Life can often feel overwhelming. Stressful situations, demanding responsibilities, and draining interactions can take a toll on our well-being. While we can’t control everything, we can take steps to protect our energy. By fostering a strong inner environment and creating healthy boundaries, we can build resilience and preserve our mental and emotional resources. This involves developing a solid foundation of self-love and awareness – identifying what energises us and, just as importantly, what depletes us.
Understanding energy drains
Energy drains come in many forms—stressful situations, toxic relationships, or even overcommitment to things that don’t serve us. Protecting your energy starts with self-awareness. Take the time to recognise what lifts you up and what wears you down. For instance, understanding where you fall on the introversion-extroversion scale can help you identify when you need solitude versus social interaction.
By getting to know yourself, your values, and your strengths, you can embrace your individuality and build confidence. When you understand your worth, criticism and negativity from others won’t have as much power over you. Understanding that most of what is happening is not about us at all, helps us stop taking things personally and allows us to save energy for what truly matters. When you align your life with your authentic self, your energy will naturally flow towards what fulfils you.
The philosophy of life energy
In traditional Chinese medicine this vital energy is referred to as ‘qi’ (or ‘chi’). It is contained in the food we eat, the air we breathe, it is the life force flowing in our body. It is the root of our being, and its flow determines our health. We draw and lose this energy through social interactions, exercise and our natural environment.
Yoga Upanishads (600 B.C.) refer to the same ideology using a system of chakras, a number of energetic centres in our body that are linked to our physical and mental wellbeing. These centres are believed to regulate the flow of life energy, balancing two opposite forces. Similarly to the flow of qi, these two opposite forces run in individual organisms and throughout the entire universe.
Very similarly, the Stoic philosophy, referring to energy as ‘breath of life’, believes in balancing two different elements ‘air’ and ‘warmth’ in both individual and the cosmos, human psyche and higher consciousness.
Your thoughts shape your energy
Our thoughts have a profound impact on our energy. Negative thinking—complaints, self-doubt, or replaying arguments—drains us, while positive thinking replenishes our reserves. Shift your focus to gratitude, optimism, and problem-solving that will help you attract positivity and protect your energy.
When you notice yourself stuck in a negative thought loop, pause and redirect your attention. Focus on the present moment, breathe deeply, and reframe the situation to preserve your mental resources. Remember, we attract what we are.
Intentional choices to protect your energy
Protect and nourish your environment. To some extent we have the power to choose who we let into our life. Be intentional about how you spend your time and who you surround yourself with. Seek out relationships that uplift and energise you, and limit interactions with people who drain you energy. Be mindful of what you consume—whether it’s food or media as everything we allow into our lives influences our energy.
Set boundaries by asking yourself:
- Do I need to receive notifications from all my apps?
- Do I need to respond immediately?
- Do I have to say yes to every invitation or request?
- How is what I’m doing adding value to my life?
Sometimes all we need to do is to slow down, take a breath, get our priorities straight and invest our time and energy more intentionally. Acknowledge what it is you do for yourself and what you do for others. This will help you map your energy and balance it out. By consciously investing your energy in what aligns with your values, you’ll create a more fulfilling and authentic life. And isn’t that what success is?
Releasing blocked energy
Unaddressed emotions or stress can create “blocked energy,” manifesting as fatigue, tension, or even illness. To release this energy, prioritise physical movement, which helps process and release pent-up emotions.
When we keep our emotions inside, we ruminate over the situation because we’ve never accepted the outcome, or it’s never been solved. Every time we think about it, we bring the experience back and with it the original emotion. Equally, we might just burry the feelings deep enough we forget about them completely, until someone else brings our attention to them.
If you don’t release these emotions, the stress response created in your body can later show in a form of fatigue, muscle tension, weak immune system or even a serious illness. We call this blocked energy.
The best way to unblock this energy is physical movement. If you want to quickly shake off some unpleasant emotions, you literally shake them off. Releasing suppressed emotions and blocked energy that’s been stuck in your body for a while will, however, take some time and regular attention.
Overcome fatigue with active energy restoration
Yoga with its spiritual dimension is great for inducing relaxation response and muscle release, particularly through long hold poses. Breathwork and mindfulness meditation, that go hand in hand with yogic practices, should be also on your list. Deep diaphragmatic breathing helps your nervous system calm down and increases blood circulation in your body, supporting general recovery. Mindful meditation helps you stay present and develop control over the thoughts you let roam in your head, as well as how much attention and meaning you give them.
Sound healing is another technique that promotes relaxation. It restores your natural energetic balance through sound vibrations and frequencies. This treatment is delivered using crystal or Tibetan sound bowls as well as other instruments and vocal exercises, targeting the vagus nerve, responsible, amongst other functions, for mood control, immune system and heart rate.
Commit to regular practices
Use a combination of these and other techniques, or simply pick one that works best for you. It is vital to add these practices to your daily or weekly schedule. Committing to active energy restoration on a regular basis will help you balance your energy levels throughout the week. If you are experiencing a rough patch and feel like you need more intensive approach, you can always speak to a qualified professional. One-to-one sessions will be completely tailored to you and your specific needs. By protecting your energy, you’ll build resilience, enhance your peace of mind, and create space for the things that truly matter to you. Take the first step today — your energy is worth it.
Additional Reading1
- Kohn, L. (2011) ‘Health Maintenance in Ancient China’, International Journal of Medical Sciences, 8, pp. 26-42. Available at: https://www.medsci.org/v08p0s26.htm (Accessed: 22 September 2024)
Rajput, K. (2020) How Adi Paratpar Shiv and Maa Adi Para Shakti Are Associated with Modern Science? Available at: https://medium.com/@kushal.rajput/the-concept-of-shiv-shakti-has-its-deep-roots-in-the-philosophy-of-yoga-especially-in-the-b5c2f3bc2e84 (Accessed: 22 September 2024)
Moore, J. (2024) Understanding the Energy Body: Exploring the Spiritual Essence Within.
Available at: https://www.maineshaman.com/blog/category/understanding-the-energy-body-exploring-the-spiritual-essence-within (Accessed: 22 September 2024)
Woodyard, C. (2011) ‘Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life’, International Journal of Yoga, 4, pp. 49-54. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193654/ (Accessed: 22 September 2024)
Chapman, B. P. at al (2013)‘Emotion Suppresion and Mortality Risk Over a 12-Year Follow-up’, J Psychosom Res., 75(4), pp. 381-385. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2013.07.014 (Accessed: 22 September 2024)
Institute of Noetic Sciences (2024) Mapping the Field of Subtle Energy Healing. Available at: https://noetic.org/science/mapping-subtle-energy-healing/ (Accessed: 22 September 2024)
Riehl, M. (2016) An Easy Way to Beat Stress – and Build a Healthier Life. Available at: https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/easy-way-beat-stress-and-build-healthier-life#:~:text=Deep%20breathing%20from%20the%20abdominal,returning%20blood%20to%20the%20heart. (Accessed: 22 September 2024)
Schneider, A. (2019) ‘A Brief History of the Chakras in Human Body’, Psychology Review, 15 (16). Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342562977_A_Brief_History_of_the_Chakras_in_Human_Body (Accessed: 22 September 2024)
↩︎
Leave a Reply