Energy flow

​Equanimity​

Some trips invigorate and inspire us for the year ahead. Others land us back home with what little was left in the tank before take-off. Maybe less. Sadly, the post-holiday hallelujah often has a shelf life. It rarely survives contact with the news cycle, new schedules and an overflowing inbox. Those first few back-to-back meetings can quickly irk us, leaving us drained and in need of another break. No matter how well rested or highly caffeinated, the fatigue of trying to bring our brain back to real life can feel heavy, especially if we don't particularly enjoy the reality we've returned to.

Last week’s That 9 to 5 article, opened this Wellness Tourism series on energy, frequency and vibration. That post reflected on the rhythm of life: how easily routines, working patterns and social expectations become so familiar that we mistake them for choices, and what happens when we give more thought to the pace we live by. I recommend you read it.

The thing with rhythm is, the higher the speed, the faster you reach an end. Energy may flow out faster than anything can flow in when we go too fast to notice where it is all consumed. Meanwhile, there is a scarcity mindset around energy here that I don't think serves anyone that well. If we only think about what we have left, we quickly become preoccupied with conserving and even optimising it, to somehow last longer.

The wellness industry is rife with talk about the importance of “protecting our energy” and “guarding our peace”. It is key to notice where that energy is disappearing through the cracks in your life; be it a commitment that takes more than it gives, a job that sucks you dry, a relationship that leaves you exhausted, or too much of your time vanishing somewhere you no longer want to be. Fix the leaky bucket, by all means. But don't spend all your time guarding it and tending to its scarce contents. Nurturing energy matters just as much.

So rather than treating energy as a resource that comes in and gets used up, I think of energy as something we embody and can protect, cultivate, grow and share. A more harmonious approach to the mind, body and soul of our energy. This abundance mindset doesn’t measure anything as finite; all energy is flow. Time is the one exception, it doesn’t renew, which is exactly why how we spend it matters. Some of this may sound obvious but the nuance is in the energetic detail of people, places and our inner experience, how it all feels in the body.

Protecting energy can still be exemplified by being selective about why, how, when and where you invest yourself. Once you see your time as the one truly finite resource you have, it becomes something you cannot afford to give away without consideration. How much is enough to put into a project, a commitment, a job or a relationship? Not everything deserves the same investment.

Relationships bounce with energy exchange. Cultivating energy starts with the seeds you plant, who you surround yourself with, and the community you tend. When people’s energies are complementary, the contact is often smooth and easy. There is no finding of a rhythm or feeling off. When in tune, you feel energised from spending time together. Conversely, there are very few long-term connections where only giving and never receiving makes for a healthy dynamic. If someone is not meeting the effort you put in, why keep investing? Match the energy, adjust your expectations and give it time. One day the connection may find a new balance or perhaps you grew apart.

Nurturing energy for growth can be exemplified by watering the soil of our environment and feeding off it. Everywhere we set foot on this planet has energy, and some places are even said to carry spiritual and mystical frequency, a topic that I will be diving more into later in this newsletter series. We tend to mirror the energy of the settings we spend time in. This is why location is important. Choosing surroundings that feel like the life you desire, rather than environments you want to escape. If the vibes are off, trust your instinct to move on. All growth needs space to breathe.

Finally, sharing our energy. When somebody asks you how you are, how often do you let your energy speak on your behalf? Whether it’s an upbeat “I’m good” or you often go into detail about the pains of feeling frustrated, tired, stuck and low. Many of us refer to a scale of energy although we all have our own interpretation of how it is measured. Energy is not invisible or silent; we notice how some people wear their mood on their sleeve and how the atmosphere of a room changes when they walk in, or out. There’s a saying that you remember not what someone said, but how they made you feel.

Well, remember, you too are a person in the room. Whatever you say or don’t say out loud, people feel it in their gut before they ever hear a word. Being mindful of your own energy can change the story you tell them, and yourself, especially in a season when it feels like the wind is blowing the wrong way, like you're fighting windmills or the universe is against you. Seeing yourself as a victim of circumstance can feel comforting at times but changing that story is where your energy starts to come back to you.

The things that nourish us are worth making time for. Taking yourself for a nice cup of coffee seems trivial, but it can absolutely be an act of selfcare, something I wrote about in Long & Short. Selfcare can simply look like recovering from stress by replenishing your capacity through Sleep. When you learn what nourishes you, what charges your inner batteries back up, you own the filling of your cup, figuratively speaking. The same energy you can protect, cultivate, grow and share.

So, do the things that make you happy; buy the ticket, book the journey, wear the outfit. Let now be the special occasion.

That is how we stop treating energy as something transactional and start treating it as something we flow with. That is how you can be the wind you need.