It’s been going on for years. It is an accepted part of our American culture. What I am talking about is the search for “What will give me more energy?” Is it this pill, or that energy drink, or this berry, or that seed, or the new supplement?
Energy equals power, vigor, strength, and endurance. The word energy isn’t in the bible, but power, strength, endurance, in different forms, is.
What we are really looking for is not found without but within. It is only through a set time to slow down and relax, breathe, meditate, or play, go to the beach, have a picnic, or dance or prayer time. Any soul that feels it needs energy, power or strength, needs the time to recharge.
On another side of our culture is the incessant need to feel value. Value is an obsession in us and in our culture, we attach value to the person who DOES MORE. We have elevated the mom who does all the mom things, runs a successful business, has and edifying marriage and probably homeschools her children and also throws fantastic birthday parties and makes MEMORIES, and captures all of this on social media for all to see and envy her ability to DO IT ALL.
It's the man who gets the job done, who has everything it takes, and provides wonderfully for his family. He has a well maintained home, along with the truck or sports car, and is climbing the financial and social ladder. He goes to the gym and has a good physique, maybe even a good marriage, and is LIVIN’ THE DREAM.
The energy product marketers show us all we are supposed to be and do, IF WE USE THEIR PRODUCTS. Stupendous sports feats are at the top of their list.
But the reality is we can’t do it all. Most of us need to get some sleep to function. The old “You can sleep when you are dead” saying, is a lie. Nourishing our body is a necessary component most people neglect or abuse. Drinking water is simple but most of us do not do it. It makes sense to do since your body is made up of 60-75% H2O.
We often tell ourselves, “I’ll grab something on the go,” substituting junk for nourishment and then we wonder why we run out of steam in the middle of the day. We tell ourselves, “Oh, Coffee is made from water, so that will do.” And the lies continue, as we make excuses for our behavior. And if you are young the lies go deep because you get away with it for a time. And you make fun of the older people who have slowed down, are sickly or have less energy, thinking, that that won’t happen to you! “I am super-human! I can do it all!”
Then cancer, or some other illness stops you. It quenches your energy. The disease in the body stole it from you, you tell yourself. The easy thing to do is to blame the illness. Your body is begging you to take notice of it. It is not lying to you when it is tired. It is not trying to fool you into taking it easy.
Why do you have to DO IT ALL anyway??? Where that pressure comes from is a personal question you need to ask yourself. Is it because of the pressure from your parents? Or trying to prove your value or worth? Is it from the media? Or social media telling you to compare yourself with your peers?
The answer is this: the most efficient way to get energy for your life right now is to slow down. Examine all you do and determine what is unnecessary and get rid of it! Take that stress out of your life! I am meeting so many young people who are getting off social media. I applaud them!
While whittling down stressors in your life, keep sleep, good nutrition, deep breathing and hydration on your list. These seem to be the first to scratched off but need to be kept in place for your life and health.
Our culture has almost reached the saturation point on this Fast-Paced, LIVIN’ YOUR BEST LIFE NOW, bucket list-seeking, DO IT ALL mentality.
Many of us have found out we can’t do it all. We would rather enjoy the life we do have, being content, going slower, having face to face conversations, and looking people in the eyes and doing life together. Find people like this and hang out with them, ask them questions about how they slowed down and made life enjoyable.
Energy is available through prayer, meditation, taking a nap, dancing in the kitchen, singing, and laughing with your loved ones! These things add bounce to your step and life to your weary bones, and make for a happier, healthier you.
If you are sick, guess what? You will have to slow down, take steps to heal yourself, so just take care of yourself now, and you will have all the energy you need when you need it. Find peace in who you are now. That will look different for many of us. Mental health, or emotional baggage will need to be dealt with and healed. Seeking professional help with this is very acceptable now and even encouraged by so many companies. If you have trauma in your past, going back to make peace is the most loving thing you can do for yourself and for all the people in your life.
Best way I know to do this for me is to fall into God’s Word. Get back in relationship with the One Who loves me most and gave me breath. I had to humble myself, especially after cancer became part of my story.
Taking care of yourself is the best, most loving thing you can do for those people you love. You can’t give what you don’t have. Get filled up so you have something to give away.
copyright (c) July 6, 2022
by Monica DuBois
This is not a regular post. Just something I wanted to share.
Totally awesome!! Thank you for writing this. We all need to taLe the time to rest, pray, laug, dance, and heal.
Thank you so much. I need wisdom from God and maybe others on how to manage what we have and what to LET GO. Thanks for sharing.