Written by Kristin Barton Cuthriell, M.Ed., MSW, LCSW
What would happen if you were to drive your car without ever stopping to refuel? You guessed it. You would run out of gas. Your body is no different. If you continue to run, without taking time to refuel, you too, will stop. Your body needs to maintain a balance of energy to function properly.
We are going to take a moment to talk about this balancing of energy; balancing the energy coming into your body, input energy, and energy leaving your body, expenditure energy. Optimal wellness depends on maintaining a healthy balance of these two different types of energy.
Lets look at some examples of both input energy and expenditure energy.
Input Energy (This will vary depending on the person.)
- Spending time with a positive person with contagious energy
- Meditation and prayer
- Exercise: If done correctly, it will give you more energy.
- Fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods
- Rest and adequate sleep
- Positive affirmations
- Funny movies
- Cheerful or relaxing music
- Hobbies that you enjoy
Expenditure Energy (This will vary depending on the person)
- Taking care of other people
- Problem solving
- Emotional or mental labor
- Conflict resolution
- Large meals
- Fatty, sugary, and fried foods
- Certain jobs
- Sad movies and songs
- Driving in rush hour traffic
- Excessive alcohol intake
There are certain expenditures that you can not just cut out of your life. Maybe your job is draining, but you need it to pay the bills. Perhaps you are the mother of small children and feel drained most of the time. Maybe you are caring for your elderly parents and at the same time, trying to raise a house full of teenagers. Whatever your expenditures, you need to balance them with input energy or you will not be helpful to yourself or to anyone else. You will become depleted.
Try This
Make a list of all of your expenditures, things in your life that take your energy. Then make a list of things that you can do to restore your input energy. Begin making a conscious effort to balance both types of energy in your life.
You do not need to add hours to your day to do this. Breathing exercises while driving, choosing a comedy rather than a sad movie, and eating a light meal rather than a huge one will all provide you with input energy and do not require more time in your day. Remember that input and expenditure energy can vary from person to person. Be creative and come up with a balancing plan that works for you.
Great post! I will utilize this very much.
Thank you. I hope it helps.
Thank you. This is so in line with a hypnotherapy session I had earlier today…. it involved a turkey baster (in my subconscious) and taking my energy back. Your tips are very helpful as I look for ways to balance and take back an over expenditure of energy. 🙂
Thank you so much. I am glad that you found it helpful.
I think your idea to make a list of ‘expenditures’ and ‘inputs’ is a really good one…makes us consciously focus and become more aware of how we live our everyday lives. For me, I find some of the things that cause the greatest expenditures, like helping other people, are also what turn into the greatest and most meaningful inputs later.
I agree. Thank you for commenting.
Great guidance. Thank you.
I am glad that you like it. Thank you for commenting.
Great post, I am going to take your advice about making a list. I have allowed myself to get put of balance over the last year and I am slowly trying to get back to a healthy place. Thanks for sharing wiith us!
From reading your blog, it seems that you are doing a wonderful job, even when times are challenging, but do not forget to refuel. Balancing is difficult, but so important. We all get unbalanced from time to time. If we stay unbalanced for too long, our body let’s us know. We get sick, depressed,…. Thank you for commenting.
wonderful tips, i couldnt agree more, thank you
Thank you for commenting!
great and very useful post!
Thank you.
Kristin– Nice post. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Love it!
Hey Kris,
Great exercise! What a great way to identify when we are borrowing from the adrenals (via caffeine & sugar) before we hit full blown adrenal fatique! I wonder how often most of us are operating on an energy defecit.
Thank you, Cindy!
I would like to know if you could write a mental exercise on people that have chronic pain issues.
Let me think about this. In practice, I complete a thorough assessment of each client and come up with an individualized treatment approach based on the person’s needs. A generic mental exercise for people experiencing chronic pain may help some but complicate things for another. Some exercises that can benefit everyone are the following: write in a gratitude journal daily, pray/meditate, drink lots of water, visit a doctor and a qualified therapist( to get that individualized plan), excerise ( if recommended by your physician), and watch funny movies to distract yourself ( laughter is healthy.) I may end up turning this into a post. I hope it helps.