During any given day your physical and emotional energy levels fluctuate, for some people it can be like the ebb and flow of a gentle tide, or for others it’s more like crashing waves, and then brief moments of quiet before the tide hits again.

As the mind and body are so intertwined, emotional states dictate the physical energy levels, and if depleted regularly can lead to short or long term illnesses.  

It is therefore important to be mindful about what affects the emotional energy levels.  People are often unaware that their energy is being drained, whether by other people (usually unintentionally), or by certain situations or within negative environments.  People who give a lot of themselves to others, or work in emotionally charged places where there is a lot of negative energy i.e. people angry, frustrated and unhappy, will be affected by this energy, whereby they may feel drained all the time, as if their own energy is being sucked from them.  If then they feel they have no control over their environment they may repress their own emotions or try to make things better, but may feel they are stuck in a vicious cycle. This increases stress levels and affects confidence and self esteem, ultimately resulting in disturbed sleeping and eating patterns, depleting pain tolerance, and likely resulting in illnesses, where the body is trying to right itself.

Awareness is the key; sensing the energy levels dipping, and knowing what things are affecting it. It is also important to be more aware of how you deal with difficult situations and people.  Do you avoid confrontation, and try to keep the peace?  Do you push down your own feelings and needs to keep others happy?  Do you worry about things, but are fearful of taking any form of action?  Do you remain in unhealthy relationships because you don’t want to be alone, or are more focused on the other person’s needs more than your own?  Are you driven by ‘shoulds’, and feel contained within other people’s rules and boundaries, resulting in you feeling you don’t know your own mind?  This can also lead to repressed emotions, turning feelings inwards on yourself or expressing them inappropriately.  If any, or all of these questions rings warning bells for you, it is now time to start taking care of your emotional energy levels.  If they are regularly depleted, there is a high probability that you are already feeling it physically too.  

It is also important to notice if you feel drained after being with certain people.  If someone else is low in energy or holding onto negative energy, then they will naturally try to get the energy they need from other people.  You may need to limit your time with these people, then give yourself time to relax and re-coup your energy.  

It may help to keep a diary of events that trigger symptoms of depleted energy i.e. fatigue, problems with eating or sleeping, shutting off from others, or heightened emotions. 

By exploring and identifying what is affecting your emotional and physical energy levels, you are then starting the journey of positive change.  You can then start understanding and respecting yourself more, fulfil your emotional needs and learn how to re-energize yourself.