A friend of mine was recently talking about investing money and as she was speaking, I began to think of another type of investment. Energy investment. If we do not invest our precious energy wisely , we can lose something much more precious than what is in our savings account or the stock market; we can lose sight of what is important to our hearts and lack the vitality to do what is most important to us.
Every interaction we have is an energetic exchange. Whether it’s time spent at work, time with friends, going to a yoga class, replying to a social media comment, or scrolling through photos, there is an output of our energy . Sometimes those exchanges leave us feeling fulfilled, invigorated and restored. Other times we feel depleted and overwhelmed or anxious afterward. Energy can be lost when our interactions are consuming more energy than they are giving back vs a reciprocal relationship when we also receive supportive energy. These “energy leaks” can leave us tired, depleted, burned out, unmotivated and frustrated. When we spend time and effort doing things that do not bring us joy or if we lack boundaries or the ability to set limits or to say No, we are squandering our energy unwisely.
In the language of Yoga , energy is Prana or Life Force and in Qigong energy is Qi. When I practice and teach Qigong I will often speak about our “Qi bank account” in our bodies and how we often forget to plug in and recharge ourselves both physically and emotionally with contemplative practices as well as with stillness and rest. If we only have a limited amount of Qi or energy in our account, it would best serve us to be very mindful about how we are spending this energy. An energy leak can also be considered an energy “deficit” and it is important to recognize the signs of energy depletion such as exhaustion, getting sick often, becoming frustrated or irritated more often, ruminating, feeling overwhelmed and anxious. When we become energetically deficient, we then must borrow that energy from somewhere such as from our own cells making us tired and susceptible to illness and self-doubt or from external sources such as other people, caffeine and sugar.
I love the concept of becoming energy bankers. Not in the lending of our energy, but instead in the ways we invest our energy; investing it in ways that yield a high, positive rate of return. It is so much easier and more powerful to be able to share our energy freely when we come from a well sourced space of being connected to something bigger than ourselves, such as nature or perhaps a spiritual practice that helps us to feel interconnected and interdependent with other beings.
I am sharing what I find to be an interesting and helpful resource below by Deepak Chopra that allows you to assess areas of your life where you might be overinvesting or underinvesting your energy. I hope you will find it useful.
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