Understanding for the winter blues and more ... energy is everything!

For the change this time a blog about a "heavy" topic. For me the long dark winter months are never my favourite, and I am not the only one. Normally, however, I do not suffer from it. I take a bit more rest, go out less in the evening, go to sleep earlier and focus myself full of energy at work and other fun things. This year, to my surprise, I feel a different energy within myself. During self-reflection a kind of mildness towards others and myself appears, which I share with you on this blog.

I notice that it takes me a lot of effort to do something.
As an entrepreneur I am never done and always full of ideas. There is always an inspiring and ambitious To Do list waiting for me in my home office. I like working on it and it helps me to overcome my energy dip. Normally I can not wait to start up some actions. In recent times I have caught myself a few times that I was staring with low energy at the To Do. Thinking...yes it's all-important, but not for now. My energy isn't feeling up to doing this right now.

How bad is it if I don't do it now?
Of course, I can choose to do everything using my willpower. After all, there is nothing wrong with my willpower, which has so far always reached 10 in every measurement. But do I want to finish the To Do list at all cost? Or do I just have to admit that my energy is not there. I ask myself the question "How bad is it if I do not do it?" I really want to create enough participants for our special leadership program in South Africa, and that doesn't happen automatically. If that doesn't work out after all the consequence will be that I have an extra week of vacation up there. How bad is that? Oops tough question! The answer is that I will feel disappointed ... but "bad"  is a to big word.

How heavy or light can you make it for yourself?
I choose to make it light for myself. I put my To Do list aside and do something completely different, re-charging to get back in the right energy is now the first priority. I trust on the fact that the To Do's can wait and let go of them for now ... on willpower to begin with. And out of nowhere a certain mildness to myself comes over me, which feels just as nice as a warm coat. It's okay ... energy is my most important indicator so this is completely okay. I send my willpower on a vacation, that saves a lot of energy, and that To Do list will solve itself ... everything in its time.

The effect of understanding and mildness towards yourself and others.
In my profession empathy, really understanding the other person, is of course essential. I can well imagine the situation and the feeling of others. This takes more effort if it is something that is difficult for me to imagine, because I have never experienced something like that myself and it is far away from my personality. Think for example of a real (winter) depression, being so ill that you really can't do anything, bore yourself or fall on wrong types. How often have I called on others to be mild to themselves. And now I once experienced very consciously what the healing effect of being mild to yourself can be. 

Is it just happening to you ... or are you going to learn something from it?
Now, 24 hours after realizing myself this and writing the above, it feels so different already. Enjoying the warm coat of mildness to myself. I suddenly feel a bit of good energy again and I feel like start doing some things again. Spontaneously talks arise with several people about South Africa and I feel happy again. So it was not really fun ... but I am richer again and I learned something from this experience.
What can you learn from your most recent unpleasant experience? And are you aware of the importance of good energy for you?