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Recharge Yourself |
Sublime reflects on our personal energy supplies, with a view to saving ourselves as well as the planet.
We are all aware of the concept of energy efficiency, particularly when it concerns technology. Why not also when it comes to humans? Earth’s energy sources are not infinite – for the most part – and need to be stewarded wisely. I guess the same can be said of us.
It takes a great deal of energy to sustain a human life. Many people succumb to death simply because they have run out of energy to keep on living. Whether it is disease or despair that has sapped their strength, the energy needed to fight for life just seems to drain away. But if we are not among those who give up on life, we need to address the problem of how and where to find the energy to sustain it. So, let’s first consider the source of our energy and the things that drain it.
Energy, or lack of it, comes from one of four sources: the body, the emotions, the mind and the spirit. Let’s consider them one by one, along with what depletes or resources them.
Physical energy
The most obvious energy source is the body. Physical strength is a priceless commodity, which tends to dissipate as the years go by, as you may have noticed. Illness, overwork, sports injuries, repetitive strain, viral infections, pregnancy and other hazards of life all take their toll, leaving us physically drained. Addressing this area is a priority. Since conserving physical health and strength becomes more important as time passes, it makes sense to consider ways in which we can slow up
the depletion and stoke the body’s fire. Here are some positive changes you might like to consider:
• Reduce food intake, particularly of sugars and saturated fats
(obesity saps energy)
• Quit smoking (you know it makes sense!)
• Reduce alcohol intake to below the ‘recommended levels’ – which may be too generous, especially for women
• Steer clear of recreational drugs and exercise caution with respect to medicinal drugs (many people experience negative side-effects from medicinal drugs because they have been overprescribed or have overdosed on these)
• Aim at an appropriate amount of sleep at night (John Wesley’s
prescription of six hours for a man, seven hours for a woman and eight hours for a fool only works if you get at least one hour of it before midnight, in my opinion). Too little and too much sleep are both related to poor energy levels and, incidentally, to weight gain
• Boost vitamin intake, and take supplements if necessary (busy people tend to eat fast food, low in vitamins)
• Walk more. Regular, moderate exercise, especially in the open air, is more beneficial and sustainable in the long term than short bursts of intense gymnastic exercise indoors. Exercise not only gives you a burst of energy, but also a degree of euphoria as well
Emotional energy
Physical fitness has an effect on our emotional health. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true. When we feel low in spirits, energy simply drains away. Depression is an exhausting experience. We feel tired and listless, and in that state we tend to overeat, especially sugars, chocolate and starchy foods, in a futile quest for energy and a sense of well-being (and we are back to the problem of those excess pounds again!).
But how can we increase our emotional energy? Our attitudes towards other people and ourselves are key. If you are a person who draws strength from others, relationships can hugely energise you or catastrophically lay you low. The wonderfully heroic, stoic model of manhood put forward by Rudyard Kipling in his poem ‘If’ (voted Britain’s favourite poem some years back) has no problem in this area.
‘If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you / If all men count
with you, but none too much …’
We may not be able to concur with that sentiment, but we can all
moderate our expectations and raise the bar of our tolerance towards and forgiveness of others. ...
Read the whole story in Sublime Issue 7, page 48.
