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2022.09.09
Self-Care

Your Precious Qi Energy

This is the postcard that my acupuncturist, Rachel Moore-Beitler, gave to me. It is a postcard for her business and is created by the artist, Jordan Kim. I put it on a shelf because it is beautiful, and because I find this simple sentence, “Your Qi energy is precious,” fundamental for self-care.

Qi is an ancient Chinese idea that there is a life force or energy that forms us and animates us. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, this definition may sound too mysterious or woo-woo. For now, I think it is enough to consider it as your physical and mental energy.

Many of us, including myself, don’t pay enough attention to our energy levels, especially the mental ones. With physical energy, it is relatively straightforward. After a strenuous hike, you feel tired and know you need a rest. Yet, if it is about mental and emotional fatigue, many of us somehow believe it is a matter of willpower (or coffee!) to overcome it. As a result, we expect ourselves to be as productive in the evening as in the morning (if you are a night owl, then it’s the reverse).

It is funny because we don’t apply the same attitude to our cars. We pay attention to how much gas is left and when to refill (or recharge) it. I suggest we pay attention to our mental energy at least as closely as our cars. Otherwise, we realize that our system has no Qi energy only when we feel burned out.

As the first step, here are a few helpful questions that you can ask yourself: How much energy do I have/feel in my body right now? How tired/exhausted or awake/energized am I? How clear or creative, or productive do I feel? You can use a 0-10 scale, 0 being completely exhausted and 10 being fully energized or awake, or choose the right emoji such as ? or ☹ or anything that suits you.

Gradually, you will learn when you tend to have more energy and when you tend to have less energy. If you notice you have more energy in the morning, you may want to design your day to do more complex tasks in the morning.

When you notice your energy level is low, you may consider taking a short nap, taking a short walk, having a sip of tea, listening to your favorite music, or simply taking a few deep breaths. You may decide to stop working for today or choose work that requires less brain power.

There are times you must push yourself. When this is the case, I often put one hand on my chest and another hand on my belly and take a few deep breaths telling myself, “Thank you for working so hard, and I promise I will take a break this weekend.”

As a recovering workaholic, I still ignore my energy level, especially my mental one. However, I am slowly learning to take my energy more seriously, which also means I’m learning to take myself more seriously. I plan on sharing ideas and tools for self-care that I find helpful in this blog. Stay tuned!