PODCAST: The Hidden Ways You Are Draining Your Energy

0:00Hello everyone and welcome back to The Wishing You Well Podcast. I'm your host Maria Patrick, health coach and shigong instructor and I'm so happy that you're here with me today. Today we're going to talk about something that almost everyone struggles with. You wake up tired. You need caffeine to get yourself going. Then you hit an afternoon slump. You feel exhausted by the end of the day even when you look at your back on your day and you realize you didn't do anything particularly strenuous. And then you wonder, and this is the question people ask me a lot, why am I so tired all of the time? Most people assume it's that they're simply getting older. But what if I told you that many of the biggest energy drains in your life are completely

1:00hidden? They're so common that we've normalized them. They're not emergencies. They're not dramatic. It's the little habits and the daily patterns that quietly siphon away your energy day after day. Today we're going to uncover the hidden ways you may be training your energy every single day and more importantly, what you can do about it. So let's dive in. Hidden energy drain number one, starting your day in fight or flight mode. Before our feet even hit the floor, so many of us are reaching for our phones. We immediately check our emails. We read the news. We look at social media. We see what everyone else is doing. That you've heard me say this before, doing this means that within minutes of waking up, we're activating our nervous system. Your brain begins to immediately process information, comparisons, problems and obligations before

2:09you've even checked in with yourself. It's like starting your car and immediately flooring the gas pedal. You're not giving your body a chance to even ease into the day. You're beginning in stress mode instead of beginning in a calm grounded state. There's a simple solution to this. We need to create a buffer between waking up and consuming information. Make a commitment that you will spend the first 10 minutes that's all I'm suggesting, just 10 minutes of your day with yourself. Stretch, meditate or pray, drink warm water, open up the shades and look outside. Practice Chigong. Allow your nervous system to wake up naturally. You may be amazed at how much energy you preserve by just changing the first 10 minutes

3:10of your day. Even energy drain number two, skipping protein at breakfast. Why do I talk about this so much? Because it is so incredibly important. Many people start their day with toast, cereal, a muffin or maybe your somebody who starts just with coffee. What's the problem with this? The foods that I mentioned are providing you quick energy but not sustained energy. Blood sugar is going to rise quickly so you think you're doing something great for yourself but then you're going to crash and when your blood sugar crashes, your energy is going to crash and when your energy crashes, that's what leads to cravings, irritability, brain fog, being hangry and that familiar slump. One of my daily non-negotiables is eating breakfast within an hour of waking up and aiming for about 30 grams of protein.

4:11I talked about my typical breakfast in the last episode of the podcast so you can always go back and review that. Having enough protein, having any protein at all but making sure you get enough at least the 30 grams at each meal is going to help you stabilize your blood sugar. It's going to support muscle mass. That's a really hot topic right now because so many people are on GLP1s, they've lost the weight but they've also lost their muscle mass. Having enough protein is going to improve your focus, your brain power and it's going to help you stay energized longer. If you find yourself constantly tired by mid-morning, take a look at what you're eating or perhaps what you're not eating for breakfast. Hidden energy, Jane number three, is having constant background stress. Many of us think that stress only counts when it's something major like a health crisis

5:12or a job loss or a divorce or relationship drama, financial problems. But your body doesn't only respond to major stress. It also responds to low grade stress that's ongoing. It's family commitments and financial worries like I mentioned but also just being over committed in general, having an overflowing calendar, getting constant notifications. The body interprets all of this as a demand and demands require our instant response and our energy. Your nervous system was never designed to stay activated all day long. And that's why slow meditative practices are so powerful. It's one of the many reasons but it's probably the number one reason why I started practicing

6:13Chigong and then decided to get certified to teach it because Chigong gives your body permission and express invitation really to shift out of fight or flight, out of survival mode and into healing mode. Within five minutes of intentional breathing will begin to change your physiology. It worked for me. Hidden energy drain number four is decision fatigue. Did you know that your brain uses an enormous amount of energy when it makes decisions? What should I wear? What should I eat? Should I answer that email? What should I make for dinner? Should I sign up for that program? How do you even realize it? We're making thousands of decisions every day. Some are big but most of them are small and the more decisions your brain is making, the more mentally depleted you become.

7:13This is one of the reasons that routines are so powerful. When you live in Kejas, you have more decisions that you have to make. When you create order from that Kejas and get yourself on a scheduled routine, you will actually be easily creating healthy habits for yourself in your daily rituals and that's going to help you to eliminate unnecessary decision making. You can save your mental energy for what truly matters. This is exactly why I love having daily non-negotiables. I have the same skincare routine every single morning. I have the same fitness routine every single morning. I eat the same breakfast every single morning. Those decisions are already made for me. I don't have to debate whether I'm going to do my morning chagon practice. I simply do it. I don't have to wonder what am I going to buy at the store and prepare and eat for breakfast because it's already done for me.

8:17Hidden energy drain number five. Living indoors all day. I have so many clients that this applies to. Many people spend the majority of their day under artificial lighting. They're inside their offices for many, many hours. They're inside their homes. They're inside their cars. What happens when you're living on the inside rather than the outside is that you become disconnected from your natural rhythms. Sunlight helps regulate your circadian rhythm. It's one of the reasons why it's a big topic of debate right now and legislation about standard time versus daylight savings time. Because sunlight affects your energy, your mood, your sleep, your hormones, even your metabolism. Just a brief morning walk can have a profound impact on your energy levels.

9:20Nature can be our medicine. Fresh air is medicine. Sunlight is medicine. Our body craves these things just like a plant does. Hidden energy drain number six is when we carry around emotional clutter. This is something that doesn't get enough attention emotional clutter. What is emotional clutter? Resentment, guilt, regret, unresolved conflict, worry. These emotions consume energy. Imagine if you were carrying a heavy backpack everywhere you go. Eventually you're going to become exhausted. Most of us are carrying around emotional weight that we no longer need. Sometimes the most energizing thing you can do is to forgive or let go or have a difficult conversation. And if you can't do any of those things, you can journal about it.

