Energy Balance: Balancing Your Inputs With Outputs
As I was finishing up the last post about managing anxiety, my son’s school was engaging in yet another “shelter-in-place” followed by a student walkout. As soon as I found out, I was fighting the urge to go drive by his school just to be near him. I let a piece of information mess up my own energy balance.
Clearly, I’m not an expert at managing my anxiety yet. That post was really for myself, trying to organize the jumble of thoughts and information inside my head. It wasn’t my best writing, I know, but I’m still glad that I did it. At the very least, it was a healthy outlet for my anxious energy.
Why Energy Balance Is So Important
As a reiki practitioner, I believe energy balance is vital for your health. In particular, it’s very important to exchange your energy with the outside world. Just as you need to breathe in fresh air and let out the old, you need to circulate and exchange your energy.
But this energy balance tend to get a bit off kilter in our current society. We take in far too much energy in the form of digital information from our cellphones, tablets, and computers, not to mention the more traditional media. Unless you actively choose to express yourself to the world, it’s like we’re constantly inhaling deeply but exhaling only for a fraction of a second. It’s not sustainable.
That’s probably why there’s so much rage out in the world these days. The excess energy we’ve taken in has to force its way out, and it comes out as anger. I think we can probably assume that gossips and internet trolls are also suffering from energy imbalance. It would be much healthier for all of us if we released small, manageable amounts of energy in more productive ways.
How Can We Better Balance Our Inputs and Outputs?
So what are some of the more practical ways of releasing energy? Exercising is always great as it strengthens your body and improves mental stability. But for many whose energies are already overly imbalanced, that’s not a viable starting point. Interestingly, when we take in too much energy from the outside world, our physical energy seems to get buried underneath. It’s why you struggle to even move when you are feeling down.
When you are in that state, you actually really need to cry. Crying is extremely cathartic. When we’re little, we all release energy by crying. But we learn overtime that crying is somehow shameful. I’d venture to guess that the majority of those who fit into the stereotype of “grumpy old men” are also men who have been taught that “boys don’t cry”. You don’t have to cry at the top of your lungs like the kids do, but allow the tears to flow when they come.
Other healthy outlets of energy are journaling, talking to a trusted friend or a therapist, and creative arts. Painting, singing, dancing, and writing are wonderful ways of sharing yourself with the world. Even leaving an encouraging or respectful comment on a YouTube video will promote positive energy exchange. If you have the time and resources, you can start your own blog or a YouTube channel. You might think your thoughts are boring and not worth sharing. But it only seems boring because you already know so much about your own life. To someone who has lived a completely different life, your thoughts are fresh and interesting! So don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
One thing that I’m feeling very keenly these days is that energy balance is extremely important for maintaining healthy relationships. When you’ve taken in too much outside energy, you don’t have room for the energies given off by the people closest to you. You end up losing patience quickly. You might blow up over minor things. Even if you don’t go that far, you might just shut down and ignore the ones you love the most. It really is important that we learn to manage how much information we take in from the outside world and allow your own to flow out.