Let’s talk about a practical and easy way to increase your energy levels. Because as busy and stressed nurses, don’t we just want more energy? Isn’t having more energy after, before, and during work something we crave? Well, here we go- another lesson from your nurse coach, Elizabeth Scala!
I’m going to walk you step-by-step through a sure-fire way to increase your healthy energy:
- Take out a piece of paper. On the left hand side of it write down 6 am, 7 am, 8 am, etc. all the way until you get to 10 pm. (The healthiest and most recommended sleep is between 10 pm and 6 am… now if you work night-shift or have some other nurse shift schedule, please adjust accordingly. But for the premises of this article I am using 6 am until 10 pm as the awake time of the day).
- It may look something like this:
| Time | Energy Level (0-10) |
| 6 am | |
| 7 am | |
| 8 am | |
| 9 am | |
| Etc. |
- Now what I want you to do, is first track your energy levels during the day. Write down next to each hour how energized you are, with 0 being the absolute lowest with no energy at all and 10 being the absolute highest with the most energy ever. Keep track of this in this way for about 1-2 weeks time.
- Once you have tracked your energy levels every day for about 1-2 weeks, add another column to the right of “energy level”. This column will be “activity”. So for about another 1-2 weeks just write down your energy levels and the activities you are doing each hour.
- Finally what you want to do is look- observe and match up your energy levels. If you have been tracking your energy for about a month’s time you may notice a pattern shaping up. Some of us are more energized in the early morning. Some are full of energy in the afternoon. When do your energy levels naturally rise and fall?
- Can you match up the activities with the energy levels you exhibit naturally throughout your day?
- So- if you are an early morning energizer- you want to match up your early morning activities to this type of energy level. You may do your exercise first thing in the morning. You may schedule meetings with clients. You may see patients then. If you notice your energy levels always dip in the afternoon- you don’t want to have your busiest activities of you work day scheduled during that time.
- Maybe your afternoons are your lower energy periods. Maybe during that time you snuggle up with your book, take a quick 20 minute power nap, or actually go outside and get some fresh air.
- You want to ebb and flow. You want to work with your energy current, not against it.
- Does this make sense?
Track your energy in this way for a bit of time and come on back and let me know how it went. Or you can always email me at coachscala@livingsublimewellness.com with feedback, comments, or questions. I’d love to hear how this process went for you!
Leave a comment below if you ever noticed how your energy and your activity are in mutual relationship with each other. What have you done about it? How do you flow with the current of your energy levels? Share here!
I like it when people come together and share ideas.
Great blog, keep it up!.