12 ways to protect and raise your energy
Now that the world is opening up again and opportunities are slowly presenting themselves, it feels like a good time to give a bit of thought to where we want to be placing our energy. A few weeks ago on social media I posted about ways to PROTECT our energy.. and today I posted about ways to RAISE our energy, so I thought the topic deserved expanding on…
I don’t know about you but I’m feeling the need to hit the ‘reset’ button right now. There’s a lot to process. Some people are feeling anxious about life returning to some sort of normality – many have enjoyed the slower pace of life or the opportunity to work from home. Others are dying to start socialising and want to make the most of every opportunity out there! Whichever it is for you, it’s never too early to start getting aware of what raises or drains your energy!
If you’re prone to overwhelm and sensitive to negative vibes then these ideas for protecting and raising your energy will help. Think of it like having a forcefield around you! The idea is to increase the things that raise your emotional state and reduce or eliminate what doesn’t. But it all starts with AWARENESS. So read on…
You protect your energy when you:
- put boundaries in place
- don’t say yes to everything
- focus on self-improvement
- make time for self-care
- limit your screen time
- respect your body
- get to bed early
Protecting your energy
Some of the points here are pretty self-explanatory and so simple it’s a wonder why we’re not all doing them already (guilty ! 🙈). So I won’t elaborate on every point, but essentially these tips are about choosing things that serve us better. Choosing yourself is not selfish. Choosing yourself and protecting your energy is essential! Only then will you have the vitality and trust in yourself to be your best self ✨
Boundaries
Set some boundaries to protect your emotional and physical energy. This is YOU protecting yourself in the same way a best friend would. If you need to communicate your boundaries, try to do it in a compassionate way (not in a defensive way) as we then show respect for ourselves AND the other person. I see boundaries not as control of others, but as protection of ourselves. We decide what we will and won’t accept and we can evolve those boundaries over time as we see fit. 👏
You don’t necessarily have to tell anyone – you can just quietly start interacting in a different way (which is a form of communication in itself). BUT, if there is something you need to get off your chest, then I would say “go for it!” as every time you genuinely speak up, you reclaim your right to be respected. It is your birthright.
When we express our feelings (rather than suppress them), we experience a release.. it allows stuck energy to flow again (have you ever felt the release of crying, or the relief after you’ve finally let go?) This is something I’ve experienced recently and my energy is growing every day.
Putting some personal boundaries in place which protect your energy can essentially just be a change in mindset.
Say No
Don’t say yes to too much – I’m mainly talking about responsibilities here, as well as opportunities now that our freedom is returning – hallelujah! If you’ve got used to the slower pace of life, then try to pace yourself back in one step at a time. Be mindful of your energy if the temptation to overdo it is strong… gym, hair cut, shopping and nail bar, followed by a trip to the zoo and beer garden anyone?! 😆
Try not to take on too many tasks or errands if you can’t manage it all yet. Get aware of which jobs you could leave til next week or maybe ask someone to help you. If you’re a people pleaser you might find it hard to say ’no’. Try asking yourself: “Does agreeing to this raise or lower my energy?”, and then respond accordingly.
Self-improvement
Life is always changing, so stay in tune with your soul and nourish it with what it needs to grow. Getting aware of (and trusting) your authentic self is so rewarding. Plus, it’s a way of going with the flow, rather that being too rigid and inflexible which reduces our positive vibes.
Be proud of your self-improvement but don’t always try to be right – we all see the world differently. Keep an open mind. It takes courage to stand up and speak your truth, but it also takes the same courage to sit down and listen. Get aware of yourself and don’t be scared to be wrong from time to time. It’s called learning. It’s called life ✨
Self-care
Recognising that YOU are the most important person in your life and that you can only give your best when you look after yourself is crucial! Think about things that help you feel more connected to yourself by living in the present moment. Things like mindfulness, stretching, walks outside, journaling, gardening, cooking, creating something. Start to introduce more of those things as when we feel disconnected from ourselves, energy leaks out of us.
Empower yourself with healthy habits which protect and raise your vibration and your sense of self-worth. This is where making time for self-care, respecting your body, limiting your screen time and getting to bed early come in. Here are some other ideas for raising your energy ✨
You raise your energy when you…
- Keep your agreements to yourself and others
- Make a decision – (indecision is exhausting!!)
- Don’t judge others (or yourself!)
- Look after your appearance /take a bath or shower
- Speak kindly to yourself
- Exercise regularly
- Get outside – even if just to feel the breeze on your face
- Stay aligned with your values
Keep your agreements
As I mentioned before, it helps to not take on too much. Otherwise we start letting others (and ourselves) down. The main problem is that when we don’t follow through, it leads to self-doubt and disappointment… and more often that not, conflicts in our relationships. As a result it lowers our vibration and our self-esteem which in turn causes us to lose faith in ourselves and our abilities.
