You are on a journey called life. In the last post, we discussed the importance of prioritizing our health and wellness. This prioritization is critical for our longevity and success.

You will never truly thrive if your health and well-being are constantly depleted.

Therefore, another important area to consider is how we protect our energy and optimism. This is especially crucial when life feels like a constant battle to maintain them. The resolve, hope, and focus to keep doing the hard things requires the ability to protect your energy. It also requires the ability to renew your optimism. 

Maintaining the Energy Balance

There are two main ways you can protect your energy: managing what comes in (what you consume) and what goes out (how and where you use it).  

Do you know what restores and replenishes your energy? What are the things you do to protect your energy and optimism? If you don’t know, we will discuss some ways you can protect your energy later in this post. 

Have you ever stopped to think about how the things you consume are affecting you? Does it make you feel better or worse? Does it replenish you or deplete you mentally or emotionally? 

There is no shortage of negative news around us. There is also no shortage of carefully edited videos and images on social media. These can make you feel like everyone else has figured out all the answers to life. Whether we like it or not, the world is constantly telling us what to love, want, and consume. It can be very hard to have boundaries and limit the energy-zapping things and people around us. 

But, just like we know the importance of consuming healthy foods, we also need to watch what we consume visually and audibly. We should try to keep the balance leaning more toward the positive and restorative in the areas we can control.

15 Ways to Protect Your Energy 

1. Release negative thinking patterns: We protect our energy by managing what we consume and how we expend our energy. However, sometimes we need to take an inventory of previous beliefs and ways of thinking that we have consumed and consider what we need to let go of. Sometimes our own thinking about ourselves is the thing that drains our energy the most.

2. Practice Mindfulness: Sometimes we don’t even notice we are depleted until it happens and we crash physically and/or mentally. So, it is important to slow down, pause, and check in with yourself. How are you feeling? What do you need in this moment? As you move through your day and week, find a few moments to notice your thoughts, emotions, and even physical energy.

3. Set Boundaries: Establish clear boundaries for yourself and with others. Learn to say no (or limit) the things and people that drain your energy and optimism as much as you can.

4. Practice Self-Care: Prioritize self-care activities that rejuvenate you, such as exercise, meditation, reading, or time in nature. Take time to think about all the activities and experiences that bring you joy and make you feel restored. When reviewing your week and month, reflect on whether you have set aside time enough time for wellness maintenance.

5. Surround Yourself with Positive People: As much as possible, spend time with the people who uplift and support you. Positive relationships add good energy to your life while toxic ones can drain you. This is true for both people we know closely and people we follow and consume the most on social media. Be mindful of the media you consume and the environments you spend time in.

6. Manage Stress: We cannot always control what we deal with every day, but we can control our reactions and how we release stress. How do you constructively release stress? In order to protect our energy, it is important to develop stress management techniques, such as deep breathing, mindfulness, journaling, exercise, getting enough sleep, or talking through the situation with someone who can help. The main goal here is to develop a toolbox of healthy ways to cope with stress.

7. Declutter Your Space: This is often one we don’t think about as often, but a cluttered environment can contribute to a cluttered mind. Protecting your energy might mean spending time within the week or month to make sure your space brings you a sense of relaxation and peace. Take time to organize and declutter your living and working spaces to create a more peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.

8. Prioritize Tasks: Watching what we consume is one part of the equation, the other part is managing how we spend our time. Focus on aiming your energy toward your most important tasks. This can help you allocate your energy to what truly matters most to you.

9. Learn to ride the wave: There are times when we can control where and how we expend our energy. However, we cannot control the future, which can bring unexpected challenges. When life happens, it can require a lot of energy, but we can choose to not waste valuable energy on resistance and avoidance. Face the challenge and identify where you can save energy as you move through that season. Going with it versus against it can free up much-needed mental and emotional energy.

10. Invest in Personal Growth: Engage in activities that contribute to your personal growth and development. This includes learning new skills, pursuing hobbies, or setting and achieving personal goals. Personal growth can bring a sense of fulfillment and an energy boost.

So, as we move into this week, let’s focus on finding balance and protecting the energy we let in and the energy we let out.

Take it day by day and reset whenever you need to.