Energy drainers versus energy expanders

​Over the last week I’ve been nursing myself from a terrible case of the flu.

A fever of close to 102 degrees, severe chills and waking up in the middle of every night completely drenched in sweat.

My body felt terrible, especially as I had coaching clients, 2 live meditation workshops and my very first webinar to host, all happening in the same week!

With all these activities on my calendar, I knew that, at the first sign of getting sick, I had to move into “time-to-get-well-quickly” mode.

Immediately, I started drinking hot tea with honey and lemon, and eating chicken udon and wonton soup. 

Richard got me some DayQuil, NyQuil and orange juice. 

I decided to get as much rest as possible, going to bed as early as 8pm and building in nap times during my day.

I reduced my work to the very minimum I needed to get done, which made me feel super-efficient!

And I barely looked at my social media. I just needed to rest.

During one of the days while laying in bed, I thought to myself, “Isn’t it interesting how I know what to do to make sure I get back on the road to health. Now, why don’t I engage in these kinds of wellness activities all of the time, not just when I’m sick?”

There are certain activities and ways of being that promote your well-being. These are what I call “energy expanders.”

Energy expanders include getting lots of rest, eating nutritious food, and doing the things that make your body, mind and soul feel nourished and taken care of.

Energy expanders could also include things like meditation and other spiritual practices, and spending time with loved ones.

Energy expanders are activities that leave you feeling more energized and vibrant.

And then there are those activities that I call “energy drainers."

Sometimes these feel draining, and other times they make you feel "meh," or somewhat neutral.

Energy drainers include things like watching tv mindlessly or getting lost in social media for hours, eating a whole bunch of junk food that make you feel awful after you eat it, or doing things that you don’t like to do (but you do them out of a feeling of obligation instead of joy).

If you've ever felt like you wasted time, or you wondered "Why did I just do that?", those are most likely signs of energy drainers.

Essentially, energy drainers are those activities and experiences that don't promote your growth and expansion.

One of the keys to living a more fulfilling life is to include more energy expanders in your schedule. 

And the more your life is filled with these energy expanders, the greater your sense of fulfillment.

Is that really possible, you ask?

I’m here to say, yes, it is completely possible.

But it takes some work.

Having an energy-expansive life means shifting some of your beliefs and behaviors, and making a commitment where you say to yourself, “I’m worth it. I matter in my life, and I don’t want to settle for any less anymore.”

It also means getting clearer and saying yes to what gives you energy and vitality, and no to what doesn’t.

As horrible as getting the flu has been for me this past week, I actually can see the blessing in all of this.

What getting sick helped me to remember is this lesson, that I don’t have to wait until I get sick in order to start doing the things that promote my health and well-being.

I can start right now.

So here's my question to you:

What's one baby step you can take this week to bring more energy expanders in your life?
​
Abundant Blessings and Namaste.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about today's article. Please feel free to leave a comment below.

And if you’d like support in getting clear on how you can create more energy expansive life, I can help. You can set up a complimentary life coaching consultation. Click here for more information.