To listen to this article instead, click below to listen in on our latest episode of the “From Good Girl to Grown Ass Woman” podcast.

You know how you have to charge your cell phone to power up your battery? You too need recharging to stay in your power. Today, I’m sharing ten ways to get back into your power, no matter what shenanigans are happening around you. Read on or listen in and let me know your favorites!

1. Get Outside. I cannot emphasize this enough. Leave your sofa, your office, wherever you spend your days, and go outside. There may be days where you do not open the door of your home, much less step outside of it. I know, because sometimes I have these days too. These are not the days that I feel most energized and empowered, and I imagine those are not the days that you feel most energized either. We all have reasons we think we can’t get outside: maybe you’re in a flow with work. Or you have too much to do. Or if you interrupt whatever you’re doing you’re afraid you won’t come back to it. Even still, if you want to get your energy back, step outside. Stand up tall and stretch your arms overhead and look at the sky. Watch some birds. Breathe. Remind yourself of your wildness. Give yourself 5 minutes. A micro dose. See what shifts.
2. Get Off the Internet. I personally notice my energy drain the more time I spend on the internet. Never have I ever had the experience of feeling more energized and powerful the more time I spend online. Just as I notice the battery on my phone slowly depleting, so do i also notice my internal battery slowing depleting the more time I spend online. And yet, for most of us, we are engaging with online content in many various ways throughout the day. Given that, my best tips are: keep it brief; get up and move; see tip number one, and get yourself outside. As you notice not feeling great, shut it down, at least temporarily and do something else. I realize that occurs like a reactive approach; you might over time develop a proactive approach that allows you to put structures into place that limit your online interactions BEFORE you feel terrible.
3. Prioritize Your Wellbeing, Consistently. And not just as a “fix” when things go wrong, but as a foundation upon which everything else is built. When I say wellbeing, I mean the whole person experience of tending to your mind, body, and spirit. Wellbeing can include physical activities, relationship practices, spiritual practices; anything that you recognize as contributing to your being healthy and thriving. As a practice, make a list of 5 actions that would elevate your wellbeing if you incorporated them intentionally and consistently. Here are some of mine: eating nourishing meals throughout the day. Taking walks. Snuggling with my dog. Beginning the day with a gratitude prayer. Reading for pleasure. 
4. Imagine What You Want. Envision it in vivid detail. Many of us spend a disproportionate amount of time imagining and planning for worst case scenario outcomes. We ask ourselves, what if everything goes wrong, and then we play out all of those vivid details in our minds. That is exhausting and leaves little energy for investing in imagining and planning for what you actually want. As a practice, choose to invest your energy and time into considering what if it goes right? What if it goes exactly how you want, and even better? Visualize the outcome you desire and feel it in your body. How will you feel, in your body, when this outcome that you desire is happening? When you get that promotion. When you sell your house and move to the country. When you take that bucket list trip. When you have fully released that misaligned relationship. Imagine those details, in sensory-rich specifics.
5. Talk to Your Coach or other person who helps you get your head out of your ass. If you do not have a person like this in your life, I highly recommend seeking them out. We all need a person, ideally many of them, who can lovingly, kindly, with permission, call us out on our bullshit so we do not have to keep stepping in it. I am this person for my clients and a select few friends, and I have these people in my own life in the form of coaches and trusted friends. Sometimes we simply don’t see what we don’t see, and it helps to have someone else point it out for us. When we’re ruminating and spinning and stuck behind our own perceived obstacles, we’re wasting energy. When you have those trusted people who can support you in interrupting that cycle, you can get out of it, and restore your energy.
6. Take a Stimulation Break. This is particularly important if your job or life roles require a large volume of stimulation input. For instance, some of you work in roles where unplugging for large chunks of time throughout the day is not an option. Your work may require that you’re constantly inundated with information and news and updates and all the things, all day every day. Also important for those of us who are prone to overwhelm. At some point, we do need a break, even if it is a brief one. A stimulation break might include a period of time: an hour, a day… to minimize input. To not check your email. To turn off all tv, music, everything and close your eyes. Because your brain is having to process and sort all of that incoming information, and that takes energy. Even what you may perceive as background noise and completely inconsequential may still be draining your power. So clear out the input, and get your power back up.
7. Practice Generosity: in your thoughts, words, and actions. Assume positive intent. That means giving people the benefit of the doubt, of course within reason. Sometimes we give others the benefit of the doubt to our own detriment; that’s not what we’re talking about here. What we are talking about is not giving away your energy and your power assuming your colleagues or family members are out to get you, and then strategizing around that story. It’s an energy leak. Again: if there’s someone demonstrating ill will, address it. Handle it with candor. Otherwise, I personally find the world is a more pleasant place to inhabit when I assume other people are generally doing the best they can. P.s.: people includes you. Practice that same level of generosity with yourself and notice how that gets you back into your power. 
8. Acknowledge your Needs, and ask for support. We have a whole episode on getting your needs met. It’s Episode 7, and it’s called How to Get What You Want. Having unacknowledged and/or unmet needs is a huge energy drain. On the flip side, owning the hell out of your needs and asking for and receiving loads of support is a surefire way to stay empowered.
9. Give Yourself a Break. Take some things OFF your plate. I get that some of us feel fully charged when we are taking on the world and doing many many things. That’s totally fine! And, there is likely a point of diminishing returns where your effectiveness goes down as tasks and responsibilities continue to go up. Notice where that point is. What’s the sweet spot, where you are doing the things and generating results, AND still feeling empowered? Notice that threshold, and delegate or otherwise create space for yourself anything that is above and beyond that threshold. You may be surprised what your team can take on, or what your partner has capacity for. 
10.  Create Space for Fun and Play! Listen: I know you have a big job and are juggling multiple roles and responsibilities and making a difference in the world. You ARE. And the world can feel like ALOT. And, one of the things that can make all of that stuff bearable, that can provide light in the dark, is play. Sometimes it feels like we have to choose one or the other: as in, you feel you can either focus on all that’s heavy and hard, or you can experience joy. It’s really easy to fall into that trap. But here’s why it’s a trap: we cannot be fully in our power and make the kind of impact we’re called to make when we are depleted and wrapped up in the heaviness of it all. We MUST find joy. Wherever and however we can. In fact, consider joy and play to be an act of radical defiance. This is not to say ignore what needs to be addressed. That, again, sets us up for the either or trap. What it means is we get to source ourselves with play, and from that place, handle the scandal. 

To recap: Go outside. Get off the internet. Prioritize your wellbeing. Imagine what you want. Talk to your coach. Give yourself a stimulation break. Practice generosity. Acknowledge your needs, and receive support. Take some things off your plate. Invite fun, play, and joy. 

I’d love to hear your favorite power-enhancing practices. Will you share them with me? Send me a message and let me know what works for you to sustain your power.