Oxford Languages defines the word “protect” as to “keep safe from harm or injury”. So when it comes to protecting something, it requires a certain level of awareness and attention.
The word “protect” also signals a sense of importance to whatever needs protecting; if something needs protecting, it means that something is valuable.
With this train of thought, I came to the conclusion that we often neglect protecting one of our greatest assets — our energy.
Similar to the way we guard our favorite possessions or take every measure to secure money in the bank, we need to set up alarms, security and precautions when it comes to our source of well-being.
When I think of energy, I think of the fuel needed to do what is needed to intentionally and fully serve myself and others. To me, energy is sacred; therefore, it shouldn’t be easily distributed to meaningless things, toxic people or useless pursuits.
There are different ways to protect your energy. What works for me may not work for you, but here are five ways I protect my energy on a day-to-day basis.
Be mindful of who and what gets your attention.
Attention is a very powerful thing. “Where attention goes, energy flows” is a mantra I live by, so I’m cautious with who and what gets my attention.
This is easier said than done, but if you notice that your attention is focused on something unproductive and draining or on someone who’s disrupting your flow, immediately pivot and direct your attention to something more valuable.
Be intentional with what you allow into your headspace.
In this age of technology and social media, we are constantly bombarded with images and messages that can be helpful or harmful to our headspace.
Have you ever been in a situation where you were having a great day and saw something on social media that just kinda… ruined your mood?
With this happening to me more times than I can remember, I’ve become selective with what I allow on my feeds (i.e. unfollowing accounts that don’t inspire or send uplifting messages), music that doesn’t make me feel my best, conversations that aren’t productive (i.e. gossiping) and individuals whose vocabulary is made up of complaining and low-vibe energy (there’s a difference between productive venting and straight up complaining).
Just by becoming more selective with what I allow in my space, I’ve noticed an improvement in the overall satisfaction with my day-to-day life.
Rest
I always equated rest with sleeping, but according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, rest can also be seen as “freedom from activity or labor”, “peace of mind or spirit”, and “to be free from anxiety or disturbance”.
At the time that I am writing this, I am on a social media/content creation break and I’ve never felt more rested in my entire life.
Prior to making the decision to take a break, I felt fatigued for weeks and thought it was because I wasn’t getting enough sleep, but every night I get 7 ½ to 8 hours of sleep so I figured that my fatigue had to be coming from my lack of mental rest.
True rest is found in restoring energies that often go overlooked.
Set boundaries
Boundaries are for you, so they look different from person to person.
Essentially, it is an honor to be in your space and boundaries need to be set in order to prevent outside influences from disturbing your peace of mind.
One boundary I have set in place is shutting my phone and notifications off at 7 p.m. every night and it isn’t touched until 7 a.m. Some of my friends and family think I’m insane for this, but oddly enough they’ve adjusted and contact me within those time frames.
With that time, I am fueling myself up for the day or I’m restoring the energy I gave throughout the day.
So ask yourself, what systems do I need to have in place so that I can actively protect, fuel, and restore my energy everyday?
Cultivate self-awareness
Self-awareness is the cherry on top. Being self-aware provides you with the detector needed to know how and in what ways you need to protect your energy.
It all starts with acknowledging the value of your time, attention, and energy. Once you come to this realization, you will feel an innate need to protect it at all costs.
If this post helped you in any way, feel free to share your thoughts down below in the comment section or shoot me an email or dm on instagram, I would love to hear from you!
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