How to manage your energy

It’s the new time-management

What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘energy’?

For most of us, it’s physical energy to get through the day; the opposite of being tired.

For the scientifically minded, it might be the energy in our cells, or mitochondria.

For the spiritual, it might be the energy that we can’t see but can feel, in other words: vibes.

Some might argue that all three are accurate, and they intertwine.

Credit: @sarashakeel

I’ve written before about my bizarre experience of energy healing in LA, and emotional experience of Reiki in Germany, so was both intrigued and sceptical when invited to an energy session with Master Oh, an eastern medicine practitioner with a celebrity following.

I expected the treatment to be a bit like reiki, with no touching, but Master Oh’s technique is more hands-on, with firm pressure on my shoulders, back and abdomen, accompanied by whooshing noises that he makes with his breath.

The treatment is short, around 20 minutes. And while people often report feeling lighter or more energised instantly, I must admit I didn’t feel a huge difference right away - other than the sense of relaxation that you might expect after lying on a table for 20 minutes. He told me it can require a course of treatments but, since not everyone has the time, money or inclination for that, I asked what day-to-day steps we can all take to improve our energy.

Master Oh’s advice? Drink lots of water, practise deep breathing and keep moving your body throughout the day, which is in keeping with general guidance around stress management and staying active. 

Then he added his wildcard tip: positive thoughts. I broadly believe it’s good to focus on the positives where we can, but I am also aware of the impact of toxic positivity, so I left feeling very undecided on the whole thing.

On the tube home, I bumped into a friend. After telling him where I’d been, he replied: “I love things like that. As a kid, I loved going to the doctor or the optician.”

At first, this comparison seemed strange. Surely an energy treatment is nothing like the optician? But then I realised he meant that sense of being taken care of; the feeling that someone is looking after you. I guess you could call it an energy exchange?

And, actually, the next day I felt great: upbeat, focused and - yes - energised. My scepticism was evaporating, as I felt the treatment had had a positive effect. 

If I was offered a free energy treatment tomorrow, would I do it? Absolutely!

Would I pay hundreds of pounds for a course of treatments? Well, no.

I believe in energy, but I don’t believe expensive treatments are the only way to improve it.

While pondering this, I went to the launch of Lavina Mehta’s The Feel Good Fix (talking of positive energy: that woman is human Duracell), where I met Simon Alexander Ong. He’s the author of Energize: Make the Most of Every Moment, and told me he’s trying to make the concept of energy more practical and relatable. He said that so many people focus on time management, but energy management would have a far greater impact on their lives (although there is some crossover).

Simon Alexander Ong’s energy management tips:

1. Write down the things and people for which you are grateful, and then tell them. Expressing gratitude is the most positive of energy exchanges.

2. Find exercise you enjoy. “Many of us are exhausted not because we are doing too much, but we’re doing too little of the things that bring us joy,” he says.

3. Create an energising environment. Who do you spend time with IRL, or follow on social media? Do they make you feel better or worse?

4. Rest and disconnect. Whether it’s a nap, a meditation or just lying on the sofa. It’s not lazy. It will improve your ideas, productivity and energy.

5. Take action: lots of people have ideas and enthusiasm, but actually doing the thing (which often means taking a risk), will get your energy flowing.

“The secret to happiness is understanding who we are, what makes us feel alive, and doing something that is aligned with that,” he says. “You weren’t born into this world to just pay bills, scroll through social media, reply to endless emails, watch TV and then die.”

smitajoshi108

A post shared by @smitajoshi108

At the weekend, still thinking about energy, I went for a run with my nine-year-old cycling alongside me. Stopping in the park, he pointed to a group of people practising something that looked like tai chi or qigong and asked: “What are they doing?”

I gave him a rambling explanation, which covered the idea of energy as represented by chi or qi - or The Force in Star Wars. I explained how the movements are intended to improve the flow of energy, clearing blockages.

He listened intently, then replied: “Well, that sounds like a bunch of nonsense, but at least they’re enjoying themselves.”

And in one off-hand comment, he summed it up. If you feel that it’s doing you good, then it is. Perhaps it is “all in your head”, but that doesn’t mean it’s not powerfully real. Taking control of how you feel, whether by using Simon’s tips, or having an energy treatment, or whatever else makes you feel good, is a positive thing. Forcing yourself to do something because it’s “good” for you, even though you hate it, is not.

None of the people practicing qigong in the park looked as though they hated it (I can’t say the same of the boot campers doing burpees in another corner).

It all comes back to my mantra: it’s only good for you if you enjoy it.

It just took a nine year-old’s matter-of-fact summation to show me it, this time.

If you’d like to see Master Oh in action, he’s doing a two-day Healing and Connection Experience in London this weekend

This week I’m…

Working my way through the exercise, diet and rest ‘snacks’ in Lavina Mehta’s The Feel Good Fix. Honestly, this book is a game changer for anyone who feels they don’t have time to be healthy.

Admiring Abel & Cole’s ‘Difficult Tastes Better’ campaign, which celebrates inconvenience and expense. Are they mad? Maybe. But I pay for a box of organic veg because I know it’s better for my health and the planet, despite the expense, which I guess is their point (PS. I have a referral link, so you can get 50% off here)

Listening to psychologist Kimberly Wilson’s Stronger Minds podcast. I love how she prioritises smart, sensible advice over the hysterical clickbait of many health podcasts. This week’s episode on the Prevalence Inflation Hypothesis is a perfect example 

feelgoodwithlavina

A post shared by @feelgoodwithlavina