Recognizing that you are energy, that everything around you is energy and becoming aware of it is the first step to taking control of your energy. If you are not living the life you want examine your energy and where you focus it. Take a look at the things currently present in your life, the people, your thoughts, your emotions, your environments and identify those that are serving you and those that are not. Determine if you are focusing too much on those that are not serving you and if that’s the case it is time to take control and start channelling your energy into those things that will add value to your life and bring you the energy you desire.
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Here are the things that I channelled my energy into to get my sails up and steering me into the space that I want to find myself in.
There is one thing we all have control over and it is making the right choices for our health. For some it may be going to the gym and for others it may be running, walking, dancing, skating, cycling, swimming, yoga etc. Find some form of exercise that you can do on a regular basis and ideally enjoy doing. It needs to become part of your routine and maintenance just like sleeping and brushing your teeth. I know people who have tried a variety of exercises and they don’t like any of them. If you don’t like any form of exercise and you can’t find a way to like something then just do it because you care about your body. You need to crack the whip, you need to be your own coach, motivator and driver. You need to get your brain to start telling you what to do and don’t allow it to give you an option. One thing that can help is getting a personal trainer or joining a social group like a running or cycling club where others will hold you accountable and will be waiting on you.
Focus on healthier eating habits. If there is something in your diet you love to eat regularly but can’t give up, find ways to make it healthier by substituting it or tweaking the recipe to incorporate healthier foods. I love food, I still eat whatever I want, I have never managed to be on a diet for more than a few hours. What I try to do is ask myself if the food I’m eating has any nutritional value. Your body is your shrine, it houses you, so before you consume something ask yourself does this have any value for my body. Even if it doesn’t and you still eat it that’s fine, don’t punish yourself because that won’t change anything, just know that you made that conscious choice putting the power in your hands. We feel so powerless in many areas of our lives and eating unconsciously puts the power in the hands of the food, so by making the choice a conscious one it puts the power back in your hands holding you accountable.
Many of us struggle to sleep and we stay up late knowing we need to wake up early. A routine definitely helps if you are a night owl. Make sure to switch off the television, the computer and/or the mobile phone an hour before bed to unwind. Set an alarm on your phone an hour before sleep to remind yourself to shut down and get ready for bed. Sleep is crucial for our overall health and it is during this time that the body regenerates and heals itself. More often than not it is our devices keeping us up, once again they have the control, so if you are the boss of yourself and in charge then start putting down some ground rules for yourself.
We are so busy that we almost never take time to just be or perhaps we choose to put other things first. Shoving emotions to the side is not dealing with them. I love yoga because it’s my time on the mat to not only physically grow stronger, but to also just be in the moment and without distractions from the external world. It gives you an opportunity to assess your feelings, determine why you are feeling a certain way and ask yourself how are you coping in life. Yoga opens up our energy channels and it is in stillness that we can find clarity and acceptance. It is so important to take the time to really give yourself the space to check in. Your yoga mat is a place of healing, it allows you to feel and experience whatever you need to in that moment and release any negative energy. In addition to yoga, there are other ancient practices that also focus on working with energy like qigong and tai chi.
Meditation is an opportunity to be present. It is as simple as just sitting down for a few minutes with your eyes closed in silence and just being. This may be difficult for many as the mind tends to wander and it can become frustrating. There are various types of meditation but the simplest is to just sit and observe your breathing. If any thoughts arise allow them to just pass by, let go of them, do not engage with them and focus your attention back on your breath. You can also focus on something positive, something you are grateful for and just envision it. If you have a life purpose statement or a sankalpa you can also recite it in your mind. Saying it repeatedly in a relaxed state gives it an opportunity to be engraved subconsciously. You can also repeat a mantra or word that you are looking to invite into your life like love, peace or vitality.
There is nothing more energizing and relaxing than spending some time outdoors. Everything living gets its energy from the sun and from each other. There is a sense of peace and pleasure one gets from watching birds fly around and hearing them chirp. Taking a hike up a mountain to enjoy the greenery along the way, while taking in all that fresh oxygen and perhaps witnessing a marvellous view. Enjoying a walk along the beach listening to the sound of the ocean waves. The more time you can spend in nature the more benefit you will get but if you not the type then at least try to spend just 15 minutes looking at a pretty garden, spending a few moments sitting on the grass or your balcony with a cup of tea taking in the sun rays and watching the sky.
