In my last blog post, I described the modell of window of tolerance . This is a psychological area in which you can optimally deal with demands and stress, feel connected to your environment and be present. If you fall outside this window, you feel either highly aroused (anxious / very tense) or hypo-aroused (lethargic / numb). An important indication of where you are within this range can be your own energy level. Your energy level is also influenced by whether or not you do things that play to your strengths.
It can therefore be helpful to look at your personal strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, reflecting on these can help you to strengthen your self-consciousness. On the other hand, you can use this knowledge to consciously organise your everyday life in such a way that you can function well and do the things that really matter to you.
In this exercise, I would therefore like to invite you to collect (everyday) activities that are either based more on your strengths or more on your weaknesses.
Exercise: energy-generating and energy-draining activities
Activities that build on your strengths are those that usually bring you an increase in energy. These are typically things:
- that you enjoy doing
- that make you feel energised
- that make you forget the time
- that you look forward to
- which you can also do well when you are stressed or tired.
On the other hand, activities that are based more on your weaknesses are energy-sapping. Especially as these things are such:
- you don't like doing
- that are draining
- where time passes very slowly
- that you don't look forward to completing
- that require an enormous amount of self-control and effort to do well
Step one - Self-study
Over the next few days, you can observe which activities have which effects on your energy levels. To do this, create a table in which you briefly describe the activity in the first column "Activity", in the second column "Energy level" you can note to what extent this activity has changed your energy level. Did it give or draw energy, and to what extent (you can use the symbols - - / - / o / + / ++)? Feel free to add a third column "Notes".
Step two - Reflection
Now use the notes from the last few days to reflect. What are your top 3 - 5 activities that energise you? Write them down. Which of your strengths do you use? And what are the 3 - 5 activities that drain your energy? Which of your strengths are not involved? Write that down too.
Then ask yourself - how can you effectively deal with situations that drain your energy? Can you delegate or reframe these things? Can you use your strengths to help you in other ways or build up your energy levels in advance so that you have the necessary baseline energy to tackle a difficult task? Are there other things that you have noticed that could be helpful?
You can now use these insights to actively adapt your everyday life. If you notice a particular low in your energy levels, you can look at the activities you compiled in step 2. Perhaps one of them fits. If you feel a large surplus of energy, you can make it a habit to do things that tend to draw energy, just to name some examples.
Conclusion
Analysing your personal strengths and weaknesses not only offers you the opportunity to strenthen your self-consciousness, but also to actively shape your everyday life. The exercise presented here invites you to consciously observe which activities give you energy and which take it away from you. Through this reflection, you can not only recognise which of your strengths come into play, but also develop strategies to deal with energy-draining situations more effectively. By putting your insights into practice, you can better manage your energy levels and lead a more balanced, fulfilling life.