10 ways to Reset your energy
We are human, and being human includes shifts in energy, changes in mood, and changes in thoughts (e.g positive to negative). First step is always awareness. Try to notice when the energy shifts inside you whether it comes in the form of a bad mood, negative thoughts, low energy or no motivation. Next step is you have to put energy towards shifting your energy. Even if you are in the deepest depths of depression and you have no energy to get out of bed, maybe you can practice deep breathing. Point is, find something, that involves energy, and feels doable, then do it. Some days, I come home from work exhausted and all I want to do is plop down in front of the television and not move for the next 5 years. What I've found, is if I don't do something to change my energy, I typically feel that way until I go to bed. If I can muster the motivation to practice an energy reset activity, at the very least, I have the opportunity to feel better. It may not happen, but majority of the time, when I put energy towards changing my energy, it works. Below are 10 energy shifting activities I've found to be helpful in reseting your energy.
Music - Music taps into our emotions like nothing else. Use it to your advantage. You can use music to help you emote your energy (e.g. putting a sad song to help you cry it out when you are feeling down), or to change your mood all together (e.g. putting on happy music to help get you out of a mood funk). You can also use music to enhance any of the below activities.
Breathwork - I truly believe in the power of your breath. The breath is the only control we have over our autonomic nervous system. Deep breathing lowers heart rate, lowers blood pressure and turns on our parasympathetic nervous system the part of our body responsible for calming us down. Check out my post on 4 breaching techniques to lower anxiety in under a minute here.
Get Silly - Making funny faces into the mirror, doing a silly dance, getting inverted by hanging over the side of the bed or doing a handstand against the wall are all ways to completely shift the situation. Never underestimate the power of play.
Meditation - Sometimes getting quiet is what you need. Light some incense (my personal fav is palo santo) get comfortable, close your eyes, relax your body, and either practice a self-guided meditation or put on one of the many free guided meditations available on calm.com, insight timer, or youtube. I have had complete shifts in mood from beginning of meditation to end. It really is a powerful tool.
Walk - Yes, walking is awesome for moving energy, and decreasing stress in the body. Next time you are stressed go for a walk, preferably somewhere nice, possibly with headphones in, or simply listening to the nature around you.
Nature - Nature does great things to the brain and spirit. Whenever I watch a sunset or sunrise, I instantly feel calmer, more connected, and at peace. The sound, sight and smell of the ocean also works to reset my energy, and the smell of pine trees on a warm day. Get out in nature next time you need an energy reset.
Gratitude - Sometimes remembering the things that are right in your life, help to put the things that are wrong into perspective. I fully believe gratitude is a necessity happiness. Read a past post about specific gratitude practices here and here.
Yoga - I believe I can honestly declare that I've never gone to a yoga class and not had my energy shift from it. Yoga never fails me. Even if my practice is simply sun salutations and breathing, yoga always works. Going to a studio is awesome, but even practicing some Youtube yoga in your living room is sure to help.
Talk about your feelings - I mean what kind of therapist would I be if I didn't include this one? 'Better out than in' I always say when it comes to negative emotions. Talking about your feelings with the right people definitely helps to decrease the power those negative feelings have on us and diffuses some of the negative energy holding in feelings has caused. Key tip is to talk about feelings with someone who you know can be supportive because not everyone is.
Dance - This involves music and moving your body. Getting your body moving to a song you are loving at the moment is an awesome way to shift energy. You can even do a silly dance to include strategy number #3 for added intensity. Again, the combo of great music and that body movement is what makes dance a great energy reset activity.
Again, emphasis is placed on putting energy, in whatever way possible, towards shifting your energy when you are feeling in a funk emotionally, energy-wise, physically, spiritually, or mentally. The point is not picking the perfect activity, but rather finding what feels doable and trying it. Your mood is less likely to change, your energy is less likely to shift if you aren't putting energy towards that intention so give one of the above activities a try next time you want out of a funk.