It’s Saturday… and I’m baffed!
I look back on the week and it doesn’t seem that demanding.
But, I’m a pooped puppy. Why?
I’ve been ‘trying’ hard to "Manage my Energy". Yet, my ass is dragging.
I thought a lot about it on my walk this morning. The morning walk is my time to reflect on the "meaning of life". About what’s important. What I dream of. What’s bugging me. What I want to do. And, what I can and want to do about what’s getting me down.
And, it’s about the exercise.
Exercise is critical to folks who suffer from Fibromyalgia. Too little and we slide back into stiffness… and pain. Too much and we wear the system out.
Like others who suffer from "autoimmune disoders" or probably just about any illness, condition, syndrome (whatever you call "IT") we who are trapped in bed, in our house, and sometimes in our bodies… we tend to overdo it when we feel well.
And, there’s always so damn much to do!
A wonderful colleague of mine named Diana Lindstrom first introduced me to the notion of Managing Your Energy(TM) earlier this year. Diana is a Post-polio suvivor. One of last handful of people in the US to contract polio. Diana was lucky — if you can call Post-polio Syndrome lucky — in that she’s not confined to bed or crippled. But, she does have to manage her energy.
Over the last 6 months or so, Diana was kind enough to share some of her learned wisdom with me about Managing Your Energy(TM).
Those discussions have helped me focus on what I’m doing… and not doing to manage the critical fuel source that feeds my body, mind, soul, and spirit.
Diana has helped me understand the importance of energy management.
And, today I really became aware of new aspect of energy management.
That is, the notion of what I call "Latent Energy". Diand could probably explain this better. But..
Here’s my notion.
Imagine that inside you there is a ‘pool’ of energy. When you sleep the pool slowly fills. When you meditate the pool fills… perhaps more slowly. When you rest the pool fills. When you… well you ‘know" what restores that pool (if you think about it).
But, when you work. When you think. When you DO stuff… the pool empties.
And, as Diana has helped me understand, even when you do THINGS YOU LOVE, you drain the pool.
And, you need a certain level in your reservoir to be able to function. To be able to do the basics. Yet, alone to take on the world in the pursuit of your passion.
And, like the reservoir that holds our city’s water supply, we want to be careful not to fill the pool with silt — bad energy. Bad energy being negative energy from anger, bitchyness, bad moods, resentment, and the like.
So, I’m thinking: "What did I do this week to drain my energy pool?"
And, I realize that — even though I cut back on work demands and demanding work (I’m working on a project that sucks energy because I’m doing work that doesn’t fit with my WorkStyle(TM) ) — I’ve turned around and poured effort into stuff I love.
And, that consumes energy and drains my energy pool.
So, this weekend I need to slow down, rest, relax, and restore the energy pool.
What about you?
Are you draining your energy pool?
Is your energy pool dangerously low?
Be careful. If it gets too low… you could be in deep doo doo.