Make a decision
Indecision is exhausting and it keeps us stuck! To help keep your energy in a good place, try making some decisions the night before.. eg. what you’re going to wear.. what you’re going to have for breakfast, and what your first task of the day is. I’m starting small here because it may be taking you a little while to find your feet as we ease out of lockdown!
In a broader sense, it’s also helpful to get systems in place for certain areas of our life. Automated systems save us having to make so many daily decisions and obviously save time. So, depending on your preference, things like planning your weekly meals, bulk buying, saving your online grocery ‘favourites’, setting up ‘Subscribe and Save’ with Amazon. Anything that reduces and streamlines your daily decisions and workload.
Get systems working for you in terms of your household too.. routines, a rota, turning the wi-fi off at a set time (if you want your kids to go to bed!).. Also consider things like smart plugs, appliances on timers, automated bills and savings… that kind of thing. Anything that works ‘for’ you, not against you!
Also, on the subject of decisions.. our MICRO-decisions are really important. These are the small (almost automatic) instant choices we make all day, every day… like checking our phone, what snack to grab, what thought to follow, what social media we consume, what music we listen to.. the list is endless. Get aware of these, as they can trip us up and lead us down the rabbit hole of doom-scrolling or comparing ourselves to others. Stay in your lane and stick to your action plan!
Looking after your appearance
We all know this makes us feel good and is a great way of raising our energy and motivation. It’s also a great form of self-care which conveys a positive message to our inner self, leading to more respectful and positive self-talk. We are in essence telling ourselves that we are worthy and conveying this message to others too.
Plus, we have all experienced the instant reviving and cleansing effect of a bath or shower.. I often literally feel like I am washing the bad vibes off my skin! Other things like taking care of our hair, nails, skin, make-up, clothes.. can also be a form of love and respect for ourselves (hurrah for the salons opening back up in the UK!)
Don’t judge others
Who’s heard the saying, ‘Those who judge others, judge themselves’?.. Being judgemental is a big no-no… Firstly, it’s unkind (and therefore lowers the positive energy), but secondly, it usually says more about you than the other person. And by highlighting a particular insecurity that you have (even on a sub-conscious level) can lead to negative self-talk which lowers your energy even further! So focus on you, on your positive attributes and speak kindly to yourself if you want to raise (not lower) your energy.
Focus on being a better you than you were the week before!
You CAN ✨
Exercise regularly & get outside
These two are fairly self-explanatory. The feeling of being at one with nature and connecting with the wonderful energy of Mother Earth is sure to raise you no end. Just feeling the breeze on your face, the smell of a beautiful rose or walking bare foot in the grass is enough to raise your vibration and sense of gratitude for being alive.
And everyone knows the mood-enhancing benefits of exercise (endorphin rush anyone?) so try to do it as often as you can. And did you also know exercise improves your sleep quality, which in turn raises your energy the next day so it’s a win-win! 👊
And finally…
Stay aligned with your values
People who aren’t living in line with their values tend to experience low energy in the form of apathy or lack of motivation. When your values become clear, your choices become clear. Lacking a clear idea about what is important in your life is likely to lead to incongruent decisions and over-thinking your options (which is exhausting)… Not to mention inconsistent behaviour where your words don’t match your actions 🙈.
Just remember – You are the most important person in your life! You are in control! Find things that help you feel more connected to yourself and which enable you to live in alignment with your values and the things that matter to you most. (Look out for my values discovery session) These will create the healthiest decisions in each moment.
Oh, I’ve just thought of one more way of increasing your energy…!
Body posture
When you are at peace with the world, your energy (vibration) soars ✨ It has an effect on the way you treat yourself and the way your treat others. In particular, it influences the way you hold yourself and the things you say to yourself.
This self-assurance leads to a more relaxed and confident body posture which supports your positive energy. It is a two-way feedback system – your energy affects your posture and your posture affects you energy. Stand tall, shoulders back and down, engage your core. Now go get that life you want!
When we are going through challenging situations though, our posture and our energy is at risk. We tend to tense or hunch our shoulders and tense our jaw maybe. When our values are in conflict it can be really hard to keep our energy in a good place.
So… things that look after our mind and body, like positive communication, stretching, healthy snacks, empowering music, journaling, silence, moving with intention, grounding yourself in nature, are all really valuable (and pretty easy to do!)
Start to introduce more of those things when you feel disconnected from yourself, as this is when low self-esteem and comparison can hit. Limit your screen time so you can stop comparing yourself to others who seem to have it all figured out. Truth is, they don’t.. we all have highs and lows.
“Miracles start to happen when you give as much energy to your dreams as you do to your fears”
Richard Wilkins
The final thought I will leave you with is .. the easiest way to keep your energy in a good place is to live in alignment with your values. This naturally raises your energy.. without having to really try. It’s called living your truth.✨ It’s living effortlessly from your place of inner wisdom. If you’d like help with this, then get in touch.
Rooting for you, Caroline ✨
And if you want to live with more meaning and purpose – just get in touch – email me at Caroline@coachyourlife.co.uk
