I have not been active on my blog for over a month now. Why? Because life has gotten in the way. I have started a new chapter in my life that includes dealing with college classes, finances, sorority activities, and all else in between. I have also gone through some family transformations that have really drained my energy. It has been really hard to make time for myself and for my hobbies. This brings me into a very important topic of protecting your energy. If you are highly sensitive and/or a perfectionist like me, it is a challenge to not pour your energy into everything and everyone else around you. Now, if you are also going through a mental issue relapse, it is important to become patient with yourself, as you are also giving a lot of energy into healing. If you are choosing to invest your energy into healing, I am very proud of you! Healing has been the longest and most spiritually, draining activity I have chosen to participate in. There are many ways to protect your energy in who you interact with and your space.

1. Personalizing your environment

Let me start of by just saying, I didn’t realize how much your personal space had an impact on your mind. I knew the kind of decorations I wanted in my room, but did not consider how my space would apply to my senses. Other than having my favorite posters up, I realized I needed to create a safe environment that helped me cope with moving. I took note of some of the feautures presented in my friend’s room that made me feel welcomed. I would need to apply to sight, smell, touch, and sound. I realized taste may be a hard concept to grasp when decorating a room. Beginning with sight, I decided to go with simple patterns and hung some curtains on my ceiling to make the space feel “closed in”, and in return, safe. I also chose soft lighting as oppose to bright led. The yellow and blue colors illuminated from both my salt lamp and paper lantern were easy on the eyes. For touch, I invested in some pillows and lots of fuzzy blankets. I also paint peaceful landscapes with oils, so you can physically feel the landscape lift off the canvas. Next, smell is WAY more important than I thought it would be. Before, I neglected scent and actually slept in the same room as my cat’s litter-box. That’s PRETTY BAD. Now I have luckily transferred all bad smells out of the room and installed a couple oil diffusers. As much as I enjoy incense, the smell of smoke can actually be more awakening for some and cause sleep disturbances. For my diffuser I usually go with a lemon or orange for the day and a lavender for the night. The smell of orange is proven to reduce anxiety, so I need plenty of that. Last, I am very sensitive to sounds and have created a soft, classical playlist I usually have in the background. Whatever works for you, I say put your energy into self care and environmental care. Seeing aside just 15 minutes a day to sanitize and declutter, can really improve your preceding mindset. When struggling with mental health, cleaning can feel overwhelming. Investing In Clorox wipes or fun, easy-to-use products can relieve some of this stress. When doing laundry, try to split your load into half in the morning and half at night. Take one day for clothes, another night for linens.

2. Choosing who surrounds you

This subject is a more sensitive one and takes some major reflection. After experiencing many relationships, I noticed I am easily influenced by the energy around me. Sometimes protecting your personal energy means selecting carefully who you spend your energy on. Sometimes friends or family can become co-dependent on you and you will find yourself emotionally drained. It’s hard when you are a people pleaser, but you have to realize that sometimes putting yourself first is also okay. You can’t give from an empty bucket. Really check in with yourself and notice when you may be feeling strained in a relationship. Once you have identified the cause of the energy depletion, set some strong boundaries that allow you to spend less time on that relationship and more time on activities that are energy givers.

Now in contrast, you may catch yourself becoming the energy taker. This means others may have felt drained after a relationship with you. This is not something to feel ashamed of, but it is something to become more aware of. Most of the time, we “energy dump” onto someone else because we feel we can’t handle our own emotions and run to someone else to fix it for us. The hard truth is most problems we deal with can’t be solved by anyone but us. It is okay when struggling to accept the support of loved ones, but you must tend to your own needs so you are not looking to others to solve it and therefore depleting their energy.

3. Filtering what feeds your mind

We are presented millions of ideas without us even realizing. Majority of these things come from our phones. When we engage in accounts, such as workout lifestyles, we are constantly being reminded of an alternative life from our own. This circulates in our brain and we subconsciously obsess over such things. When we cloud our brain with other’s lives and ideas, we become distant from our true selves. I made the decision of deleting a majority of my social media over periods of time to allow more time for my true existence. I plan on removing myself from all social media for the 3-month PCT trip. I have noticed a great change in my days  without certain apps, I have replaced that time with meditation and investing into art/literature. Now this process hasn’t been compltley easy, some days I feel physical symptoms of anxiety and withdrawals. A huge challenge has been letting go of the pictures that have been posted of me. I used to overanalyze the photos that others posted of me and critiqued every mark that wasn’t beautiful or sexy. Without social media, I am unable to constantly monitor and have to accept the moment I was captured as my true state. A friend of mine reminds me often, “It is more important to be happy in a photo then to look appealing”, and those are words that have helped guide me through this year. I no longer have to stress about the photos I may not be seeing because I know if it reflects my most true self in the picture, it is exactly what it needs to be.

“It is more important to be happy in a photo, then to look appealing”

With love, Miss Rachel