Are You Getting Enough of What Fuels You?

I was talking with a close friend who was sharing how she was feeling unmotivated and discouraged lately.  She wasn’t sure why, but it was really bothering her.  As we talked, she commented how she’d been working on a big project lately so she’d been spending a lot of time at home on her computer. She hadn’t been out to see her friends or go to any gatherings in a few weeks. 

I knew this was a big deal because my friend thrives on being around other people.  Could this be at least part of the cause for her gloominess?  She agreed it probably was.

A couple of days later I had another friend share how her husband needed his time in his art studio.  As a family, they decided to prioritize making sure he had time at least one day a week for his creativity outlet.  They had seen what happened when his schedule didn’t allow for studio time and it wasn’t pretty.

Just a few days after that I was chatting with another friend about the idea of knowing what fuels us and making sure we’re including enough of it in our lives.  I knew one thing that was important for her mood was getting outside.  She totally agreed and said that she knew when she was feeling down, she needed to get out for a walk or run.

Do you know what fuels you?  I’m not talking about a temporary mood booster, but something specific that you’ve found is an important contributor to your overall wellbeing.  Maybe it’s one main thing or maybe you have a few.  Try discussing possibilities with a friend or family member if you’re not sure.  In the last several years I’ve found that yoga at least once a week makes a big difference in how I feel. I also know I need my alone time to refuel.  When I start feeling unmotivated, these are a couple areas I need to look at.

Reflect on things that fuel you.  How can you make sure you prioritize these into your schedule?

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Tina Hallis, Ph.D. is Chief Positivity Officer of The Positive Edge, a company dedicated to helping people and organizations increase their positivity to improve the quality of people’s work lives and the quality of company cultures. She is certified in Positive Psychology, an authorized partner for Everything DiSC®, and a Professional Member of the National Speaker’s Association