3 WAYS TO RECLAIM YOUR ENERGY & LOVE YOUR WORK

by angie johnsey

Are you waking up tired and exhausted before you even start your day? 

Are you pouring all of your energy into your work or projects and finding you are not being reenergized by the joy and excitement of your work?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, there are several things to consider. 
Either your work is not truly fulfilling our you have a re occurring thought that is zapping your energy level. 

One important thing to mention is that it’s not so much what we do that has the potential to fuel and energize us, but how... what we do makes us feel.

​When we are doing work that is truly fulfilling and feel healthy emotionally, we feel energized by that work. Ideas flow. Excitement is generated. If you are not energized and looking forward to your work each day, we need to explore why.

Explore why you are exhausted.

1. Are you depressed? It's unreasonable to expect your work to bring joy and excitement if you are too far down on the emotional scale to reach the higher emotional states of joy and excitement. You will need to look deeper at what reoccurring thought is creating sadness. This is the first step out of sadness and into joy and higher energy levels. If you suspect that you are sad or depressed, then the most we can expect from your work is that it’s a healthy distraction. Joy and excitement are both too far of a reach just yet. The point here is the work you do may not be to blame for your unhappiness and low energy. Depression can also drain your energy and create exhaustion. It's time to find what's really bothering you. However, if you are stable and or happy in your off time, this is a good sign that your work is the source of the exhaustion instead of a separate issue.
2. Do you feel un organized or behind? If yes, this creates stress. If things feel messy or overdue, this can make you want to avoid your work instead of getting excited about it.
3. Are you getting enough rest or "me time"? Real rest is when the mind is allowed to shut down, zone out, unwind. Leave work at work.

How do want to feel as a result of what you do?

1. ​​What makes you feel the best? Think of something you accomplished recently and how it made you feel. Do you like to feel smart, or like an expert? Are you competitive and like to feel like the best at what you do? Do you like to feel accomplished? Do you like to feel like you contributed to society?
2. Whose measuring stick are you using? Are you measuring up according to others or the world? A good clue here is to think about how your parents viewed success. We usually feel the most proud of ourselves and accomplished when we feel we met or exceeded our parents measure of success or what your parents wanted for us. It’s also possible to move away from your parents measure of success and make your own "personal success measuring stick".
3. Do you believe in yourself or what you are doing? When we feel we know what we are doing, we feel confident, proud of our work, and proud of ourselves.

 
​Explore your options.

1. Yes you have options. You are never stuck. Remember you always have a choice. It may take some time, strategy and planning to implement that choice, but you always have one.
2. Research options. Think outside of the box. If you know you should be spending your time in other areas and aren’t using work as an excuse for your unhappiness, ask for advice. Ask others in the same field how they deal with similar work concerns.
3. Make a plan and take action. After you gather you data and advice, begin immediately with your new plan and take steps to put your plan into action. This will create a feeling of moving forward. Knowing there is a light at the end of the tunnel will refill you with fresh hope and excitement.