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Four Energies
Aug. 13th, 2010 08:01 amWhen you're tired, you might try to trace the source of the energy drain. I categorize energy into four types, with some overlap. Each energy when poorly balanced can potentially drain another energy.
Physical energy: Are you sleeping well? Are you eating enough and not too much? Will exercise pick you up? Have you exercised too much? The solutions for this are obvious, though not often easy to achieve: eat right, get enough sleep but not too much, get a balanced amount of exercise. Another factor is breathing. During allergy season, many people feel tired because their nasal passages are partially blocked and they're getting less oxygen without realizing it. Stress can also make you breathe more shallowly. Deep breathing exercises may help with all four energies.
Mental energy: If your brain feels fried, this is mental energy. The best solution for this is doing something with your senses, like exercising or being in nature. Meditating can work, or watching TV will suffice in a pinch (as long as it doesn't drain your spiritual energy). Pets are also good to help revitalize your mental energy. Interestingly, an excess of mental energy can drain you emotionally if you don't challenge it (i.e. boredom and frustration).
Emotional energy: For introverts, this can include just talking to other people. For everyone else, it's more likely to be related to having a dispute, worry, frustration, guilt, self-doubt, self-criticism. This one is the hardest for me to recover from, usually because the energy drains are subtle and insidious. Once you locate the source of the drain, you can (1) try just to let go and disinvest yourself (*hard), (2) talk to a friend or therapist, or (3) nurture your positive emotions like joy and love. Pets help here, too.
Spiritual energy: This is similar to emotional energy, but I think of it as more outward-directed. It's when you worry about what's happening in the world, or when you've been called on too much to support someone else's emotional crisis. Watching the news too much can drain your spiritual energy and also drain your emotional energy through frustration. For me, resolving a spiritual energy drain is easier than treating an emotional drain, primarily because it's easier for me to disengage from the situation. Be sure you're truly disengaging, because denial is a sapper; it's like digging a hole under a wall, hidden but dangerous. Spiritual energy can be nurtured through religious services and prayer (if that's your belief system, and sometimes it can work even if it isn't). Meditation is similarly effective. Other techniques are to surround yourself with positive news and to enjoy nature.
Thinking about the area of your energy drain can help you discover techniques to revitalize yourself.
Physical energy: Are you sleeping well? Are you eating enough and not too much? Will exercise pick you up? Have you exercised too much? The solutions for this are obvious, though not often easy to achieve: eat right, get enough sleep but not too much, get a balanced amount of exercise. Another factor is breathing. During allergy season, many people feel tired because their nasal passages are partially blocked and they're getting less oxygen without realizing it. Stress can also make you breathe more shallowly. Deep breathing exercises may help with all four energies.
Mental energy: If your brain feels fried, this is mental energy. The best solution for this is doing something with your senses, like exercising or being in nature. Meditating can work, or watching TV will suffice in a pinch (as long as it doesn't drain your spiritual energy). Pets are also good to help revitalize your mental energy. Interestingly, an excess of mental energy can drain you emotionally if you don't challenge it (i.e. boredom and frustration).
Emotional energy: For introverts, this can include just talking to other people. For everyone else, it's more likely to be related to having a dispute, worry, frustration, guilt, self-doubt, self-criticism. This one is the hardest for me to recover from, usually because the energy drains are subtle and insidious. Once you locate the source of the drain, you can (1) try just to let go and disinvest yourself (*hard), (2) talk to a friend or therapist, or (3) nurture your positive emotions like joy and love. Pets help here, too.
Spiritual energy: This is similar to emotional energy, but I think of it as more outward-directed. It's when you worry about what's happening in the world, or when you've been called on too much to support someone else's emotional crisis. Watching the news too much can drain your spiritual energy and also drain your emotional energy through frustration. For me, resolving a spiritual energy drain is easier than treating an emotional drain, primarily because it's easier for me to disengage from the situation. Be sure you're truly disengaging, because denial is a sapper; it's like digging a hole under a wall, hidden but dangerous. Spiritual energy can be nurtured through religious services and prayer (if that's your belief system, and sometimes it can work even if it isn't). Meditation is similarly effective. Other techniques are to surround yourself with positive news and to enjoy nature.
Thinking about the area of your energy drain can help you discover techniques to revitalize yourself.