Be like an energetic sun flower
Alice is on the verge of burnout. Susan still has energy late in the day to fully connect with family and friends even though they both have the same job. What is Susan’s secret for increasing her energetic capacity to excel at work, at school, and in all of her life endeavors?
It wasn’t always that way for Susan. After her mother passed away at an early age, she became aware that she needed to explore more beneficial ways of using her energy.
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Personal, Physical, Emotional, Mental, Spiritual Energy
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Personal Energy
First, Susan began to observe her natural personal rhythms to understand the best times to do which activities. The Earth rotates every 24 hours …some hours are dark vs. light, some are cold vs hot to provide energy for the variety of living species. Similarly, humans all have different natural rhythms.
The clock, a human invention, forces us to stuff every minute of the day with non-essentials. But have you observed the way nature designed a cow’s life? It would eat grass all day and come to the barn for milking according to its biological clock -no rush.
Now, what happens to cows which must meet a bottom line schedule? They are stuffed with grains, chemicals & who knows what else while being milked more often. Yes, even cows feel stress and studies have shown that it affects the quality of their milk.
Natural cycles rise & dip in a regular pattern except when there are extremes caused by artificial influences. The Taoists who studied nature for their ‘way of life’ role models, teach that energy moves in circular patterns with modest ups & downs…not linear which doesn’t change.
Susan learned that, as an average riser in the morning 6-8 am & bedtime 10 – 11:30 pm, her energy levels peaked from 8 – noon, therefore she planned the early part of her day on analytical, high focus activities that require full concentration. She left the non-priority e-mails and phone calls until the afternoon when she wasn’t at her top level.
At the same time, based on test scores, she noticed her children were performing better in Math & Science when these classes were taken before lunch.
Later in the day, Susan would schedule brainstorming sessions or any activity where insight and spontaneity were helpful. Creativity, and thinking out of the box, comes when we just let things be instead of analyzing them to death and forcing the answers.
Likewise, the kids were amazingly creative in their music, arts, and humanity classes in the afternoons.
We are not so stressed out when we follow our natural patterns of nature.
Physical Energy
Initially, Susan did not really understand how the body works. Humans were designed as hunters standing up and roaming for miles every day, eating natural foods grown in nature. We are not meant to be desk – sitters with our heads down, staring at a computer and munching on processed packaged snacks which create havoc with our glycemic levels, etc.
Therefore, we need a HOLISTIC range of physical activity throughout the day & week, not just one type of gym class. The muscles need constant strengthening, the joints need lubrication to prevent injuries, and the lungs need expansion to deal with all the allergens floating around.
Get creative in including a range of stretching, calming and cardio activities as a daily practice…at your desk, in the home, and outdoors.
Emotional Energy
Slowing down, to respond to everyday pressures in life with empathy, compassion, and kindness will immediately reduce the every day stress which has become a habit.
Kids, teens, & college students are learning to control their emotions at school today with 3 easy steps:
- Pause, breathe in deeply & slowly release the frustration, sadness, fear, anxiety
- Instead of using the fist or ugly words, try to understand the other person’s point of view from their cultural traditions, religious beliefs, gender, neighborhoods, etc.
- Be positive & grateful for what you have. Ask, how can I help this person? Perhaps they are poor & don’t have enough to eat or money for toys & they don’t have a happy home life. Just a SMILE and FRIENDLY arm around someone can make their day and reduce stress.
As adults, we can do the same. When we get out of ourselves, our own problems diminish, and we feel good about helping others…it could be helping our fellow workers, clients on the phone, or even our bosses – yes, they are human too.
Mental Energy
Life and situations shift, and we need to metaphorically be like a bamboo tree…lightly shifting our energy so it is always in-sync with what is important. Stress happens when we get STUCK in our mental thought patterns, behaviors, and responses.
In the West, we tend more towards left brain, linear type, rational thinking. Therefore we excel at technology, science, and analysis.
In the East, Asians view things more holistically. The Asian tends to be less rigid by seeing the other person’s point of view, and developing the relationship rather than going for the bottom-line. This approach uses both, the rational, left-side of the brain and the creative, intuitive right -side of the brain.
Spiritual Energy
Practice your core values. Balancing your energy to honor what fulfills you, will help to make the parts of the day that you don’t like …become more enjoyable.
Make time for silence & reflection at your place of worship, in the park, at the lake, in the sun, etc.
Rejuvenation breaks are a necessity
to conserve your energy & lunch breaks to replenish the body.
Remember you didn’t eat for 8 hours while sleeping & then if you only grabbed a piece of toast for breakfast…you are running on
an empty tank of gas.
Contact Nadine to create healthy, supportive surroundings at HOME and WORK by understanding the feng shui energy affecting you. Where you sit, having a place for contemplative practices, and being aware of the energy of people around you… matters.
A journey starts with a single step. Lao Tzu
Contact Nadine at 510-525-1116 to begin your journey.