How energetic and alive do you feel throughout each day? So many people I talk to feel exhausted.
They have too much on their plate. Their expectations of themselves are too high. They worry things won’t get done if they don’t do them. They are constantly trying to please people. I have been in that place and I felt like I was just trying to make it through each day and could not wait until the evening where I could crawl into bed and hide away from the world. Let's talk about how to create more energy in your life.
There are obvious energy drainers such as lack of sleep, lack of exercise, poor nutrition or health conditions that can contribute to the feeling and getting advice from professionals in these areas may be essential to address these issues. However, I am going to speak about how we can implement some mindset shifts in order to create a life that flows with energy.
1. Deep breathing for energy boost
Even just two minutes of deep belly breathing can have an enormous impact on how we feel. Deep belly breath calms the nervous system, which takes us out of the stress response and allows us to relax. When we are not in the fight-or-flight state, it is much easier to focus. We are more patient with those around us, and when we feel relaxed and happy, we are more creative. I love this practise because you can do it anywhere. All you need is a couple of minutes and the surrounding people don’t even notice that you are doing it. I like to spend some time deep breathing when I am feeling overwhelmed at work and need to reset my focus.
2. Daily meditation.
Meditation provides the space for us to stop and become aware of thoughts and patterns that do not serve us. In meditation, we notice our thoughts and how we feel in the body without labels or judgement. In the past, I have been a guilty of noticing how stressed or anxious I felt and then beating myself up about feeling this way. Now, whenever these emotions arise, rather than dwell on them and continue the cycle, I just observe and let the feeling pass. If emotions or thoughts become too much, you can try to use a point of focus during meditation. This can be a mantra, deep breathing, or visualising an object. If you are a total beginner to meditation, check out my FREE 3 Day meditation challenge to help you start the practise.
You can learn more about how to meditate here.
2. Visualisations
Visualisation during the meditation process can help us rewire our brain. When we think about a traumatic time in our lives and we feel emotional, our body does not know that it happened in the past. We relive the event in the now. In a similar way, we can visualise a beautiful moment in our lives from the past or future and bring that feeling of love, peace, excitement, or joy into the present moment. Try starting your day by visualising a moment you feel grateful for. You find it sets you up for a calmer, happier day.
3. Do things that make you feel good.
This seems like a no brainer, however, we do not do this enough. Think about how much of your day is filled with activities that you do out of obligation compared to doing what lights you up. Exercise creates chemicals that make us feel good. However, you do not need to go to the gym or a yoga class to move. Make it work with your life and remind yourself how good you feel afterwards. For example, walk to work, put on music and dance (this is my favourite) and do it at a time that fits in with your life. Find a creative outlet or hobby and schedule it in. I absolutely love the feeling of getting lost in an activity and losing track of time. If you are time poor, listen to music whilst you work, clean the house or go for a walk. Listening to music that we love also makes us feel good and changes our energy.
5. Align your life with your values.
Live your life in alignment with your values. My values are financial security, freedom, and family. I feel more energised each day when I am on top of my finances; I am open to opportunities in my life, and I spend time with loved ones. If you are not living an in accordance to your values, every day feels like a grind and your energy levels become easily depleted. First, you need to identify your values and assess whether you are living life based on these values. There may be some major shifts that you need to make. However, when you live a life that is aligned, everything flows, you reach your full potential and connect with the truest version of yourself.
Try one or two of these strategies to reduce stress and increase your energy, even if it is only for two minutes per day. We will always have 24 hours in the day and our ‘to do’ list will never get smaller. To create more energy in our lives, the key is to savour moments of joy, love, happiness, and excitement throughout each day.