Where to Expend Your Energy Right Now

I’d like to share an easy 4-step process that helps me keep my sanity (mostly) in hard times and conserves my positive energy in the face of our “new normal.”

#1 Acknowledge the reality of what’s going on. 💣

Things are BIZARRE! It’s important to remind ourselves that we are going through extraordinarily difficult times. So go ahead, look around at the chaos, feel it. Give yourself a dollop of compassion even if you’re not feeling very normal right now. And as Viktor Frankl says in Man’s Search for Meaning, “An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior.”

Now, take a deep breath.

#2 Acknowledge that you are, in fact, still here. ✅

Whether you’re doing well or barely hanging in, you’re still here and sometimes that’s enough. If you’ve got it in you, remind yourself of other hard things you’ve weathered before. Give yourself credit for being a survivor.

#3 Think about where you want your precious energy to flow. 💥

My mantra all week has been, Do I want to give my energy to this? What’s worthy of your energy? And what just isn’t right now? We are, as Deepak Chopra says, “infinite beings,” with finite energy. So what are you going to allow to take from that limited supply of energy?

#4 Finally, take breaks. 🙅🏾

We all need more respites than usual right now. I know I do. Perhaps you can allocate some snippets of constructive downtime into your life.

That’s it. See if you can run through these steps at least once a day over the next week. #3 alone helped me grab ahold of more of my inner peace this week when some wild things were happening all around me.