Surfing with High Tide Energy

 in a low tide economy

The onslaught of news about the economy, compounded with the personal stories of friends, neighbors and family who are in turmoil, is washing stress over everyone. We want to tell you that this dynamic is real and how potent it is in wasting away your energy reserves and what you can do to offset it. Even if your work is steady, you may wonder what unexpected situation you’ll be catapulted into during these trying times.  It is similar to that constant, low level uncertainty (and uncertainty=fear) that nested inside us after 9-11. 

While you may be doing your best to duck the headlines, turn off the television and change the subject to the most pleasant if not, neutral topic, those sources are really affecting your energy the least.  It is the collective anxiety of everyone with whom you share a space, even if it is but for a brief moment, that is the greatest detriment to you.  It isn’t something you are consciously aware of because it affects you at a level that is not perceptible, therefore you cannot identify cause and effect.   

Physiological Hook Ups

Forget about perceiving your brain as just your personal Central Processing Unit.  It is much more than that.  You have a social brain, a brain that is hardwired to experience the feelings of others.  Actually experience those feelings – not just perceive or understand them.  It continually attunes us to, and in turn becomes influenced by, the internal state of the people we are among.  Metaphorically it is neural Wi-Fi.  The more personal that connection is, the more intensely the brains will interlock.  You probably have a list of people who drain your energy and you make the widest circumference to avoid them.  But what you may not realize is that being in a crowd of fearful, anxious strangers also wears away at your reserves.

In his book Social Intelligence, psychologist Daniel Goleman discusses the nature of our brains as a biological system that is hardwired to connect to others.  The result of that hardwiring is an exploration into how our social world influences our brain and biology. 

What Goes on Under the Hood

The part of our brain that is most sensitive to the conditions we are experiencing is the amygdala.  It is a primitive part of the brain that calibrates our feeling of security. Out of the entire range of feelings, fear most powerfully arouses the amygdala.  A special type of neuron is responsible for registering this rattling of our security and those neurons have the characteristic of registering them with incredible speed.  Our conscious mind is not able to assess and categorize this experience and apply logic due to the speed.  Added to that, the amygdala cannot process language; it is virtually speechless.  What we are left with is a vague feeling of uneasiness. The constant uncertainty and stress from others is creating the perfect storm for the feelings and symptoms of relentless threat and dis-ease.

Your Stimulus Plan

As long as you are breathing there is no escape from this phenomena and no way to tune it out, but there is a way to cancel the effects.  As we show people in our programs, managing energy successfully not only depends on monitoring your expenditures but also replenishing your levels.  That means an active pursuit of the activities that replenish your energy. Unfortunately we usually think of replenishment only when our energy levels are very low. But this is not a “gas tank” model; you don’t have to displace energy in order to take more in. 

A

The first thing to do is focus on what pulls in energy for you.  A new concept for many of you!  When you are conscious of what those things are, you are more likely to make them happen.  And we say they are more likely to “appear” also. Most are small daily pleasures that you can incorporate in your normal routine.  Then we’ll look at things that give you a bigger kick.

B

Start with your prepping-to-go-to-work routine at home:  Consider your grooming products (are they fun and luxurious or just functional), the sounds you experience (would music help or hurt), the exchanges that you have with your family, your breakfast (favorite tea or coffee).  Would you like to start your day with a quiet reflection?  Then load a meditation program on your iPod.  Can’t get to the gym in the morning?  Then do just a few stretching exercises. 

C

What energy enhancing opportunities can you find in your commute?  Maybe it’s the right music, the scenic route, talking with a friend on the train, reading the paper or a magazine.  And once you are at the office notice your work space.  Are you admiring the flowers on someone else’s desk?  Then get some for yourself.  If you love brightly colored stationery, get an entire set that is engraved.  The idea is to shape what ever environment you are moving in to reflect the things that give you a lift.

Training for the Energy Marathon

These small things add up but you have to pay attention and seek them out. Bigger things, of course, have to be scheduled.  Time with your friends and family, relaxing with your pet, a run along the river, antique shopping – whatever it may be, you first need to list out what they are, and where they occur or can occur.  In her book, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron structures a 12 week program filled with activities for creative people to nurture their talents and soul. (We are all creative, by the way.) She gives permission for the joyous things that we tend to discard and deny; emphasizing that they are vital to our joy.  Some examples:  create one wonderful smell in your home with food, candles or flowers; wear your favorite item of clothing for no special reason; buy yourself one wonderful pair of socks or gloves or earrings (we vote for shoes!); rent your favorite films; enjoy a treat that you ate as child.  She coaxes us to fill our senses with past and present triggers of joy that energize us and optimize us.

You Go Girl

In our role as “life coaxers,” we encourage you to inventory those places in your day where you can get more energy.  If you are shaking your head right now declaring that there is “no way I can fit another thing into my overloaded schedule” then you have a good measure of just how disengaged you are from your joy.  Take heart, the time you devote to these exercises (even if only for a few minutes every several hours) will pay off dividends beyond AIG executives’ bonuses. 

So, take out your favorite pen and start:

A)     Sources of joy and pleasure in my morning routine

B)       Sources of joy and pleasure on my way to work

C)     Sources of joy and pleasure in starting my work day

D)     Sources of joy and pleasure at my mid-day break

E)       Sources of joy and pleasure in the afternoon

F)       Sources of joy and pleasure on my way home

G)    Sources of joy and pleasure at home, at the end of the day

Now look for the bigger things that you really want to do but have ignored:

A)     Sources of joy and pleasure that involve my family

B)       Sources of joy and pleasure that involve my friends

C)     Sources of joy and pleasure that I can do around town

D)     Sources of joy and pleasure that are entertaining

E)       Sources of joy and pleasure that I can do at home

F)       Sources of joy and pleasure that involve a short excursion

G)    Sources of joy and pleasure that involve a longer excursion