It's easy to get caught up on trivial matters or get into flustering over what else must get done.



But learning to live a holistic lifestyle almost certainly involves - at some point or other - a slowing down of life and a taking stock. When this happened to me there was one thing at the crux.

At the crux was a new understanding of how I interacted with the world. I began to understand something about my own energy - something I didn't understand before.

What do I mean?

What I mean is I became aware of when and how I lose and gain energy and how to tune the body system to become sensitive to situations so I could be at my most efficient, more of the time.

As we come to know our own energy our awareness grows. We note that some people and some situations drain us while others lift our spirits. When this happens, we can begin to alter life in a way that lightens our burden. This in turn means more pleasure and less pain and frustration. We can also become sensitive to the moment when energy drops in a conversation or meeting and know that it's either time to leave, protect yourself or transform the energy.

There are three elements to this:

1. Being aware of your own energy

2. Being sensitive to changes in your energy

3. Knowing how to change it

The first step is about knowing how you feel. Do you feel flat or abundant in energy or somewhere in between? If you feel abundant, then great, if you feel flat then you need to raise your energy (see the tips - below).

If your energy feels good and then you notice tiredness coming over you for no apparent reason, then you've probably maxed out in a situation (unless it's midnight or you had a late night). In which case it's time to change things.

For step three see the tips.

Of course, there are always situations that test us. My father has just been taken into hospital with cancer. The question I'm asking is how can I help, but not be effected by a situation like this.

Maybe the answer is to imagine myself in a pink bubble. Maybe it's to thank my lucky stars I'm not on the hospital ward. Maybe it's bringing a smile to people's faces in the beds. Maybe it's just sitting next to my father and appreciating some wonderful moments. Maybe it's all of the above.

When it comes down to it, work and money and the stuff money buys are all nice, yet they're trivial in comparison to human life.

Simple tips for raising your quickly:

1. Take a dozen really good deep breaths.

2. Get some fresh air

3. Listen to your favourite piece of music

4. Dance

5. Make your excuses - leave if necessary

6. What else do you enjoy doing? Make a list and use it to raise your energy when you need to.

With love and good wishes

Neil