Could the secret to abundant energy reserves be less about the body and more about the mind? Sally Saunders explores…

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The recent headlines were stark: the pandemic caused so much upset that it caused thousands of women to suffer a ‘second midlife crisis’. In its aftermath, additional childcare responsibilities, crazy work demands, and global chaos have led to more of us than ever to experience the effects of stress, exhaustion and, frequently, burnout.

So as we step into summer, a time when we want to feel on top form and full of get-up-and go, what can we do to give ourselves a much-needed boost? We all know the rules about looking after ourselves properly (seven to nine hours sleep, eight glasses of water, a healthy diet…) but is it really all down to our physical health? What role does our emotional and mental wellbeing play in the picture? And how can it help us start to rebalance the seesaw? We speak to the experts to find out…

Energy and our emotions

‘Every interaction that we have throughout our day has an impact on our energy,’ explains master transformational coach and author Gillian McMichael: ‘So, from the moment we wake up, until we go to bed – the conversations we have, the interactions, the experiences, the food we eat, the liquid that we consume, every moment of our day – takes up energy. And I don’t think we are sometimes consciously aware of what’s giving us energy and what’s taking the energy away from us, because we just carry on doing what we do.’ So is it just a case that we do too much and we feel tired as a result? Instagram favourite, author, and Psychologies columnist The Psychology Mum, aka Dr Emma Hepburn, explains that it’s not just what goes out that matters: what’s going on inside counts too, shining a light on the little-known role our emotions have on our energy. ‘Often, we think emotions are something separate to how we are physically,’ she says. ‘But if we think about it in reality, they are actually fundamentally physical – they are a description of how we feel. The emotions that we feel might energise us, they might deplete our energy, or they might replenish our energy. ‘A perfect example is anxiety. When something makes us anxious, our body gets revved up to deal with a threat. All the mechanisms in your body are about getting that energy ready to respond to action. Your brain actually sends some more sugar through your bloodstream; it literally releases energy into your body, and your muscles get tight, ready for action. ‘If you stay in that mode for a long time, it can be really depleting, and we know that chronic stress drains your energy. It’s like having your foot on the gas pedal for too long – you deplete all your body functions, you use all your energy and, actually, you’re less able to produce energy in the future.’