How You're Exhausting Yourself

by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM

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So let's recap. 
The #1 thing draining your energy may be you.
Let's talk about how...

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HOW #1:
There's a part of us that is a bully, a tyrant, a critic and even a monster.
​It makes us feel like we're never doing enough, that we aren't enough. It coaxes us into over-compromising ourselves, our time and our energy. It convinces us of the worst and sends our emotions (and energy) plummeting. It tells us we're limited and can't have what we want. It scares us into believing our fears. 
AKA: We live in chronic states of stress, fear and frustration, which is exhausting, inflammatory and toxic.

HOW #2:
We don't cut ourselves a break.
We don't give ourselves time to rest. We don't bask in the feelings of stillness and recharging. We're afraid we're going to miss something if we don't keep going. We're hard on ourselves if we don't do "enough." We act as if we're machines instead of organisms that need to follow the natural rise and fall of the day, the seasons and the tides of life.
AKA: We suppress our ability to thrive and be happy by resisting rest and denying our natural and innate needs.

HOW #3:
Self-compassion is nowhere to be found.
We don't act with compassion toward our personal needs. We don't give ourselves permission to BE ourselves. We don't hold ourselves in unconditional love and support. We put ourselves in uncomfortable positions; we breach our own boundaries. At every turn, we may be compromising ourselves in some way, and thus syphoning our natural energy reserves on a daily basis.
AKA: A lack of self-compassion translates as self-neglect, which takes a toll on our natural energy and vitality.

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But remember when I said this is good news?
Here's why...

Rest IS available. Restoration IS available. Healing IS available. Joy IS available.
The thing is, WE have to provide it for ourselves. WE have to make the decisions that benefit us the most, which can mean slowing down, cutting ties that weigh us down, disconnecting for a bit and trusting in our body's and being's miraculous ability to heal. We have to ask ourselves what we need. We have to trust ourselves. We have to put a hard stop to the endless draining of our natural energy reserves on a daily basis and start fueling ourselves with something better.
Only you can make these choices.

Honor yourself first, and everything will change.

In the final article in this series, I give my best tips for improving your energy and maintaining your natural energy reserves. Check it out. 

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other articles you may like

>> The #1 Thing Draining Your Energy

>> The Body, Our Storyteller

 >> Negative Self-Talk is the Real Disease