Stop Hemorrhaging Energy- how our mental health affects our productivity

 

I spent a good portion of my life circling the drain.

It felt like I was swimming against the swirl, caught in the current of the flush.

No matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to break free. I couldn’t get out of the never-ending struggle to keep my head above water, never getting anywhere, just lucky to be alive.

It’s a terrible feeling and a terrible way to live.

So much wasted energy. So much wasted potential. So much frustration, and so much pain.

Better time management

My solution? Reading books on better time management.

I thought this was the answer to my problems.

Clearly, I just couldn’t focus well enough.

That was why I wasn’t accomplishing my goals. I didn’t have enough self-discipline. I wasn’t strong enough. I was too distracted. I was too weak to achieve the things I wanted to achieve.

I blamed myself, thinking, I’m not good enough.

But what I needed was healing.

Energetic First Aid

Toxic relationships, negative programming, chronic anxiety, past trauma, and all manner of mental and emotional health related issues cause us to hemorrhage our precious life force—the energy available to us to create a life for ourselves and great things for the world around us.

Think of an energetic wound like a physical wound. It’s a big, gaping hole in the energy body through which our life force is constantly escaping. Like blood flowing out of a stab wound, our energy dissipates until we become so depleted that we are unable to survive.

Until we stop the bleeding, we cannot heal.

Until we repair the leak, we can’t harness the energy necessary to manifest the experiences we want in this life.

We must value and love ourselves enough to make the hard choices that will allow us to heal.

We may need to clear negative people and toxic relationships out of our lives—or at least quarantine them where they can do no further harm. We may need to go low contact or no contact with those who have been successful at draining us in the past. We may need to take a hard look at our automatic programming that keeps us doing the same things, thinking the same thoughts, spending time with the same people, even though the results are not in alignment with our highest good.

Energetic first aid is the first step towards healing. The only way healing can begin is to begin.

Good Mental Health and Productivity

Once the healing process begins, once our energetic wounds stop hemorrhaging, we learn that the tips and tricks can work for us, too.

(This is where the time management and productivity books come in handy).

All the strategies that apply to becoming more productive in our lives, also apply to the healing process.

One of my favorite writers on productivity currently has a series going on her blog discussing the foundations of time management. Her ideas are so helpful and can be applied to all areas of our lives. Including healing.

Want to get in better shape?

Want to become more successful at work?

Want to find love in your life?

Want to heal yourself and overcome trauma so that you can do all the above?

The method always comes down to one thing: intentionality.

Performing small, intentional, daily actions over time yields BIG results.

Mindfulness + Intention

We have to be intentional about how we manage our thoughts, our energy, and our time.

Before we can be more productive in our outer world, we must become more intentional about our inner world.

We must place the same intentional effort into healing ourselves that we might place into getting a promotion.

For those overcoming trauma, battling anxiety, dealing with mental health issues, we need to first redefine what success means to us.

I used to think success was running a big company, making a lot of money, or becoming famous.

Now, I measure success by how intentionally I’m living. Personal success is more about practicing self-care, nurturing positive relationships, and managing emotions. How anxious, how rested, how calm, how happy do I feel at any given time?  Success now means living authentically, connecting meaningfully, and being happy.

The interesting part? Focusing on realistic measures of success leads to increased success in other areas too.

Being intentional about thoughts and emotions safeguards against

When I’m less anxious, more rested, calmer, and happier, I can then engage in any number of small daily actions that will move me forward toward my goals.

I’m no longer circling the drain and fighting the current.

Now, I’m making progress.

Life becomes more about fulfillment than survival.

 

Handing over the mic: What small daily actions do you perform (or could you perform) that would help you live more intentionally and successfully?

I have a short list of chores that I perform daily that keeps life under control and a short list of work goals that I perform daily that does the same. Using the 80/20 Rule I aim for an 80% compliance rate and have been moving forward pretty successfully!

Let me know what’s working for you below!

You might also like: How Do You Measure Success? and There’s No Gold Medal for Suffering: Why Self-care is Not Selfish

 

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