Energy Givers
There is a wide misconception, that activities that give you or boost your energy are your go-to when you are feeling low, fatigued and in need of self care. However, consider this, would you only put petrol in your car when it’s empty?
Me, I have a regular day when I put petrol in my car. Religiously, I drive to my local petrol station, fill it up, occasionally fill my tires and even give my windscreen a clean. I do this, because I know better now - having had tyres that are too low, a nearly empty tank and a pretty dirty window. Before, I ran my car like I did a lot of things - hanging on a prayer.
What caused me to make changes was the simple fact that things got pretty difficult and expensive when my car stopped running so well.
Your body and actually, your whole self, is very similar to your car. You need to look after it for it to perform at it’s best.
As busy Women, we tend to burn the candle at both ends juggling a career, Motherhood, relationships etc….it’s quite easy to put off prioritising yourself. The mistake a lot of women make is that we envision giving ourselves some energy in a very cliche way - bubble baths with a good book and wine, massages, foot rubs - but self care is much, much more than this and energy givers can be a part of your life daily, consistently so you are not participating when you’re running on empty but rather, filling up the tank everyday so you never breakdown.
WHAT IS AN ENERGY GIVER?
Put simply, these are activities and daily practices that will help to boost your mood, bring peace and calm, release happy hormones and allow you to live your life intentionally.
Energy givers are subjective and completely uinque - like you. There is no right, or wrong but merely a discovery of you and acceptance of your needs, likes and wants.
DEFINING YOU
One of the easiest ways to define your energy givers is to write a list. Pretty simple hu? Your list can be diverse, long, short, creative and insightful but should always reflect you, your needs, wants and desires.
You can make this a fun task for yourself, your family and even your partner so you are discovering together and later aligning activities and tasks that you can all partake in together!
When you become more familiar with yourself, you will be more aware of you as an individual and be capable of setting more clear goals as well as set boundaries to help you thrive in both your personal and professional life.
WHAT ARE SOME ENERGY GIVERS?
Energy givers come in all shapes and sizes, a one size fits all approach won’t work here. If you are feeling stuck, here are some ideas to get you started on your own unique list:
Morning Walks
Meditation
Painting or Drawing
Surfing
Yoga
E-Learning short courses
Baking
Content Creation
Weightlifting
Spa days
You get the idea right?
If it’s that simple..then why doesn’t everyone do it?
The answer to that is that it simply comes down to your mindset. There are many reasons why you love painting but haven’t picked up a paintbrush in years. We call them excuses and they are one of the biggest energy takers in your life.
How many times have you thought..I’ll do it next weekend? I don’t have the time, I’m too tired, I can’t do it by myself. These are all limiting beliefs and thoughts that prevent you from filling your tank and participating in your self care and wellness.
So how do you do what you are supposed to do without getting in your own way?
Become disciplined.
Let’s face it, none of us are motivated ALL the time, sometimes it’s not motivation that will get you out the door and out for your morning walk, it’s discipline - and the lack of excuses!
This is why learning daily habits is a fundamental part of your growth, development and self care. Without discipline, you will always have excuses and with excuses you will never achieve your true potential.
Your energy givers are there to help you fill your own cup. By pouring into yourself, you will be able to pour onto others, discover parts of yourself that you didn’t know existed, grow in your self confidence, meet new people and develop stronger relationships with yourself an those around you.
In short, don’t wait until you’re empty to scramble for emergency repair. Pour into yourself daily, weekly so you are slowly becoming the very best version of you. Your likes, wants and desires will you achieve the very best life you are capable of living.