Emotions are such a big part of life. I picture each of us receiving 10 scoops of emotional energy per day. How we use these scoops depends on what our emotional and physical needs are and also what choices we make on how to use what we have.
When I wake up feeling awesome I decide when and where my energy is spent best. I am usually on fire from 7 am-noon so that’s when I do the things I need most of my energy for (the gym, work). By 4 pm I’m dragging which is not awesome because that’s when the kids get home from school so I know I have to store some of my 10 scoops of energy for this time. At 9 pm I go into “don’t bug me mode” because all of my 10 scoops have been used up. Interesting, now the kids try not to bug me after 9?!
Thankfully this rarely happens, but when I am sick, just getting out of bed can feel like it’s using almost all of the 10 scoops. Then I go throughout the day just looking forward to the second I can fall back in bed! The smallest task can be enormous on these days– going to work, patience, smiling when you don’t feel like it, making dinner, cleaning, etc. Usually, I wake up the next morning feeling better and my body has created my 10 scoops again– ready for a new day.
When I have had hard things happen to me (like when my husband passed away) the same feeling of being sick has applied, but it has gone on for weeks or months. It’s completely draining! It’s like getting out of bed may use 2 scoops, getting the children out the door to school uses 3 scoops, and my heart hurting uses another 3. Already at 8 am most of my scoops of emotional energy have been poured out, used up, and gone. If I have anything left, I may use the scoops to get myself ready for the day and to work. For the remainder of the day, I am in a deficit. Luckily sometimes when times were difficult, people would come and lend me a scoop of theirs- help my kids with homework, bring in dinner, take the kids out to do something fun, or take ME out to do something to get my mind off of it. I am so grateful for all of those that helped me many days when I came up short.
When I look at others around me, I am guessing most people receive about the same emotional energy scoops a day as I do. We are all only given so much and each person gets to choose how to use it. Sometimes life chooses for us- our health or other people’s choices come into play. In the past fear has used up some of my scoops. So has perfection and worry. That is something I am learning to change and awareness that it’s my choice has really helped.
I am sure there are others who feel like they aren’t even given 10 scoops per day- those with health, personal, financial issues, or others. Those things just take out the energy in heaping, full scoops each day. I know when I had a bad arthritis day my energy and patience were used up trying to get my legs out of bed. It was extremely difficult, but luckily it wasn’t a constant struggle. I’m sad for those that have this daily struggle and hope you can seek help through doctors, groups, awareness, the gym, healthy food or anything possible. If all you have is a few scoops of energy a day- think through carefully when and how will you use them.
Lately, I wake up with this energy that shoots me right out of my bed, out the door, to work, and to the gym and I still feel like I have all 10 scoops. I am bursting with energy that nothing can bring down. Why? It could be many reasons-I try to fill up my emotional bank account so I know that each day I will wake up with those daily 10 scoops…When I sleep 7+ hours. When happy things happen. When I laugh. When I do yoga and exercise. I am in a good place within. I have chosen not to go where fear is inside me anymore. I choose to look for the good in my life and be grateful (huge). I don’t let people in my life that are not a positive influence. I give. I spend time with friends or family who love me no matter what. I write and let it go. I tell myself motivating things that can run through my head each day. I have been reading books and learning. I try to not care what other people think- it’s not easy and is a PRACTICE, but it makes me feel so much better inside. We all need to find the things that lift us up and make sure they are a part of our lives- so we can be blessed with those 10 important emotional scoops of energy.
Don’t get me wrong- I still have some days where I didn’t sleep well (or long enough) and I can’t get my body out of bed unless I dig deep and use a bunch of scoops of energy to do so. I also have things happen in my life that bring me down and seem to use every scoop and more that I have. Living in a family with so many raw emotions is difficult and sometimes I wake up feeling emotionally exhausted. I think these happen once in a while to remind me how great it is when I wake up feeling awesome and what I can do to change some things. What I am trying to do in my life is make as many choices as possible so I feel like my life is in MY control. Let me see how I can use those 10 scoops of emotional energy in the best way possible!
How we choose to spend our emotional energy is our choice… What are you doing with your 10 scoops of emotional energy each day?
