By Jenna Avery, CLC, Life Coach for Sensitive Souls

As a sensitive soul, good energy-management skills are a must. This means tuning in to yourself on a regular basis and continually reassessing and adjusting what you take on.

It's a real balancing act.

And sometimes, despite your best intentions, your energy gets drained and you feel out of balance.

The key, then, is to know how to quickly and easily recharge your energy.

Some of why this situation happens is that highly sensitive people are more susceptible to overstimulation than less sensitive types.

Being overstimulated ultimately drains your energy. You may not notice the drain right away because it can also produce an adrenaline rush, which creates a sense of urgency or even panic that's hard to shake.

You can fall into flight or fight mode without even realizing it, and even get a little addicted about keeping that urgency going.

On top of this, our culture generally encourages us to over-commit. We try to do it all, fit it all in, and take it all on.

This can be overstimulating and draining as well.

You might even start buying into the rationale that you DO have to do it ALL, that the world WILL end if you don't get it done, and that you have to HURRY UP about it.

So you go into hyper-drive while feeling exhausted at the same time, psychically, emotionally, physically, and mentally. It's enough to make this sensitive soul say, "Stop the madness!"

Other contributing factors lead us to overspending in the energy department.

For instance, you may find yourself "over-giving." Many sensitives have a real knack for putting other people first and giving out far more than they are receiving.

Sometimes this can feel like a survival strategy. You may trap yourself, thinking that if you can *just* get the people around you to feel better, then you will feel better yourself.

Giving away your energy this way is another way of feeling drained. And once you're drained, more overstimulation isn't far behind. It's a downward spiral that can quickly gain momentum if left unchecked.

So what's a sensitive soul to do?

Step 1. Make a Course Correction

You can take your power back by stopping to look critically at what you're doing and why you're doing it. Drop anything and everything that isn't aligned with your *own* highest priorities, and give yourself permission to seriously reconsider other events and plans.

As a sensitive soul, you absolutely have to prioritize your self-care and learn to manage your schedule and energy well, or you jeopardize your ability to engage with others or do your soul's work with any real impact.

When I get too busy, I do exactly this kind of strategizing, focused on rebalancing my energy. The first clue that I've entered the "spin cycle" of over-doing and over-giving is when I start feeling cranky or resentful.

These powerful emotional messengers always get my attention and get me into action to course-correct.

It's a powerful reminder of "oxygen-mask thinking" -- that in order to support the people who rely on me, I had to put on my own oxygen-mask FIRST by taking the time to renew my own energy.

Step 2. Recharge Your Energy

Once you re-orient your schedule and your life to your own priorities, including your own self-care, take some time to recharge before forging ahead.

Sometimes you can get so "spun out" that you can't think of a single thing that will help. I recommend creating a list of activities, people, and environments that recharge, renew, and enhance your energy.

Then when you're in crisis mode, you can get out your list and remember how to come back to yourself.

To get you started thinking about what works for you, here are some things that work for me:

    * Reading comic books
    * Reading "girl" magazines
    * Doing spa-at-home treatments
    * Getting a massage
    * Taking Epsom salts baths
    * Talking to close, mutually supportive friends (No energy vampires!)
    * Snuggling with my sweetie and/or my kitties
    * Collaging and cutting out magazine pictures
    * Reading science fiction books
    * Eating popcorn, drinking kombucha, and reading in the blue chair
    * Looking at Barbie dolls at Mr. Mopp's
    * Listening to music on iTunes, www.pandora.com, or favorite CDs
    * Pulling oracle cards
    * Meditating
    * Listening to the work of Sonia Choquette
    * Getting outside
    * Being in the sunshine
    * Prowling at Long's or Elephant Pharmacy
    * Playing games
    * Coloring in coloring books

These simple yet playful and nourishing activities bring me back to myself and help me return to my efforts renewed.

So now it's your turn. Make a list: What recharges your energy?

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Copyright February 2006, Jennifer K. Avery.

Jenna Avery is a highly sensitive coach and intuitive who offers an original coaching program called Embrace Your Essential Self, designed to guide sensitive souls to find a deep sense of inner rightness within themselves so they are inspired to step forward and shine.

You’re invited to take her free online assessment: "Is Your Sensitivity Working For You?" on her website at www.highlysensitivesouls.com

  
Also see more articles by Jenna Avery

[Image from book: The Mission of Art, by Alex Grey.]

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  Related Talent Development Resources pages :

Highly Sensitive

High Ability

HSP & gifted books

Intensity / sensitivity

Intensity / sensitivity resources : articles sites books

Introversion / shyness.

Introversion resources : articles  sites  books

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