Your energy account

We all know that we aim to have a good nights sleep to wake up full of energy.  But as I have said before, sleep is only one way to boost your energy.   Think of yourself as having an energy account, and energy raising activities e.g. sleep, credit your energy account and energy draining activities e.g. frustration, debit your energy account.  You may find it helpful to work out the balance on your energy account.

Use the table below to identify what in your life drains your energy and what raises your energy.

Energy Debits  – Energy Draining Activites
 Energy Credits – Energy Raising Activities
Unhealthy eating with heavy, rich, fatty, sugary good Health diet with give excellent nutrition supported by vitamin and mineral supplements
Alcohol

Cigarettes

Drug abuse

Over-stimulation (including over work)

 Natural highs from nature, dance, relaxation, music, physical achievement, humour and creativity.
Sedentary lifestyle Exercise
Fear

Worries

Anxiety

Stress

Frustration

Depression

Feeling things are out of control

 Security

Peace of mind

Rest

Joy

Happiness
Isolation and loneliness

Lack of love or support

Being dominated

Being stuck in the past

 Close personal relationships

Sense of belonging

Healthy boundaries

Ability to forgive including yourself
No self-expression

Boredom

Underachievement

 Creative self-expression

Excitement

Achieving
Lack of purpose and meaning Clarity about your true values, purpose and meaning
Difficult relationships Good relationships
Lack of spiritual nourishment

No sources of uplift

 Good sources of spiritual uplift

Now you have worked out what is happening to your energy account.  If you are unhappy with how much energy your have then I recommend you go back through the energy raising activities and consider what you can easily incorporate into your life.  Once you had done this and implemented them, then you can go through your energy draining activities and see what you can give up.  It is important to boost your energy first as it put you in to a positive state of mind before tacking what in your life drains your energy.

 

Related Posts

  • What is a muscle cramp?

    What is a muscle cramp? Normal movement of our bodies involves muscles alternating between contract and relaxation. A muscle that contracts involuntarily and is unable to relax is a spasm; and a forceful and prolonged spasm becomes a cramp. A muscle cramp can last anywhere from a few seconds to up to 15 minutes or occasionally longer. Any muscle can develop a cramp, but the most common site for muscle cramps are the legs, particularly the front of the thighs (quadriceps), back of the thighs (hamstrings) and calf muscles (gastrocnemius & soleus). Unfortunately almost everyone, one estimate is 95% of the population will experience a muscle cramp at some time in their life. Muscle cramps are one of those things that also increases as we get older. Those of you that have already had a muscle cramp will undoubtedly remember the unrelenting pain! Tip: Most muscle cramps can be stopped if the muscle can be stretched. Muscle spasms & cramps are one of the most common complaints that massage therapists deal with.

  • Natural ways to reduce anxiety – Part 3

    What I want to share with you know is probably the simplest and easiest method of reducing anxiety, you can do it anywhere and it costs nothing.  Its called breathing.  Yes I know we do it all the time.  But when you get anxious we begin to breathe rapidly and shallowly from our upper chest.  This breathing breath from your upper chest is why you get tight neck muscles as they can get overused as they help to move the top rib we breathing. What I am talking about is breathing deeply or calm breathing.

    Calming Breath
    1. Take a long, slow breath in through your nose, first filling your lower lungs - put your hand on your belly and you should feel it move out as your breath in.  Then breath into your upper lungs.
    2. Hold your breath to the count of "three."
    3. Exhale slowly through pursed lips, while you relax the muscles in your face, jaw, shoulders, and stomach.
    Calm breathing you can stimulate the body's parasympathetic response. This is the body's equally powerful and opposite system to the flight or fight response and is often called the relaxation response.    When you trigger the body's relaxing response, your
    • heart rate slows
    • blood pressure decreases
    • muscle tension decreases
    • growing sense of ease in body, calmness in mind
    So you stop anxiety in its tracks!.  I recommend you practice this calm breathing for several times a day (up to 10 times) for several weeks until it becomes natural.  

  • Health New Year’s Resolutions

    The new year is a natural time for focusing on new goals.  At the end of the festive season we can feel like we have over indulged so want to refocus on health.  I know I certainly feel like that.  So I wanted to share some ideas for health new year's resolutions.

    1. Focus on 1 health goal for 2018 as this focus will help you acheive it.
    2. Use the stairs more.
    3. Go outside for a daily dose of vitamin D.
    4. Focus on your breath when you feel the stress coming on. It's a mini meditation session.
    5. Turn off all electronics 20 minutes before lights out at bedtime.
    6. Write down everything you're grateful for at the end of the day.
    7. Drink more water than cafine.
    8. Add one thing to your life that brings you joy.
    9. Cook at home more frequently.  You’ll end up getting healthier in the process.
    10. Forgive someone. Anger and resentment is like holding onto internal poison and can even harm your physical health. Life’s too short to not move on.