As the mornings become colder and darker and the evenings curl up around us like autumnal leaves, our energies naturally feel lower and become more inward-facing. It can be a struggle to rise out of our snug beds in the morning and take us longer to find our drive for the day.
So I have some tiny-but-powerful (think Lady Gaga) energy tips that will not just keep you going, but will also help you avoid burnout and in fact create real physical energy as if from nowhere! What’s more, I promise to keep them super short & sweet so you don’t fall asleep on me ?.
(And to find out how I shifted a lifetime of chronic fatigue and depression, read on right to the end!).
No. 1: THE POWER-MINUTE
Yep, you read that right. I know you think a whole day (or week) in bed is the only way out of feeling like this, but hear me out.
When you’re tired/ drained/ in a low mood, you’re in survival mode. Your lizard brain has taken over and it literally feels like you might die if you don’t get some proper rest soon (assuming you’re not dangerously sleep-deprived of course). Good news! You’re not a lizard, and you are blessed with consciousness and the ability to control your mind and nervous system. Sound scary? Impossible? I’m talking 60 seconds of conscious control here folks. (What else could you do in that time?).
> HOW TO DO IT (NOW!)
Take 60 seconds right now to be 100% in the moment and in love with your life. Fill those 60 seconds with as many powerful, happy memories, big appreciation and good feelings as you can. Don’t waste a single millisecond in doubt or critical thinking – focus entirely on FEELING GOOD. Set a timer if you have to and really challenge yourself. If you feel your conscious intention slipping, simply nudge it right back – find the discipline for these 60 seconds. This might feel at odds with how your brain normally “works”, and you might tell yourself you “can’t”. If this is you, think of an area in your life where you regularly bring this kind of discipline – maybe with your body, or your work attitude – and bring those same values to this work: your vital energy!
I can guarantee this “Power-Minute” will change your entire mood, energy levels and the trajectory of your day! Make it a habit and it will change your LIFE!
NO. 2: MIND THE GAPS
I know, you really can’t afford to take time out of your day for “self-care”. I totally get it – and that’s exactly why this is SUCH genius!
When you feel like you need a day off or 3-hour nap but really can’t afford to take that time out of your day (and also need to prevent total burnout), take fully-intentional, conscious mini-breaks at every possible point you can in your day. It might be closing your eyes for 1 minute before you get out of your car, or when you arrive at your desk (yes, you can do this in front of people – put your headphones in if you need to!). Let go of the need to control and drive every second of your day, and challenge yourself to properly surrender into the natural ‘gaps’.
> HOW TO DO IT (NOW!)
Firstly, make the decision right now that instead of picking up your phone (or at least before you do), you will choose one of these “Mind the Gap” actions for yourself.
- When you sit down to begin work, close your eyes for a few moments and choose a (positive, present & non-practical) intention for your day, and breathe it in more fully on each breath.
- When you make (or grab) a cup of tea/coffee, do some stretches and let your mind rest deliberately on something beautiful instead of worrying constantly about what you’ve got to get back to.
- At lunchtime, listen to a meditation and close your eyes, then take a walk in the park. Or write a list (with old fashioned pen and paper) of things you love about your life, or a mini-letter to a dear friend.
- When you leave your work for the day, take a full minute to shake it off- both mentally and physically! – to help you transition back to your personal life with ease.
These small actions don’t take any more time to do than scrolling through social media, and unlike that activity, these will recharge your spirits as well as significantly lowering your stress levels and making you feel like life really is worth living! So take back control of your energy and mind those gaps. When you get it, it feels incredibly delicious and liberating, I promise you!
NO. 3: THE FEELING-INTENTION
I want to help you live your best possible feelings every-single-day. This means getting really intentional about your feelings, rather than living in reactive (and survival) mode. That’s not to say you stuff down the challenging feelings which come up, or attempt to push through them. No, no, no: that is terrible energy management and will always come back to bite you in the worst possible places!
Above all, this energy tip will help you to practice the art of processing your feelings – whatever comes up (and whenever) – so you can grow through them. In doing this it becomes so much easier to actually choose your feelings on a daily basis! Yes, you get to choose!
> HOW TO DO IT (NOW!)
The golden key to this tip is the following mantra: “ACKNOWLEDGE—HONOUR—EXPAND”.
So when I ask you to wake up in the morning and within the first hour of your day to choose 3 intentional feelings for that day, you know without a doubt that you can’t possibly fail. Whatever is thrown at you, you will acknowledge, honour and expand into it and then come back with conscious intent to your chosen feelings. Sounds easy in theory, but what about in practice?
Let’s say you decide to choose “compassion”, “calm” and “confidence”. What happens when someone cuts across you on the double carriageway, almost taking you out? Do you swallow your anger, vitriol and fear down wholesale or do you wallow in self-flagellation for your in-the-moment tirade and subsequent meltdown?
Remember the mantra! “ACKNOWLEDGE—HONOUR—EXPAND”. The more you come back to this and the idea of processing difficult emotions (rather than suppressing or ‘pushing through’ them), the more you will expand your emotional resilience and begin to actually win each day! (Even if only in recognising those tiny moments where you focussed your energy and started to expand those positive feelings).
Are you ready? Try creating your own ‘feelings’ board to remind you every morning, and watch your energetic brilliance begin to expand as if from nowhere!
HOW I SHIFTED MY CHRONIC FATIGUE & DEPRESSION TO BECOME A LIFE ENERGY ALCHEMIST
I’m going to level with you here. Before I became a Life Energy Alchemist, I was forever trying to boost my energy levels (which were so drastically and chronically depleted, I actually didn’t even realise how badly off-balance they were). To do this I attempted pretty much all of the physical means possible, from sleeping more (often up to 14 hours a day if I could), to eating really strict diets. But nothing worked in the long term. I’d experience temporary relief or even highs, but then I’d come crashing back down again. Always. I never, ever, felt “balanced”.
Since I learned to master my mindset – including my mental, emotional and spiritual energies – I know I can now generate energy even when my physical energy is totally depleted.
My guilty, vulnerable and incredible admission to you now is this:
- My sleeping habits could be WAY better (I still suffer from partial insomnia as a result of my healing trauma).
- My eating habits could be about 20-50% better, depending on the week/month!
- I don’t take any supplements except for omega 3, and I follow a vegan diet (so at the least, my B12 and vit D levels are likely in need of a boost).
- I do move my body intentionally every day but I could definitely do a lot more – especially cardiovascular.
- I could definitely drink more pure water (I typically have one large glass with lemon in the morning and that’s it).
And honestly, there’s so many more things I could do (and I’m working on!) physically, many of which I have practiced in the past, but since I learned to master my mindset – including my mental, emotional and spiritual energies – I know I can now generate energy even when my physical energy is totally depleted. This huge revelation truly accelerated my healing tenfold when I first discovered this power.
As you begin to explore these 3 tiny-but-powerful Energy Tips, I hope you will also discover how to access this power consistently! Let me know how you get on over on Facebook and Instagram.