10:23You can pray on it. You can seek support. You can release what you've been carrying. Because emotional baggage is still baggage and it's going to weigh you down. And it's going to become not only an emotional drain and an energy drain, but an energy vampire. Hidden energy drain number seven are poor sleep habits. You probably expected this one. It comes up a lot in our conversations. Poor sleep is about more than just the hours. It's also about quality. Many people are sabotaging their sleep without even realizing it. I catch myself every night. We do wordle as a family and if I haven't gotten in my wordle, I go on and do wordle and we share it in our group chat. And that starts sparks a lovely conversation amongst the family.

11:25But then, because I've got my phone in my hand, I end up scrolling before bed. That is an energy drain. We eat late at night. That's an energy drain. We keep our bright lights on. That drains our energy. We're watching stimulating television programs. That's a real drain. We're doing work until bedtime. Sometimes in our bedroom. Sometimes in your bed. Your body needs a transition period. Your body needs a wind down ritual. One of my favorite evening practices. And when I do this, it keeps me off my phone. Is I soak my feet. I use my red light therapy masks. I have a big moisturizing ritual. I have a four step ritual for my teeth, which I've mentioned in previous podcasts. And I get myself into bed by 10 pm. The body loves consistency.

12:28When you create a predictable evening routine, your sleep will improve. And so will your energy. Hidden energy drain number eight. Something a lot of us do. Saying yes too often. This one can be difficult. Especially for caregivers. Especially for women. Many people are exhausted because they're constantly meeting everyone else's needs. And then neglecting their own. You volunteer. You help. You fix. You support. You rescue. And you wonder why you have nothing left for yourself. Every yes requires energy. Sometimes in order to protect your energy, it means you have to say no. Not because you're selfish. Not because you've lost your big heart. But because you're well being matters too. Creating a boundary does not have to be a barrier.

13:31Creating boundaries can be your best energy management tool. Hidden energy drain number nine is chronic inflammation. Sometimes when our bodies are fatigued, it's not just because we're busy. It's biological. The foods that you're eating may be contributing to inflammation in your body. Like highly processed foods. Access sugars. Alcohol. Artificial ingredients. This one I'm about to say is a big trigger for me. Seed oils. When inflammation increases in your body, the energy in our body often decreases. And that's because your body is going to divert its resources towards managing the inflammation. Many people notice significant improvements in energy simply by cleaning up their diet. For me, it means when I go into a restaurant, I ask and make sure and ask three, four, five times to make to be certain

14:38that they are not preparing or serving my food, the seed oils, olive oil only. And what a significant improvement that has made for me for my health. My level of inflammation, my energy level. Our food can either be fuel for us or it can be an energy vampire. You want your fuel to energize you, not steal your energy, which means we need to choose wisely. Hidden energy drain number 10. You saw this one coming too. It's not moving enough. Here's something that many people don't realize. Movement creates energy. Many people believe that they should rest when they're tired and sometimes that's true. But often what you really need is movement, gentle stretching, a short walk, five minutes on a rebounder, a five minute shigong practice. If you need help in any one of these areas, you can reach out to me. We can have a conversation about this.

15:39Movement improves circulation. It boosts the delivery of oxygen to your cells. It gets your lymphatic system to flow and it's going to help your overall vitality. Energy isn't something we have that we just born with. It's something that we create. It's something that we generate. Hidden energy drain number 11. Living in constant noise. Our brains are overstimulated. Social media. News. News. Notifications. Constant blast. The brain rarely gets a moment of silence. Silence is restorative. Some of your best ideas, your greatest clarity, your deepest healing can occur in the quiet moments. If you've ever come up with the best ideas in your life and the shower, it's probably because it's your quiet time.

16:39People tell me who have long commutes and who are listening to soft music instead of flashy news programs that they find that the most calming part of their day. Try spending even 10 minutes a day with no input, no phone, no music, no television, a dare I say, no podcasts, just silence. You may discover that what you've been craving all along isn't more stimulation. It's actually less. Hidden energy drain number 12 is ignoring your body's signals. You heard me say this before. We need to slow down and quiet down just so that we can listen to our body because our body whispers before it screams. Fatigue is a signal. Brain fog is a message. Digestive issues are trying to reach us.

17:41Poor sleep is a signal. Moved changes are a signal. Yet many of us push through these issues. We override the wisdom of our own body until it eventually forces us to stop. Learning to listen to your body is one of the most powerful forms of self-care. Your body is constantly communicating with you. The question is, are you listening to it? As we begin wrapping up today's episode, I'd like to invite you to perform a simple energy audit. It's kind of like taking your car in for a service. Ask yourself, what gives me energy? What drains my energy? What habits of mind leave me feeling vibrant? What habits leave me feeling depleted? What relationships in my life energize me?

18:42What relationships exhaust me? Awareness is always the first step because you cannot change that which you don't recognize. If there's one message, I hope you take away from today's episode. It's this. Energy isn't just about how much you slept last night. It's about how you live your life. It's about your habits. Your thoughts. Your relationships. Your boundaries. Your nervous system. Your food. The good news is that many of these energy vampires are completely within your control. You don't need a complete life overhaul. You simply need small, consistent changes. Choose one thing from today's episode. Just one. And focus on that this coming week because when you stop leaking energy, you create space for vitality and joy and healing and the life you truly want to live.

19:50Thank you so much for spending your time with me today. If you enjoyed this episode, if you recognized any of these energy vampires, please share it with someone that you think can use a little more energy in their life. And please know that until next time, I am wishing you well.