How have you been expending your energy lately?
The theme of how to spend energy has been coming up a lot lately. In conversations, readings and coaching sessions I’ve had with everyone from executives to workshop participants, friends and colleagues.
We’ve heard people talk about how we spend our time, our money. Which is true, we do spend those things.
But is it possible to zoom out a little, and consider that it’s really about how we spend our energy? I’ve noticed this is a seriously recurring theme recently for a lot people.
Today’s post takes a quick look at what I mean by “energy” and how you can empower yourself to make choices about how you use your energy in a way that you truly want.
What does energy mean in this context?
In spiritual circles, people talk about energy all the time. Energy can mean lots of things, and I’ve talked about it previously in this other post.
Money and time are two examples of our energy. But why?
Both are examples of something that we 1) receive and 2) spend.
Let’s look at money first.
We receive income or money, which allows us to have things that are important to us (housing, food, experiences, future security).
We put in effort, expertise, etc. to receive income or money.
Now let’s look at time.
We tend to think of time as linear. Time just passes no matter what we do, so we’re always spending time, right?
In some ways, yes.
The question is of course what we’re doing with that time. Where it’s common to get tripped up is to think about blocks of time as only being spent.
What would happen if we zoomed out a bit, and thought about time as an energy exchange instead?
Acorn + Burdock
Maybe this seems obvious.
And yet, if it were, is it possible that you might find yourself making different choices with your time than you have as of late?
Is it possible that if we think of time as an energy exchange, we may realize that time spent on our job is mostly about energy expenditure.
And that perhaps, we can find and create more puzzle pieces of time that look like energy creation.
Relaxation and energy creation aren’t always the same.
It can be really relaxing to pour a beverage and watch Netflix all evening. But is it truly restoring your energy?
I’m not throwing shade on watching shows! It’s just a question about ways you can restore your energy.
Thinking about how you can create those energy reserves so you have the energy to throw at what you want to do (your career, family, etc.).
Creation is something that humans naturally do. You don’t have to be a ‘creative’ type to do it, either.
It’s just about building something that brings you a feeling of being in flow. Or where you find a feeling of joy. That feeling of full engagement. All of which is different from just chilling.
Journaling for what creation feels like for YOU
Still trying to feel out what creation feels like and why it’s more replenishing than just plain relaxation? Here’s a journaling exercise that will help you figure out what creation feels like for you!
What you need for this exercise
- Journal and pen/journaling app
- Glass of water.
Set them to one side, and take a moment to get comfortable in a place where you won’t be disturbed or interrupted for 10 – 15 minutes.
Get started
- Close your eyes and take 2 or 3 nice, easy breaths.
- Think about your current situation, where you wish you had more energy.
- Open your eyes, and take a couple sips of water. Notice the temperature of the water and how the glass feels in your hand.
- Now get comfortable again and close your eyes again. Think of a time when you felt really engaged in something you were doing. You felt engaged and energized and it felt good.
- Imagine that you’re back in that moment. Just go fully all the way back. Notice everything that you see, feel and hear.
- After a few moments, come back to the present by blinking your eyes open, taking in a big, deep breath, and sighing it all out. Gently move your spine around, roll your shoulders a few times, take a nice big cat-like stretch, and then find yourself fully back in the present.
- Now set a timer for 6 minutes. Start freewriting. If you haven’t done freewriting before, this means you just start writing anything at all and don’t stop until the timer goes, not even for a moment. If you’re still not sure, check out a brief overview here.
- After you have done 6 minutes of freewriting, jot down the first thing that pops into your mind in response to these prompts:
- When I think about how I want to FEEL as I go about life, I aspire to feel…
- If I had all the energy and resources I need to feel that way, I would know that I had those energy and resources because I would…
- I can overcome any instability that’s holding me back by…
- Now take a moment to take a nice deep breath, let it go, and just notice what is different for you.
- What’s next for you now?