When we feel low energy, we often think about and reflect on how much we slept the night before, how many errands we had to run or to-do’s we had to complete.
And while lack of sleep and running around doing tons of errands can be exhausting, there are many other major energy drainers in our lives that we probably aren’t focusing much on at all.
5 energy suckers you have to ditch today!
1. LBS: Leaky boundary syndrome
This is a very technical term I made up to let you know that NOT saying ‘no’ and NOT protecting your time, energy, effort, goals, dreams (and did I say TIME!) is doing you a GINORMOUS disservice. When we spread ourselves super thin, we end up maxed out and completely exhausted and fatigued. If you know my story, you know that I am a recovering do-more-of-everything-er who always found my self worth in the amount of time spent working and the amount of income (not impact) generated.
When we set up boundaries, it’s actually a life-changing (not a scary) thing. The clearer we are in our goals and our WHY, the easier it is to unapologetically set those boundaries. We got sh*t to do, right?! It won’t be hard to decide if you should do this, this or this…you’ll know if it fits in with your mission or not – period!
2. NOT taking micro-breaks and setting aside mini pockets of time for yourself
Nobody will take time for you if you don’t take time for yourself. A lot of people “know” this but never act on it. One of my VIP coaching clients was kind of hesistent to implement these microbreaks because of how simple and insignificant they seemed – until she really felt so fresh and rejuvenated after them that she protected them like crazy!
Don’t wait for the shit storm – be prepared a head of time by checking in with yourself on a regular basis to simply get present and be thankful for where you are in the moment. I feel like the more we are in tune with our feelings, emotions, thoughts, etc. on a consistent basis, the easier it is to tackle the harder times and more chaotic moments because you’re managing your energy better and actually “plugging in” and recharging yourself THROUGHOUT the day and not just plopping on the couch at the end of the day.
Take 5-10 minutes a few times per day (or more!) and take a quick walk outside, focus on your breathing, get your body moving just a bit to generate energy, step away from your desk, email, computers, etc. and really just ask/tell yourself, “Hey, how are you doing? You got this!”
3. Comparing your life to someone else’s
This is sucking TONS OF ENERGY out of your body and your spirit. You have enough and you are totally blessed. You are not doomed and the Universe is just as down to co-create with you just as much as anyone else as long as you are super clear on what you want! Just because someone has this or that doesn’t mean you have or are less than. Every person’s life and situation is just SO different, how could we possibly know what it’s like to be them or what they’ve really been through?! Is it REALLY worth your time assuming it to be something and then feeling shame about it???
Go about your day and do you to the fullest! Bring that YOUness to the world! That’s what the world needs more of. <3
4. Refined sugar & starchy carbs
These do your body ZERO nutritional favor, contribute to so many forms of disease and inflammation in the body and are literally ADDICTING! A lot of people think that sugar cravings are all about will power but they are actually not. Sugar can be just as addicting as heroine (yes your brain literally doesn’t know the difference!) and so it’s less about will power and more about balancing out that brain chemistry.
One of my favorite supplements to for sugar and carb cravings so is Pure Glutacaps from Real Food Vitamins. You can use my code lunden10 for 10% off a bottle! You CAN focus on your goals and eat more nutritious foods to nourish your body without feeling like you’re constantly fighting a battle against the sugar monster at 11pm….am I right?
You shouldn’t feel low energy, exhausted, grumpy or foggy after you have a meal. You should feel really good and fueled up ready to rock! Foods that are high in refined sugar and starchy carbs are NOT the jam so limit them as much as possible.
5. Addiction to smartphone and social media
As I am writing this post, my best friend and one of my VIP Coaching Clients BOTH told me something very similar and along these lines this week, “I just want to get off my phone, get off social media, TV and connect with myself again and get my time back.” We allow so many things outside of ourselves to control what we think about the world and ourselves, how we walk, talk, eat, act and LIVE.
Social media can be a beautiful way to connect people with others (of course that’s how we became friends, right?), but it has completely put us in reaction mode, got us slumped and hunched over looking down all the time and allllllll this screen time for our eyes is completely zapping our energy. There are SO many people out there who check their social media before their feet even hit the floor!
Before you check in with what everyone else is doing – check in with what you’re doing.