Protecting Your Energy Recap
Twenty-five wonderful women gathered on Wednesday, June 16 for an evening of breaking down ridiculous notions of needing to constantly be performing. Enjoy these notes from our speaker for the evening, Adele Herman.
Protecting Your Energy in a Stress is Best World
Adele Herman: Creative, Coach, and Co-Founder of She Unites
We are told that we need to constantly be performing, doing, improving, creating, what have you. More is more. Stress is best. This normalization of consistent positive growth and no free time is not only completely unrealistic but detrimental to our energy flow.
We all have a set amount of energy given in a 24 hour period. And within that general energy field, we have our social, creative, physical, mental, and emotional energy at different thresholds. Because we are all unique individuals with different capacities to thrive at, how can we prioritize the things we do to protect our energy.
Things to consider when assessing what energy you have to give
Introvert vs Extrovert vs Ambivert
Living Situation (Alone vs Family vs SO)
Work Environment and Independent/Group Work
Ratios of Energy- 100% of Daily Energy= 10% Social, 30% Creative, 30% Mental, 10% Emotional, 20% Physical
What do your ratios of energy look like?
Rules to Protecting My Energy
Check Your Ego at The Door
In fighting our tendencies to meet society’s standards of performing, check your ego and let go of expectations. We naturally want to meet other people's expectations and compare ourselves to the people around us. This feeds our own ego. When we walk through the door and just accept that this is what I can do today and that’s enough, we give ourselves the grace to achieve what we can.
Tune Out the Noise
Find a way that clears your mind of the internal dialogue that is circulating through your mind. For the most part, these thoughts are just causing you confusion and unneeded stress. If meditation works for you, do it. For me, the practice of morning pages is key. Before I start anything that requires more brainpower than making tea, I will brain dump all my thoughts onto a page. This is the most loose form of journaling possible. Get all the clutter out of your mind, so that you can think clearly and be your most creative.
Let Inspiration Be Your Guide
In a perfect world, we would only say yes to things that excite us. Now to make a living is an important piece of the equation, but do your best to focus on the things that inspire you. In selecting projects, unless I am excited about the creative process or the people behind it, I will say no. It’s not worth the paycheck if it's tainted with stress and tears.
Find the Path of Least Resistance
If you seem to find no traction in the arena you are trying to enter, it's probably not for you. I tell my athletes all the time “look for the easy option.” While the path of least resistance won’t necessarily be easy, it will be the more enjoyable journey towards your goals because you haven’t placed unneeded stress on yourself breaking down barricades along the way.
Refill Your Cup
Find a way to replenish your energy that works for you. As an introvert, I need my alone time. If you are someone that gains energy from being with friends, do that. But replenishing your mental and creative energy is a different animal. Set aside time that is dedicated to surrounding yourself with inspiration. In The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, she refers to this as an ‘Artists Date.’ She advises taking two hours every week to refill your creative energy by doing an activity that is purely to nurture this energy. For me, it usually comes in the form of movement. Rock Climbing being my favorite because it is a physical practice that requires a lot of creativity.
Hack Your Schedule
If you have any sort of flexibility in your day to make small changes that will protect your energy, do it. As someone with a smaller threshold of social energy to give, I will build my day around when I have to expend that energy. If I am coaching in the evening, my morning will be all creative solitary work so that I am not expending any social energy. On these days it's also important that I protect my physical energy so that I can be at 100% during training. For me, that looks like low-key movement that still keeps me energized and allows my mind to be on autopilot so that I can be fully present socially and physically for my team.