6 Tips to Protect Your Energy

The input we receive every day can be exhausting. There are so many things to do, involving so many different subjects, times, and places, that we commonly end-up feeling totally drained.

Sometimes we get so absorbed by everything that taking care of ourselves becomes another item on our ‘to-do list’. However, taking care of our energy doesn’t translate on hard work or tedious homework. Self-care can look different every time, it has a lot of faces. Let me share with you some of them, the ones that have worked wonders for me:

Cancel a Commitment

I get it. You’ve been so busy, up and down everywhere to get things ready, to get it all done. It’s okay, congratulations on all your hard work! Now it’s time to take time for you.

It’s okay if you cancel that dinner date, or if you decide you want to not show up at that party. It’s fine if you prefer to go to sleep early, and ditch movie night. It’s perfectly okay if you decide you just want to spend today snuggling in your house.

Even if you have the time, even if nothing stops you from attending that commitment, you have the right to say no.

Don’t Answer That Call

As an anxious introvert, I got you on this one. Receiving calls makes me nervous most of the time, but it’s not about the person who’s calling or what they might need, it’s about how it breaks my flow.

Picture this, you’re reading your favorite book, feeling so calm and joyful at the moment. You are probably sipping on your favorite drink, or tasting your go-to chilling snack. Then, all of a sudden, the phone rings. Boom, there goes your tranquility bubble.

It’s okay if you don’t pick up. It’s perfectly fine if you stay focused on your task. If you’re not in the mood to talk, or if is someone who makes you feel drained, skip it. It’s fine.

Don’t Share Yourself

Sometimes it’s nice to spend the day with yourself. Do it every now and then, rejoice in the calmness of your own company.

You might feel like going to the cinema, but you are not really in the mood to hang around with anyone. Well, go to the cinema by yourself. I promise you it’s worth it, and you can eat all the popcorn without any trace of remorse.

It’s fine to do things by yourself. It’s okay to choose to be alone for a while, you might need it to recharge your batteries and figure some thoughts out.

Speak Up

This might seem hard sometimes. We want to be kind, we want to take care of everyone’s feelings. However, please make sure to take care of your feelings too. You deserve it.

If there’s something making you feel uncomfortable, say it. Don’t stay silent. If there’s someone who’s hurting you -physically or emotionally-, say it loud and clear. It might feel odd at first, especially if you’re not used to it, but I promise you it will save a lot of trouble and will allow you to balance your thoughts and actions.

You cannot put other people’s perceptions of you over your well-being.

Move On

We all wish everything could work out fine. Relationships, jobs, projects… but some of these are just not meant to be. And that’s okay.

Walk away from everything that’s taking too much energy from you, and not giving any good back. That friendship that’s just not really healthy now, move on from it, don’t get attached. The project that’s leading you through uncomfortable paths, leave it, you’ll be better somewhere else.

‘If it costs you your peace, it’s too expensive.’ — Unknown.

Change

For some reason, there’s a negative connotation when it’s said someone changed.

Well, isn’t that why we’re here? To evolve?

Of course, we all hope to change for the better, right?

Let me rephrase that: we all hope to change for **our** better, right?

Go ahead, do it.

You are the only person who knows what’s going on in your life. You are the only one who knows what it’s like to inhabit your body and mind. If you have to go through metamorphosis to be a better version of yourself, do it.

Don’t be afraid to evolve in order to take care of yourself and your energy.

Make sure to take deep breaths. Listen to your body, and contemplate what you need to feel joyful and ready. It’s okay if it means putting yourself first every now and then; you’re not being selfish, you’re being human.

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Not really trying to teach you anything, but perhaps we can learn together.