"Lots of everyday activities pull energy out of your vessel such as work, cooking, commuting, parenting, gardening, housework, relationship building and caring for others. But when life is ‘in balance’ and these activities are fulfilling you, these can also generate their own supply of positive energy. Emotions can work both ways too. The positive ones such as affection, enthusiasm and delight, will help to keep your vessel topped up, but emotional drains such as anger, sadness, resentment, worry and frustrations will drip energy from the bottom of your vessel, and need to be attended to," says Alyssa. It’s all about finding out what gives you energy.
Physical Energy
The obvious ones are nutritious food, good sleep, relaxation, attention to posture, and physical exercise. But go further by involving your senses more - sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. Sensory-rich experiences such as nature, music and art can be profoundly energising, providing those involving taste are not loaded with sugar – a serious energy zapper!
Mental Energy
Invite change and mental challenge, pull yourself out of a rut, stimulate your creativity and allow regular downtime to rest, and sharpen the mind. Humans are not robots: They need time to reflect and take time away from life’s treadmill. Using different parts of the brain to those we use all the time is a great way to de-stress and keep refreshed. One of the best ways to do this is to learn a new skill. We do this all the time when we’re younger, for instance when we learn to read to ride a bike – and research shows that those who are most excited by life and look forward to getting up in the morning, never stop learning, whatever their age. What might you learn? The sky’s the limit, but here’s a few random ideas to start you thinking: hula-hooping, touch typing, cordon bleu cooking, scuba diving, tennis, Italian, woodwork, wine appreciation, art history, cello, sailing, drama, web design, the tango!
Emotional energy
Reach out to others and give what you wish to receive – empathy, valuing, motivating, influencing and love. Look inside yourself and outward towards those who can inspire you to build confidence and self-awareness. Ditch or change patterns around toxic friendships and emotionally draining relationships, whilst being aware of your own effect on others, of course.
Spirit
Relaxation, meditation, prayer and time out in nature. Play and laugh more! Discover your passions. A good way to get in touch with your purpose in life, is to imagine that you are 100 years old and are looking back on your life. What will you be proud of? What will you regret not having done? What has the most meaning to you? Now is the time to act on those insights.
Find your own secret ingredient!
The formula for keeping your bucket brimming with energy will be different for each of us because of one magic ingredient – passion. “This is about finding your own voice and niche in life and getting fired up by those things that you love and which help you to feel fulfilled.” says Alyssa.