Today’s society puts so much emphasis and praise on those who give and give. You aren’t considered successful unless you work so much that you have no time for anything esle. You must give your time and emotions endlessly to anyone who asks. Being there for people is obviously not a bad thing… until it begins sapping your energy and you don’t take the time to recharge, refresh, and replenish. The more you ignore your energy running out, the more likely you will find yourself overextended or even with mental or physical ailments. Buried feelings and festering negative energy can present itself as back pain, migraines, and more. Protecting your energy is incredibly important.
It’s important to realize you can’t be everyone’s superhero. You can’t be there for everyone 24/7 and constantly give your energy away constantly. Let’s explore some ways to preserve your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy.
Learn to recognize the signs
Usually we don’t notice our energy is depleted until it’s too late. Spending time to go inward is important. The better you know yourself the easier it is to see the signs early enough to intervene. It’s important to cultivate an awareness of your emotions is the first step.
Avoid energy vampires, find your triggers.
This could be people you spend time with and afterward feel drained. Family, friends, coworkers, even situations can be energy vampires. Maybe it’s Doom-scrolling, spending too much time on social media, watching certain tv shows, etc.
Set boundaries
Once you figure out who or what your energy vampires are, it’s important to create boundaries to protect your energy any chance you can. Whether it’s boundaries you must give yourself on how to spend your time, boundaries you must give others about time, subjects that are off limits to discuss, etc.
Stand up for yourself
Learn to say no. Learn to speak up for yourself. It’s the hardest part of boundaries - speaking them and enforcing them. Don’t feel guilty for saying no. Your needs are just as important as the next person’s.
Find something good to focus on
While the whole idea of toxic positivity, believing any and all negative thoughts or emotions are wrong, there is something to be said for finding the silver linings. The more we dwell on the negative, the more that’s all we see everywhere. Find those things that feed your energy and make you feel whole. This is mindfulness: practicing becoming aware of what you’re thinking, how you’re feeling and how you speak to yourself. The more mindful we become, it’s easier to turn toward positivity.
And finally…
Let go of the rest.
There are so many things outside of our control: what people say or do, things that are done to us, and a myriad of other things that we have no power over. Instead of focusing so heavily on these things that have happened or are happening, allow yourself to let them go. We can’t control the cards that we are dealt, but we get to choose what we play.