Written by: Marketa Huzel, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
My clients are high achievers and so am I. What do we have in common? We tend to DO a lot and always have projects on the go. The struggle is, that we often forget to BE more. What does it mean?! Let’s dig in!
We forget to rest, take a pause, reflect, and recharge. The energy we have is extremely precious! And one of my life-long goals is to manage my energy most effectively and efficiently.
A lot of people live their lives backward. They think that they’ll BE happier, and more relaxed when they HAVE more money, more time, more peace etc. And here’s the catch, this is backward. First, we need to BE the person we want to be, so we can DO the things we need to do, in order to HAVE what we want to have. Did you get it?!
We are human BEINGS, not human DOINGS! That said, in the first place, we need to be. Be who we want to be and be okay with who we are. Compassionate with ourselves, and proud of ourselves, we need to love ourselves because that will translate into what we are doing and how we are showing up in the world. And yet still be humble and let the ego stay aside.
There is so much to unpack in the lines above. And you may not get it; until you really get it. You may nod your head and say: “Yes, I’ve heard that before.” But truly, did you get it?!
I am committed to bringing you the most impactful content and transformation. I was pulling my Medicine card deck to see what the most powerful topic would be and the RETREAT topic came up. Coincidence? N, not at all. This week has been quite tiring, the energies on the planet have been strong and if you’re sensitive to them, you’d feel more tired than usual. I noticed that on myself, on my kids and even on our cats. They’ve been very sleepy and low energy. So if we listen to our bodies, we should take the time to rest. I am not saying to sleep for the whole day or week, just pacing ourselves and choosing our activities wisely.
How can you be the most productive? What’s the most effective use of your time? Wheat time of the day are you the most productive? This is not just the rule for the days when you are running on low energy but in general. If you manage to learn this energy management system, you’ll be feeling much better than an average person on daily basis.
Now, back to the RETREAT. How can you relax?
Here are 7 tips and tools that can help you to manage your energy:
1. Sleep. Get enough sleep! Yes, the same old!!! Sleep is critical. We can spend a ton of time talking about the benefits of sleep but as a reminder, here are a few facts about driving sleepy:
Sleep as much as your body needs. It could be 6 hours or 9 hours, lots of research has been done on this but do not compromise sleep! Your body is rejuvenating during sleep. Your brain is highly functioning during sleep, lots of essential life processes are happening while you’re sleeping so you really can’t cut the sleep off!
If you’re driving sleepy, it’s like being drunk! Do you need numbers to compare?! Here you go: According to the AAA study in Canada, the risk of a crash depends on the amount of hours sleep (given the average recommended time is 7 hours):
Six to seven hours of sleep: 1.3 times the crash risk
Five to six hours of sleep: 1.9 times the crash risk
Four to five hours of sleep: 4.3 times the crash risk
Less than four hours of sleep: 11.5 times the crash risk
Some resources compare that with the amount of alcohol while driving. After approximately 18 hours of being awake, the effects on reaction time, vigilance, multi-tasking, and hand-eye coordination are comparable to having a blood alcohol content of 0.05%13. After 20 hours of being awake, drowsy drivers are impaired on a level equitable to a 0.08% blood alcohol content. After 24 hours awake, impairment is equivalent to a blood alcohol content of 0.1% I am not saying you need to be awake for that long but if you don’t get enough sleep several days in a row, it just simply builds up! Moms with little babies or kids can likely relate very well!
2. Meditation. Even a few minutes of meditation on daily basis is going to improve your energy levels. When you are doing fine, you’re practicing energy management. When you are tired, you’re tapping into the skill of meditation to deeply relax and recharge on the go.
Mindfulness meditation, in particular, appears to improve sleep quality and reduce daytime disturbance in people with chronic insomnia and older adults. You can use meditation for sleep itself but during the day, it’ll recharge you.
3. Music. Listen to music or even better – lay it or sing it! Why? Because the music has a certain vibration that is measured in Hz and that impacts your brain waves, your thoughts and your energy overall. Low energy thoughts like worry, stress or fear are dragging you down. Higher frequency thoughts like gratitude or love are raising your frequency and lifting you up. Do you think this is too much woo-woo?! Not at all!
There is a science behind this! Go and research it! If you’re listening to the music, it vibrates through your body and impacts your thoughts, feelings and emotions. My sincere suggestion is to pick the right music with the right vibration! If you’re playing it yourself or singing yourself, its impact is multiplied because you’re actively engaged in creating the vibration.
4. Movement. Get moving! Stretch, walk, jump on a trampoline, run, whatever it takes. Even if it’s a few minutes. Get your blood pumping. It doesn’t need to be long but regular, frequent breaks help to maintain your energy levels higher. Think about setting up reminders on your phone or computer when working.
5. Environment. Choose the right environment for you. Create the space you feel well, comfortable and can focus.
Workspace – whether it’s in the office or at home, create the right space for you. The way you like it so it feels good, it’s aligned with who you are.
Colours – those impact our emotions and feelings too. Whether you dress in them or surround yourself with them, all can make a significant energetic impact.
Light – for maximum energy, you should be exposed to direct daylight within 30 min of when you wake up. If that’s not possible, do whatever you can to get the sun in your face as soon as possible. You can even get lamps designed with the light mimicking the sun! And then set up proper and pleasant lighting in your workspace. Whatever that means to you. Light can be overwhelming and exhausting if it’s the wrong one!
Scent – I love the power of essential oils. Those too have their energy you can measure in Hz. Did you know that the most powerful one is the rose? Her frequency is 320 Hz. Choose whatever is pleasant for you, it all impacts how you feel! Warning – artificial scent is seriously not good for you. Always choose natural!
Noise level – some can work in silence, some need some ambience music or white noise to get focused.
Temperature – not too warm, not too cold, just about right!
6. Food. Eat well, and hydrate with enough water. Yes, same old. But how often do we neglect the power of water?! Even our human body is 70% water! So let’s be grateful that we have access to clean drinking water because those who can’t access this article likely have more serious water concerns than you do.
7. Massage. Let someone else take care of you. Massage is of course proven to reduce muscle and joint pain but also increases immunity and energy levels in your body and decreases blood pressure and heart rate. When your heart rate is lower, you are relaxing!!!
Hope you took something from this article to your heart and these tools will help you manage your energy in the way that works for you. And if you are looking for more tools and ways how to change your life, I am hosting a 2-part live masterclass on June 15 and 17, 2022. You only need 2 hours of your time to make a significant change in your life. Click here to register.
Marketa Huzel, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Marketa is a Transformation Coach who is passionate about personal development ‒ helping high achievers to turn their inner turmoil into inner peace, their exhaustion into sparkling energy, and getting them unstuck by directing them on their path to their life purpose.
Marketa combines her 16 years of experience in corporate roles with a Master’s Degree in Education, certificates in Human Resources Management, and Co-Active Coaching (CPCC).
Marketa allows you to take off your superhero cape, creating a safe space for you to discover who you really are so you can create the life you want. She will offer you insights that will allow you to tap into your existing inner wisdom to find your new path, leaving you with new perspectives and greater clarity. She will help you assess your values, beliefs, habits, and more and transform your life as a whole with her signature “Kaleidoscope 5R Shift Method”.
Marketa continuously develops her skills by embodying her coaching. She is a passionate reader, educating herself in neuroscience, psychology, and other areas that impact personal development. With two young kids of her own, she strives to ensure her kids benefit from her expertise while not being “the mom who kept coaching us even if we were not interested in it but we knew she always meant well”.
Marketa loves the beauty of life, enjoying travelling, sightseeing, music, playing sports, spending time in nature on the beach, mountains, or woods.