Everyone has days when they feel invigorated and full of energy. Those days make our lives feel easy. Then there are the days when we feel run down and just can’t get it going. Let’s explore how we can make more of our days abundant with energy. Energy is our most valuable resource and governs almost every aspect of our day.

The first step to finding energy every day is to recognize that you have the ability to live an energy-abundant life. There may be barriers. There may be doubts. There may be just plain old bad days. Our habits and choices have a direct impact on our energy levels.

To have good energy, we can choose activities that build our energy. You can choose people who energize you rather than drain you. You can choose foods that fuel you or leave you exhausted. Learning what gives you energy will improve all areas of your life.

A realistic self-assessment can be helpful to understand your individual needs. Evaluate yourself on how the following categories create or drain your energy on a scale from 1 to 7: Spirituality, Creativity, Career, Health, Physical Activity, Social Life, Relationships, Joy, Home Cooking, Education, Finances, and Home Environment.  From here we can make a plan for increasing your daily energy.

Here is a list of potential habits and activities to increase your energy across the above categories:

Nourishing Relationships

Supportive friendships

Work relationships

Physical Contact

Compliments (self too!)

Hugs and Kisses

Career Fulfillment

Work you enjoy

Work serving others

Praise & Recognition

Challenging tasks

Tasks you’re good at

Work/life balance

Exercise Routines

Balanced activity level

Consistency

Challenging not taxing

Exercise that’s fun

Group or solo (fit it to you)

Spiritual Practice

Meditation

Breathing exercises

Religion or prayer

Yoga

Calming practices

Food = Energy

Food is a major aspect of controlling our energy levels. Choosing food that increases our energy is critical. The higher the quality of food you can acquire such as organic, local, grass-fed, or sustainable gives your body more nutrients and energy. Pay attention to when you feel run down and see if ate something before that did not serve you. It is easy to seek short-term pleasure with food that leaves you feeling worse in the long run.

Foods that increase energy: vegetables, fruit, wild-caught fish, grass-fed/pasture-raised meat, nuts, seeds, beans, and filtered water.

Foods to avoid: junk food, processed food, soft drinks, sugar, and artificial sweeteners.

Extra Credit Tips:

Take one day a week where you do self-care. The goal is to relax and recharge. Get plenty of sleep, read, go to a spa, and cook. Do the things that give you joy and recharge your body and mind.

Make every meal a ritual where you slow down both in preparation for the meal and while you eat. Slowing down will help your digestion and increase your connection to food and those you share the meal with.

Last, find people for support. Get support from a Health Coach, a therapist, or a friend with a kind ear. Give yourself the opportunity to have regular sessions at least once every two weeks to talk about yourself and your needs to an unbiased person.