Have you ever noticed that sometimes you have seemingly unending energy for something in your life, but other areas are being neglected? Let’s look at where your energy comes from, and where it’s spent.
Life Aspects
Inspired by the pentacle, I like to think of life as made up of five different aspects: Spirit, Body, Mind, Heart, and Community (or Spiritual, Physical, Mental, Emotional, Social).
Take a moment, and rate each of these areas of your life on a scale from 1 (poor) to 10 (great). How do you think you’re doing overall? What do you think could be improved?
I have never met anyone who feels like they’re a 10/10 on all aspects, and to be honest, I don’t think it’s entirely possible. Our energy focuses and wanes, drawing us to pay attention to each area of life in turn. When our social life is getting a lot of our energy and attention maybe our spiritual life gets very little, or maybe none. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of! There’s only so many hours in a day, and we only ever have so much energy to give.
Energy Currency
You may have heard about Spoon Theory (if not, it’s similar to what I’m talking about here). We only have so much we can give in any day.
So, even if we had 50 points of energy (or spoons) to create a life that is 10/10 happy in each aspect, the fact of the matter is that sometimes one aspect (or more) of our lives will require more than 10 points of energy. Maybe we’ve just had a fight with a colleague, or we can’t pay a bill, or a loved one has passed away; that’s going to take more energy to cope with than 10 points.
Some things are always just going to take energy, like dealing with grumpy people, getting stuck in traffic, or paying taxes. What can you identify in your weekly life that always takes your energy?
Think about spending your energy wisely.
Refocus & Refuel
But, where do we get our energy? From the areas of your life where things are good! So enjoy them! For example, if your spirituality is a source of happiness, take time to meditate or pray. Use this time to reconnect with what is working well to feel more centered and grounded. Allow yourself to refuel.
Some practices will always yield energy, such as good hydration and nutrition, sleep and meditation, laughter and hugs. But they’re not always easy to access. What are some of your go-to energy suppliers?
Think about gathering energy wisely.
Conscientious Allocation
If you can think about your energy on a monthly or weekly basis, then you might want to use a visual tool to help you figure out where you’re getting your energy from, and where it’ll be spent.
Tracking your energy over time will help you identify the cycles you’re experiencing, and help you be gentle and compassionate with yourself when you feel you’re coming up short in one area.
If you find that your energy gauge is low in all areas, maybe it’s time for a tarot reading or a coaching session. I’d be happy to help you identify what fuels you up, and where you’re leaking energy in order to get you back on track toward happiness.
Tell me a bit more about what gets you refueled in the comments!