Low Energy? Listen to your needs.

Have you ever felt that you just don’t have any more energy to keep on working? Have you then blamed it on stress and started to make associations, reasons and story about why you might feel this way. That’s normal in this culture of intensive analytical thought.

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​MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness is awareness, with less judgement. It is used to connect us to our senses in a calm, observing way, so that we can 'tune in'. Once we are more tuned into our bodies we can understand them more and take calm, appropriate action. One example of this is meeting your ‘needs’ by first ‘feeling’ into the body and then using intelligent thought to ascertain what it might be. ​

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NEEDS
Maslow gave us a useful method of deduction - the hierarchy of needs.  Here I have taken his pyramid of needs, added to in the 1990s by various commentators. I’ve use the resources at Business Balls to inform my research. When we use this we can take a moment from our work and check in with each need, to see if that allows us to re energize and come back afresh. I have broke this down starting at the bottom of the pyramid.

1. Biological and Physiological needs - If you have 15 minutes, take a break from work and try this:

1. Get up, move the body and stretch (movement)
2. Toilet? Wash your face and hands (bowels and skin)
3. Breathe deeply for three breaths (air)
4. Drink a pint of water with some vitamins or lemon (drink / salts / nutrients)
5. Eat a bit of fruit or some nuts (nutrients)
6. Check the temperature and then create a lighter, tidyer, more organised nest
7. Lie down and rest for 5-10 minute (sleep or meditate)

2. Safety needs - if you have a further 15 minutes try these:

1. Wash more thoroughly - or have a full shower. (safety from germs)
2. Check your bank balance and the news headlines (broad physiological safety)
3. Emails & Calendar - nothing urgent? Have you been telling any lies or creating dishonesty / not keeping agreements? (local physiological safety)

3. Social Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships, etc. Approach this if you have another 15 minutes free (like on a lunch break)

1. Call your loved ones - express love/gratitude/feelings/requests
2. Make a plan with a friend or lover

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LONGER NEEDS
As we go down the list the breaks from work take longer. For fullness I have added them all in with suggestions for ways to check if the needs are met. Mindfulness and ‘full body listening’ will tell you if you need to do these things. 

4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.

1. Look at a (previously created) list of achievements, positive feedback, or things you’ve overcome
2. Read out an affirmation
3. Read out your mission and intention for the year
4. Check your weekly list and look at what you're doing - celebrate success and plan for the day ahead

5. Cognitive needs - knowledge, meaning, etc.

1. Read a good book
2. Check the news for interesting stories
3. Pray / Gratitude meditation

6. Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc.

1. Listen to good music and have a dance
2. Go for a walk in nature and climb/look at trees
3. Engage the senses - sight, smell, taste, sound, touch, balance, briefly

7. Self-Actualization needs - realising personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

1. Set your intention to work and ask yourself - is this bringing me happiness?
2. Declare mission and oath
3. Do a few hours of work

8. Transcendence needs - helping others to achieve self actualisation.

1. Loving Kindness meditation
2. Go out and give gifts of smiles and love
3. Pay it forward - do a random act of kindness
4. Give to charity or help a friend
5. Decide to do a larger giving act and plan it.

SUMMARY
Clearly you won’t have time in your work day to go through all of these and you don’t need to. Awareness (reading this) and checking in with the body is the first step. I often notice that the physiological needs, once taken care of, free up enough energy to work again. This will also give you better health and les emotional reactivity.

Try this - take a break at work and do some of the suggestions. Let me know how you get on.