and also written a few books too. In between the business I also exercise daily and take care of four senior animals. Needless to say, I run a busy life! My colleague Dana will tell you I am like an Eveready battery – I can be working all day consulting and speaking, and I will still be energised at the end of the day. How do I make it work for me? It all has to do with how I manage my energy.
When I speak of energy, I speak about all four layers of a person’s energy – the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual layers. Each layer can affect your health and wellbeing. Whilst it is important to maintain your physical energy, it is also important to clean and manage your mental, emotional and spiritual layers. There are specific techniques that you can use that will help you to not only manage your energy better, but also to prevent it from leaking out.
THE PHYSICAL LAYER
This is your physical body, the vehicle that your spirit lives in. Without this, you cannot function on this planet. Maintaining this vehicle is important, and the best way to do so is by keeping it healthy and taking precious care of it.
Exercise is highly important for your body. Our bodies are made to move, so whether you are taking regular exercise at the gym or doing regular activities you like such as hiking or swimming, you need to get your body moving. Exercise will improve so many areas of your physical body. It will improve your sleep, clear your mind, manage your hormones, and give you clarity. By exercising you are also improving your body’s reaction to stress, and stress is one of the things that can definitely drain your energy.
Your body is a direct result of your diet. Whatever you put into your body, is what you are going to get out of it. Eating healthy, nutritious food will purify you, and keep your brain in full function. It can improve your moods which in turn can improve your motivation to get tasks done faster.
Our animals are very lucky – as we can ensure they have a healthy diet, lots of exercise and stimulation that will keep them happy and healthy. In case you hadn’t noticed, the more you regularly exercise your animals the happier, calmer and balanced your animals are. Why should you be any different?
THE MENTAL ENERGY LAYER
We are using our mental energy constantly. Every thought, feeling and response is a result of our mental energy. Therefore, wherever your mind goes, so does your energy! Constantly being distracted by all the things you need to do can stop you from being present to the activity you are trying to complete. Therefore, you expend a lot of energy trying to start many tasks but not completing them all.
Staying present in the moment as you complete each task is crucial to keeping your energy with you. By focusing on only the task you have in front of you until you complete it, then you can go to the next task. It is better to start and finish each task individually than trying to start many at once. This is where you will find yourself very busy achieving nothing! My cats watch me as I carry about my day, and they will pull me up when I am not being productive. They will tell me to slow down, and stay focused on what is in front of me. Your animals will try to get your attention when they feel you are too scattered and not present. It seems like a very simple thing to do, but staying present will ensure your energy is not drifting to future tasks or events, and ensures it stays right with you.
Meditation is another underestimated tool that will determine your energy levels. Meditation is one of the few tools that can benefit ALL your layers of energy. It can calm your body, settle your mind, clear your emotions and bring your spirituality into the moment. Start by practicing up to 10 minutes of meditation a day, you will build up your focus and centre yourself back to neutral so you can begin your day.
Plan your Day. This is so simple, yet so powerful to keep your mental energy together in one place. By planning your day, and prioritising your tasks to be done, your mind has a structure to follow and it can direct your energy towards those tasks instead of spreading it everywhere.
THE EMOTIONAL ENERGY LAYER
Working your emotional energy is a tricky one. This is where your mental energies can get affected the most. Sometimes we can be going though emotional trauma, or have several issues happening in our world, and these can affect you and the way you manage your energy. It can make us feel very tired, scattered and depleted. There are some ways you can help get past these emotional challenges:
Don’t bury your emotions away. When you have work to complete, visualise yourself putting all these issues that are distracting you into a box and set it to the side. It is a way of emptying your mind whilst you are carrying out your day. Then when you are ready to address those issues, then you can take them out of the box one by one and work through them. Tell yourself that you are not ignoring what is affecting you, but at this time you need to be present and focused on what needs to be completed, and those issues are not going to help you right now.
When we are emotionally charged, it can blind us to the goals we have ahead of us. It can affect how we view our work, our friends and family, and the visions we have for ourselves. It is important to get yourself back to neutral whenever you feel you are going through an emotional self-talk cycle.
Whenever you feel you are going through the negative emotions or replaying negative self-talk, get up and move around for a few minutes. Sit back down again and refocus yourself with soothing calm music. Then begin your activities. Each time you find yourself distracted again, keep trying different ways of breaking your self-talk so you can avoid getting caught in the negative cycle. You will be surprised to learn how much time and energy is wasted when we are stuck in our self-talk. The animals don’t fall for self-talk, so why do we?
After all when our emotions are all over the place you will find you are not spiritually aligned either.
THE SPIRITUAL ENERGY LAYER
This energy layer is directly connected to your life purpose. This is where your higher consciousness resides, and where your intuition comes from. Developing your spirituality and working on self, increases this energy layer. This is the layer where most people work on the least. It requires time by yourself, and some soul searching too as you look for what makes you feel fulfilled.
Again, meditation is a great tool for tapping into your intuition. By practicing meditation, you learn to sit in stillness. Being still in your mind and soul allows your intuition to flow through and grows in strength. It can be very useful in your daily life and become your best tool for tackling challenges.
Reconnecting in nature is really important for your spiritual energy. At our core, we are connected to the natural world. It has been proven that spending time in a forest or by the water can improve your blood pressure, lower your stress levels and release your emotions. We feel at home outdoors and connecting with your spirit works well in this state.
Developing yourself also increases your spiritual energy. Working on past emotional baggage and breaking patterns clears the way for the universe to send you the things you really want, such as a more fulfilling career or a loving relationship.
Spiritual development is really about putting time and effort in to being the best version of yourself you can be. Taking steps in personal development that is an ongoing throughout your life. We never stop striving to learn and transforming ourselves into an even greater individual than we even thought possible.
Essentially, managing your energy successfully comes down to the simplest of things: Staying in the present moment – focus on doing one task at a time from start to finish. Practicing meditation and spending time in nature energises your mind and soul. Prioritise what is important to you – too often we feel pressured to put other people’s needs ahead of our own. At the end of the day the most important person is you (after your animals of course!). If you don’t take care of you, you cannot achieve what you have set out to do. Your animals know why you are here, and they will always guide you in the right direction.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]