What you value and what is important to you is what you will attract if you live by them because you won’t focus on those things you don’t value. You should use your values as your guide. If you value family and spending time with them, don’t take a job that will require you to work 12 hours a day, that’s contradictory to your values, so it will never make you happy. If you value health you will make the time to exercise even if it means disappointing people because you choose to do that over something else. Take the time to identify in a relaxed state what you value and whenever you make a decision in life use that as your check box. You will never be content if you live someone else’s values.
When we meditate, we focus on things other than our thoughts and we work on not engaging in them. Taking control of your thoughts means doing just that throughout your day. It requires you to be conscious and pay attention to your mind and what it’s thinking. Whenever you catch yourself engaging in a thought that takes you down a journey and story that serves no purpose and is having a negative impact on you stop it immediately. Tell yourself you are not going to engage in this non-sense and focus your thoughts on something else. What I do sometimes is sing, hum or listen to music, it’s a great way to divert the mind from thinking and it’s also a great way to de-stress.
If you have mentors in your life that guide you, help you become better and share their experiences with you then consider yourself lucky. We don’t always have access to good mentors and role models which is why reading lots of self-development books is a great way to learn from others and how they have changed their lives. It is also important to not just read the books but to do the exercises, do the work, change doesn’t happen by just reading a book or watching a webinar by a motivational speaker. It comes from doing the work. Digging deep, asking the questions and actually answering them, writing them down on paper, that’s how I ended up doing my yoga teacher training. Focus on reading positive material or even listening to podcasts. They can help you look at life from a different perspective, give you guidance on how to start thinking differently and re-wiring your brain and thought patterns. This includes focusing on the kind of person you want to be and improving your worth by developing the traits you want to possess.
When we take the time to learn a new skill, we work our brain, we fuel it, give it more knowledge, challenge its memory, learning capacity and keep it healthy. It can be any new skill that you would enjoy learning and have maybe been putting off trying to learn. It can be a skill that would benefit your career if you love what you do or a skill that would add value to your life such as learning to cook healthy foods, knitting items for yourself or loved ones, learning to grow your own vegetables or making furniture out of wood. Learning a new skill gives us a sense of accomplishment and it makes us realize we can be more. It reminds us that we can learn and grow if we put in the time and effort. If it turns into a hobby or passion then at least you’ve got an additional skill to perhaps use as a fall back if you ever find your day job not serving you.
Make the time to do the things you enjoy doing. A hobby, an interest, a passion or something that takes your mind off of reality and allows you to engross yourself into something where time doesn’t matter. It can be painting, carpentry, dancing, skating, puzzles, sewing, reading, fixing cars, a sport that may be both a hobby and form of exercise. It needs to be something that you don’t see as work or as a drag. If you enjoy reading, I would stay clear of reading novels as a hobby because you end up living the characters’ lives and not your own. Instead read books about something that interests you. Hobbies are a great way to refocus your energy away from the energies you don’t want and bring in a bit of joy and creativity into your life.
Family, friends and the people we surround ourselves with are key. They will either drain us or uplift us. Spend time with the people that support you, respect you, treat you well and care about you. We are all stuck with people in our lives that have negative energy and if you can eliminate them completely then do so. If you can’t and you are stuck with them for now then learn to divert their energy away from yours by not focusing on their energy and adding fuel to it. Toxic people add no value to your life and so should not be worthy of your energy. We live in a digital age where many of us have only a few friends, but better a few good one’s then a lot of toxic one’s. If you finding that none of the people in your life are right for you then reach out to social groups online and find like-minded individuals with similar interests.
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It takes time and conscious effort to manifest the life we want. Not only do we need to channel our energy into those things that will serve us but we need them to become our new habits. If you are struggling and need a place to start your health should be your priority. That’s where I started, once I got that going then I would focus on the next area that needed work. Our health is the one thing we can all have immediate control over, we can decide to exercise today or not, to eat a healthier meal, to get to bed at a reasonable hour, to take just five minutes out of our day to sit in silence, to put aside an hour or two a week to read a personal development book and work through it. There is no magic pill for changing our lives, it starts with being aware of our energy, the energies around us and re-focusing our energy into the things that will serve us in the long run. If you fall off the horse you get back onto it as many times as is required and if you stick with it the change will come and you will see the energy shift within yourself and around you.