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Energy is a vital component of our daily lives. It affects our mood, productivity, and overall well-being. Understanding the things that give us energy and the things that take it away is crucial for managing our overall health and wellness. In this blog, we will explore the concept of energy givers and energy takers, and how identifying and managing them can improve our daily lives. By understanding and managing your energy givers and takers, you can improve your mood, productivity, and overall well-being!
Explanation of Energy Givers and Energy Takers:
Energy givers are activities, behaviors, or things that boost our energy levels and make us feel more positive, motivated, and productive. Incorporating energy givers into our daily lives can help to improve our mood, boost our immune system, decrease stress, and provide a sense of overall well-being. They are important to include in our daily lives in order to maintain optimal energy levels.
Energy takers are things that drain our energy levels and make us feel more negative, unmotivated, and unproductive. These can contribute to fatigue, poor mood, a weakened immune system, and an overall feeling of being unwell. So, they are pretty much the opposite of everything that energy givers do for us!
I know this might not be "new" information to you, but how do we break out of the cycle of constantly engaging in energy-draining activities? I'll tell you how!
Energy Givers:
- Sunlight
- Positive self-talk
- Deep, mindful breathing
- Music
- Nutritious food
- Movement
- Friends
Energy Takers:
- Dehydration
- Sugar
- Sitting all-day
- People-pleasing
- Junk food
- Comparison
- Jealousy
Tips to Incorporate Energy Givers into Your Daily Routine
- Sunlight: Block time off on your calendar to spend time outside every day, even if it’s just a short walk around the block. Sunlight is a powerful source of energy because of how vitamin D affects our mitochondria!
- Positive Self-Talk: Start your day by saying a few positive affirmations to yourself. This can be as simple as saying “I am strong, capable, and worthy” or “I am going to have a great day today.” This can help to improve your mood, boost confidence, and increase motivation.
- Deep, Mindful Breathing: Take a few minutes each to focus on your breath and practice deep breathing. My favorite time to do this is in the morning when I am taking my cold shower and at night when I meditate before going to bed. It can help reduce stress and anxiety, improve focus, and increase energy levels.
- Music: Listen to music that makes you feel good! For me, this changes every day. I also LOVE to dance so if I’m at home listening to music you can bet I’m also busting a move.
- Nutritious Food: Eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet can help your energy levels and overall health and wellness! Adding more vegetables to every meal can go a long way!
- Friends: Make time to connect with friends and family. Spending time with people you care about can help improve your mood, reduce stress, and increase the energy levels of everyone!
- Acceptance: Learning to accept things that you can’t control and focus on the things you can, is very important for our energy. How many times have you heard the saying “there’s no reason to waste my energy on something I can’t control” - it is so true!
- Hydration: This one seems obvious, but it really is so important. Making sure you drink enough water throughout the day can be a huge factor in your energy levels.
It’s important to remember that everyone’s daily routine and schedule are different, so it may take some experimentation to find the right balance of energy givers that work best for you!
Tips on Getting Rid of Energy Takers
- Dehydration: Like I said above, making sure you are drinking enough water throughout the day is crucial! One way that I make sure I am drinking enough water is I carry a water bottle with me everywhere I go. And when I say everywhere, I mean it. Walking to the kitchen? I bring my water bottle. Driving to my parent's house? I bring my water bottle. If you have a hard time with this, set reminders on your phone to drink water every hour or so.
- Sugar: We all know that sugar does more harm than good when it comes to our health. And unfortunately, it affects a lot more than just our energy levels. But, one way to cut back on sugary foods and drinks is to replace them with healthier options such as fruits and vegetables. Cutting yourself off cold turkey from sugar can make you want it that much more. Take it one day at a time!
- Sitting all day: Some days this is really hard for me! I like to make sure I am taking regular breaks whether that's going for a walk, stretching, doing some squats, etc. This is another situation that could benefit from setting a reminder on your phone to get up every hour.
- People-pleasing: Learn to set boundaries and say no to things that don’t align with your values or goals. Prioritize your own well-being and don’t be afraid to put yourself first. At the end of the day, you can’t show up and be your best self if you aren’t prioritizing your health and wellness.
- Junk food: I know that you know this. But it’s so true that cleaning up your diet by cutting out processed foods, can improve your energy levels!
- Comparison: Try to focus on your own progress and achievements, rather than comparing yourself to others. I know this can be hard and definitely something I struggle with as well, but comparing yourself to others is not going to get you any closer to your goals. Practice gratitude for what you have and focus on your own journey!
- Jealousy: Try focusing on being happy for others’ successes, rather than feeling jealous. Jealousy is a huge energy taker and honestly a waste of time. Instead, channel that energy as motivation!
It’s important to seek help if any of these energy takers have a negative impact on your mental and physical health. Implementing more energy givers into your daily routine will help weed out the energy takers!
In conclusion, managing your energy levels is crucial for your overall well-being. Understanding the things that give you energy, and the things that take it away can completely change your day-to-day life. Incorporating the energy givers I listed above can improve your mood, boost your immune system, decrease stress, and help you to feel more balanced. With that said, life happens, and it’s not realistic to say you’ll never engage in these energy takers again. However, incorporating more of the energy givers can allow you to not be as affected by the energy takers.
Life is all about balance. Things will happen that we don’t expect, and we’ll get overwhelmed and anxious. This is why adding simple wellness habits like the energy givers in your daily routine can better equip your body for times of stress and hardship.
