10 Quick Energy Boosts in Mind, Body and Spirit

I am not a health expert--or any expert for that matter. Nonetheless, in celebration of this week’s theme on keeping up your energy, here are my personal tips on energizing your mind, body and spirit.nnnMINDnnMeditate:nTwo works in particular inspired me to finally integrate meditation into my everyday life: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and Catching the Big Fish by film director David Lynch. Regular meditation not only makes your mind more attentive and your intuition sharper, but may be as effective as anti-depressants in combating depression and anxiety.nnStimulate Your Muse:nA wise person once said that good art is therapeutic. We all need to regularly enjoy beautiful paintings, music and other forms of creativity to energize our reservoir of mental energy. I like regularly visiting my favorite illustration blog Drawn! for mind-blowing illustrations, and Etsy, in ogling other people’s amazing DIY craftsmanship. For wonderfully obscure movies that stretch my mind in new and fantastic ways, I depend on my film connoisseur boyfriend.nnFail (Sort of)nPerfectionism is not only unreasonable, it is energy-draining as heck. Allow yourself to endure the worst possible scenario—at least within the safety net of your own imagination. It’s not that bad, now is it? By mentally confronting the worst and surviving it, you give yourself the mental energy to dream big and take risks. Carpe diem!nnnnBODYnnDo a Funky Dance (when no one’s looking)nDance like no one’s watching—because no one is watching! Do the funky chicken in the office bathroom, the running man in your bedroom, the cakewalk when you’re brushing your teeth. It doesn’t have to be more than ten seconds, and the goofiness of it will not only make you smile, it’ll at least wake you up.nnCold ShowersnSwitch your warm to hot shower to very cold the last five seconds. Hey, it’ll wake you up.nnGroom and BeautifynTrim your nails. Cut your bangs. Exfoliate your feet. Pluck your eyebrows. Sometimes the most seemingly mundane grooming activity gives our mind a mini-vacation and gives us a quick energy boost from the mini-sense of accomplishment. nnGo Raw Vegan for a Meal or TwonI am extremely vulnerable to food comas, where I just want to sleep like the dead after eating a big meal. The hearty and cheesy meals are the worst. When I want to avoid getting sleepy after dinnertime as much as possible, sometimes I eat a big salad or a lot of fruit and nuts.n nnnSPIRITnnVolunteer: Getting yourself out of your house to give your time to a worthy cause or organization is an instant pick-me-up! You connect with other altruistic folk, you feel accomplished and you feel energized to save the world instead of waiting for someone else to do it for you.nnSpare Some Change: Fund an aspiring street musician with your pocket change. Their loving smile of gratitude will break your heart and make you forget how tired you are. Actually give some money and time to the people on the streets who are always harassing you for their non-profit causes. They have to go through hours of being rejected and ignored, and their wave of gratitude will rub off on you in the form of good karma and good energy.nnPray: Pray the higher forces of the universe for more energy—provided that you are using the energy for the greater good. Pray it like you mean it, sister / brother. If your heart and soul is in the right place, you just may get what you ask for.nn nnwww.yumisakugawa.comn