There's a wave of exhaustion in many of my conversations recently. A real sense of fatigue - and yet the narrative remains that we 'need to push on'. This is apparent among my clients, but also with friends and family.
Many people have grown up with a belief that 'just getting on with it' is the way to thrive and if 'I just keep going things will get better.' This makes looking after themselves all the more difficult. Tied in with the relenting pressure to have it all and do it all, pausing to do nothing becomes really really hard.
You can not pour from an empty cup.
With this level of and endless fatigue, we get to the end of the day and collapse in a heap, scrolling on our phones or binging netflix as a 'rest'. Which could be what you need, or it could be something else.
As human beings, we have different energy dimensions which, when balanced, is the key to our overall well-being. Addressing these aspects holistically leads to a more sustainable and fulfilling life. Before assuming that what you need is to scroll mindlessly on instagram, check in with your different types of energy to work out what activity may be the key to giving you a boost.
We call this the PIES method:
Physical energy - physically, how are you feeling? What does your body feel like from the inside out? Do you feel agile and light, or stiff and heavy? What do you need to improve your physical energy? Here, you may consider nutrition, exercise and improving your sleep or bedtime routine.
Intellectual energy - How mentally stimulated do you feel? What has been contributing to your intellectual focus recently? To improve or re-energise here, you may think about - changing the focus of what's on your mind, creative activities, mindful activities or meditation, learning something new, or mixing up your types of work with time boxing throughout the day.
Emotional energy - Write down a list of all the emotions present over this day or week. What emotions can you feel? How intense are these? Are they changing rapidly or fairly stable? To re-energise this area, you may think about journaling out your emotions or using an 'emotions wheel' to gain a deeper understanding of how you feel. You may want to express your emotions externally with someone you trust, lean into your self-care practices or have a good cry which can be very cleansing.
Spiritual energy - What does spiritual energy mean to you? Often the one people take longer to connect with. This could be associated with how connected you feel to yourself, or higher purpose. This could be your faith, inner peace or alignment with your personal values. If this feels drained, think about how you could culivate a closer spiritual connection in your life.
When you've taken time to check-in on these dimensions, you can more effectively and intentional consider what kind of rest you may need.
