August is the month when Jane and I are exploring energy with you – where it comes from, how it can be gained (and lost!) and how you can understand your own personal energy.

Both Jane and I have begun to understand our energy pretty intimately over the last few years – we have used various methods to support us, some which work for both of us and some which are a more personal choice.

What we both know is that understanding our energy is vital to us living this one life to the full.

One simple way of understanding our energy in life is to understand the difference between being an introvert and an extrovert. Some people think that extroverts are loud party animals and introverts are shy and retiring. Not necessarily true!

Extroverts are typically energised by other people, perhaps having many friends, instead of a few intimate ones while introverts are energised by spending time alone or with a smaller group of friends.” The big thing here: It’s not how you act but what situations you thrive in and get energy from.

We like to think of as extroverts as solar panels – charging from a wide external input like the sun or a light source. We like to think of introverts as needing to ‘plug in’ to a single source of energy like a socket to recharge.

I am predominantly an extrovert so know that I need to be around people regularly to recharge. Home working isn’t so great for me! HOWEVER, I also need some alone time to process that energy and all the inputs I have received. Most people aren’t one or the other, they have a bit of both in varying amounts!

How about you? Have you got a natural preference? How can you build that knowledge onto your routine?

Drilling down into your monthly energy.

Next up….periods or the monthly hormonal cycle that still exists within each of us whether we have periods or not.

How does your energy change over your monthly cycle? For me, I am full of energy just before my period would happen (if I wasn’t using a coil because of the peri menopause) and then I have a slump about two days into my period.

There is some brilliant reading about the ‘seasons’ of our cycle that we will be sharing with you this month. A great place to start is to simply track your energy levels as you go through the month and notice any patterns.

Next up! Drilling into our daily energy levels.

Energy levels can peak and trough throughout the day. Have a think now, do you recognise which time of the day you have the most energy?

Most people will either describe themselves as early birds or night owls and there is some actual science behind that.

I am most definitely an early bird, I often start work by 7 and feel super productive until about midday. After that I need to use more energy to be productive, o can do it, but it’s tiring!

The science behind our energy flow throughout the day can be categorised using the chronotypes method. Jane and I will be sharing more info and practical tips on this throughout August.

The most important thing we want you to do this month is notice. Notice your energy levels throughout the day and month. Notice when you feel most productive or most sluggish and start to build an awareness throughout the month that can help you maximise your precious and life giving energy.

See you over on Instagram @yourlifelessordinary throughout the month of August to explore your energy 💛