[ExtendYourHealth] 4 Simple Things to Boost Emotional Energy

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Misty L. Trepke

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4 Simple Things You Can Do to Boost Emotional Energy

By Francesca Di Meglio

 

Feeling drained? Surprisingly, it might be your spirit -- and not

your body -- that needs a jolt. " Just as physical energy comes from

diet, exercise and rest, emotional energy comes from the ways you

take care of yourself emotionally -- living in a way that makes you

feel inspired, hopeful, self-confident, playful, loving and in touch

with what you care about most, " says Mira Kirshenbaum, author of The

Emotional Energy Factor: The Secrets High-Energy People Use to Beat

Emotional Fatigue. Letting others walk all over you or failing to do

things that make you happy zaps your emotional energy -- and can

leave you feeling unmotivated and even physically tired. To avoid

such weariness, here are Kirshenbaum's four tips for boosting your

emotional energy:

 

1. Stop living to please other people. In other words, marry the

charming social worker whom you love instead of the rich doctor mom

is pushing on you. Move to Europe if it will make you happy, even if

your girlfriends are making you feel guilty about putting distance

between you. Say no when someone asks you to do something you really

don't want to do. Be who you want to be, do what you want to do and

the rewards will be plentiful, says Kirshenbaum. " When you live your

life for other people, you put out the effort, but they get the

benefit, " she adds. " This creates an energy drain, just the way it

would if you did the work on a job and someone else got the

paycheck. " You'll free up energy you didn't even know you had once

you quit worrying about what mom, your friends and other family

members think about your decisions.

 

2. Bring positive people into your world. You need to surround

yourself with people who care about and support you even in your

darkest hours. Avoid those who nag, complain or involve you in their

problems, says Kirshenbaum. Toxic people, who put you down to lift

their own spirits, suck the life right out of you. Spending more

time with those who make you feel good about yourself or inspire you

in some way will revive you. Maybe it's time to start ignoring your

so-called friend who leaves messages on your machine only when she

needs help with something.

 

3. Always have something big and new on your agenda. Plan that next

vacation or start writing that novel you have in your head. Looking

forward to milestones and events stimulates people. It gives you a

reason to get out of bed in the morning, and that increases your

desire to work toward your goals. " You gain energy from the hopes

you have for your future? making your present feel more manageable,

and that, too, frees up emotional energy, " says Kirshenbaum.

Actually putting the wheels in motion (for example, calling the

travel agent, writing the outline for the book) will also make you

feel better -- and excited to keep it up.

 

4. Never live in the past. Quit dwelling on what might have happened

with that old boyfriend if you had just stayed together, why you

quit one job in favor of another, what would have been if you made

different decisions. Instead, focus on the here and now and what you

need to do to move forward. Do you want to go back to school? Find a

husband? Change careers? Be more adventurous? Put the spark back in

your romance? " You are in charge of the meaning in your life, "

Kirshenbaum writes in her book. Although you can't predict

everything that will happen to you, you can make a flexible plan to

accomplish your goals. Things like your career path, relationships

in which you'd like to invest and how you would like to spend your

free time are all under your control. You can decide your own

destiny, an important task that will be much easier now that you

have more energy.