“Energy is contagious, positive and negative alike. I will forever be mindful of what and who I am allowing into my space.”

– Alex Elle

A lot of things and people drain the energy out of you and then you are left with nothing to work with. So, what can we do about it? Generally, most of us know what’s energy-draining for us and what is energy-giving. But, a little reminder helps keeping things in track.

This post is your reminder of list of energy-draining things that need to get out of your life. Dump it all in a trunk, lock it and throw it at the bottom of the sea.

1. Over-stressing

You thought this post of about simple things? Nope, this isn’t simple at all. But it is something you need to start doing in order to tick it off your list. A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step, right.

So how can one stop over-stressing?

A little bit of stress is okay and sometimes it is good but overstressing is a killer. So when you find yourself overstressing do the following:

1. Analyse the situation to figure out if there is anything you can do to control it or not.
2. If you can’t control it find a way to accept it. Keep talking to yourself till you convince yourself. With practice, you’ll get better at it.
3. If there is something you can control, just do it.
4. Have a little thought management plan or a kit handy. Things you can do to feel better, ex. meditation, deep breathing, listening to music, watching something, playing a sport or a game or a little run/ dance.

This one topic needs an entire blogpost for itself but I’ll stop here for today.

2. Not sleeping enough

Or not getting the right kind of sleep. Again, this is a broad topic but you get the idea. You need to get your bedtime schedule in place. I am not saying that you should measure and analyse your sleep (though if you do, that’s great), all I am saying is to get the right amount of sleep.

How to get a good night’s sleep?

1. Have a night routine.
2. No screens an hour before sleep.
3. Drink calming tea.
4. No caffeine after evening.
5. No heavy food at night.
6. No alcohol before sleeping. (It helps you sleep but it affects the quality of sleep.)
7. Stay away from anything that might stimulate your brain.

3. Holding on to past

I am sure you did not expect to see this at #3. Well, holding on to the past makes you live in past and makes you sulk, makes you sad and makes you feel like what’s gone was better than what is and what is yet to come. Which is not true. Living in present and enjoying it is important. If you feel like the present is worse than the past, you need to talk to yourself (again). The more you think of what was, the less you will experience what is and then you will have missed out on so much that you will drain more of your energy thinking about it.

Break the cycle by doing more things in now.

4. Poor diet

Fast foods are all fun and games till you need to sit down and work with 100% concentration. People who eat a high glycemic index diet — one that’s higher in sugary foods and processed grains and lower in fiber-filled fare — report higher levels of fatigue.

Poor nutritional status is one of the contributing factors of fatigue. Eating nutritious food is not only good for your physical and mental healthy, but it also helps you stay active.

So, now is the time start thinking about making some healthy changes in your diet.

5. People pleasing

People pleasing is exhausting. When you start doing it, you keep trying to fill someone else’s cup while your own is empty. And if you continue doing that you will be left with no energy. ZERO.

So put yourself first. Start saying no to things that you can’t do. Do something for yourself first and then if and only if you can do something for someone else, do it.

6. Taking things personally

This was one of my biggest energy drainers. We sometimes forget that the entire universe doesn’t revolve around us and people can have thoughts, opinions and they can do/say things as they please. They are NOT thinking about us. Most of times most of the people don’t care about you, not as much as you’d like to (in a good way). So, taking things personally does more harm than good. Basically, it does no good.

Nothing personal.

7. Complaining all the time

It’s draining because it’s a lot of negativity and it is also draining for the person you’re complaining to. No one likes to listen to complaints all the time.

Try a no-complaints day/ week experiment. No complaining about things for that period of time. And then see the difference it makes to your energy levels.

8. Overthinking

Just like overstressing, overthinking is bad for you. When you think too much you might go to procrastination mode or you might end up not doing anything except thinking. And this could be the bad kind of thinking where you are just imagining worst-case scenarios.

Overthinking makes everything feel important, and this leads to decision fatigue. And situations, where we have to make lots of decisions, can leave us stressed and fatigued, leading to overthinking. This is a loop. And it needs to be broken.

Writing down your thoughts is one way to stop overthinking. This has always worked for me.

So, that’s it. That’s all 8 things you need to leave as we enter into a brand new year 🙂

What are some other energy drainers that you think should be left behind?