The Gift of Giving Back to Yourself Part 2!

My plan for this week is to give you the tools to absolutely spoil yourself so that this holiday season you can weather the storm and get through the holidays without going overboard and over emotional-budget. Today is boundary and energy day!

Okay, we all have batteries, not literal ones of course, but figurative ones. Introverts, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Extroverts, consider this a crash course. 

The primary battery is the social battery. This is where introverts will quickly run out of juice. Whereas an extrovert is going to be able to keep going for a relatively longer period of time. For example, on my first date with my current boyfriend, my social battery ran out after about an hour and I ended the date. Thankfully, he asked me out again the next day. To be fair, I was in a period of rebuilding and reconstruction on myself at the time so I was grateful that he was patient and understanding.  

Personally, I have multiple social batteries, one for work, friends, and family. I'm quite fond of of all three however, sometimes one gets refilled faster than the other depending on other factors such as water, food, energy, and stress levels. When my social battery runs out there are several things I need to do. My recommendation to you is to compartmentalize which bit of energy goes where and keep tabs on it. So when it starts to run low you know it's time to take action to get your energy back. Here are some ideas to reclaim your energy: 

Think for a moment, that every interaction, every person has a cord attached from you to them. Imagine a giant pair of scissors cutting through every string. Then imagine a bright white light washing over you, restoring all the energy that was drawn from you. 

This exercise is one I did frequently when walking out of the hospital. It helped me shake off everything from the shift, which you can imagine was hectic. It's quick and efficient which I know is what we need when our lives are what they are. Sometimes we don't always have ample time to do extensive energy work on ourselves. I find that also saying a little prayer of gratitude for the energy used and asking for new energy also helps. 

Don't be afraid to set healthy boundaries. Sometimes it's good to say no when the same person calls fifty times a day asking for things. Or if you just can't muster up the energy to invest in the task it may be better to say no so when you do have the energy you can do the task justice. Fill your cup before you fill others' this way you don't run negative on energy and reserves for important tasks. 

How I set my boundaries truly begins with how I want to delegate my energy, deciding which tasks are important, then deciding how I want to spend my energy with the people I care most about. Once I have that decided I can execute my day however I need to. This is why I find it important to schedule out your tasks from the month, to the week, to the day, and even the hour. When you can schedule in that crucial time to recharge it's worth it. 

Happy Holidays, 

<3

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