As I sit and write this post about "energy" I am going on my second cup of coffee, which is my daily morning routine (which seems more like a line out of Alanis Morissette's song "Isn't it Ironic"). I had given up coffee a little over a year ago and it was horrible! Not the not having coffee part - but the detoxing part. I swore I would never go back. Well, here I am, worse than I was before. I used to only drink one cup a day, now I'm up two (and sometimes a health energy drink in the middle of the day). Don't even want to know what will happen if/when I decide to give up coffee again, but I know it's coming sometime in my future.

I recently posted on our Instagram account a funny little meme about the difference of our energy levels when we were teens vs. being adults. I posted it because of a conversation my son and I had about his curfew time and reminiscing back to when I was a teenager and just the endless source of energy we had. Shane was making his argument for having a later curfew and I let him present his case. Our conversation included statements such as "well, wouldn't you rather I have a later curfew than sneaking out of the house?" and "I don't see what the big deal is. I'm not going to do anything bad. Don't you trust me?" -- Just a PSA announcement to any of you out there with either small kids or don't have kids yet. When your kids become teenagers and try to make their argument for why they should be allowed to do something and they close with the statement "don't you trust me?," that's usually a good indication that you should be on guard (at least in my situation it is). I really need to start writing more of our conversations down, so that we both can look back at them and laugh about all the silly things teenagers say and do. 

After he was done presenting his case and bringing forth the evidence to support his argument, I explained to him very simply my counter argument for why his curfew is 10:30. The facts were simple. 1. His curfew is 10:30 because MY curfew is 10:30 and given that he doesn't want to get his driver's license, as long I am driving him to and from, his curfew will continue to be my curfew. Case closed!! :)

I don't know about any of you, but my favorite part of my day is when I crawl into bed; most of the time feeling like I am literally crawling not figuratively crawling. Come the end of my day I am flat out exhausted. I appreciate the fact that my days are packed and productive, leaving me with nothing but pure bliss when my head hits that pillow, but man oh man is it difficult making it through those last couple hours of the day. 

As you guys know, this year I picked my word of the year to be ACTION (click here to read our New Year's post on about our word of the year). There were a lot of different reasons behind picking that word but the underlying purpose was (and has been the last two years) to take control of my life. Last year I took back control over my intention for my life and this year is now about putting "teeth" into my intention; making it happen  not just believing it will happen. 

One of the areas I set out to take action on was my energy. While I know I am getting older, I definitely also know that feeling exhausted ALL. OF. THE. TIME. is not a normal part of the aging process (and definitely not how it should be at 35). I am not an expert on any particular area around energy but I am an expert on me, myself and I and what works/doesn't work for me. What I do know is that the more I paid attention and focused on my energy, the more I knew that my energy is connected through a trinity; my body, mind and soul. If I want to heal one, I need to heal all three. My ultimate source of energy comes from the divine trinity, but here are some things I have been trying to do, to increase my physical/emotional/spiritual energy levels - in hopes that maybe something might help or encourage someone to take control of theirs?! 

Body: 

For the past few years, I have been dealing with a relatively normal "health" issue but also one that was really taking a toll on me. I had just been suffering through some women issues that for whatever reason I just kept dealing with, rather than addressing and taking care of. When I set my word to ACTION, I knew that this was one of the first areas I needed to take care of; my health! It had been at least a couple of years since I had gone to any type of doctor so I set out and made all my appointments; primary doctor, dentist and optometrist, with my main focus on my primary doctor. 

After multiple visits and multiple tests it came back that my "relatively normal health" issues were due to multiple fibroids, adenomyosis and a complete lack of iron in my body (was anemic and had no back up iron storage). Made sense as to why I felt tired all of the time, as one of anemia's tell-tell signs is fatigue, as you aren't able to carry oxygen through your body's tissue. While I figured this was the case, it felt good to finally have answers and taking action to get my body back on track. While the fibroids and adenomyosis will be long term management, I was able to take immediate action with my iron and incorporating supplements into my diet. 

It took about a month  to find the right supplement. It's been somewhat of a Goldie Locks and the Three Bears situation, in trying to find a supplement that was "just right." I started with one that dissolved under your tongue because it is supposed to absorb into your body faster?! After about three days I literally could not place that tablet in my mouth. It made me cringe. So I switched over to a pill and did that for about a week. While taking it was much easier, it made me so queasy for about a half hour and would make my mouth taste like metal. I finally landed on a liquid iron that seems to be a good solution - but only if you put it in orange juice. I have tried other things to put it in and highly recommend you just stick with the OJ. It masks the flavor completely and vitamin C helps your body to absorb the iron much better, so it is a win-win. I've seen a big difference since taking the supplement. It's crazy to think how sensitive and what a well-oiled machine our bodies are. Our bodies are so perfectly made that just one little thing off, can make a big difference in how we feel. (Link to the iron supplement. Just scroll through the kit).

Aside from taking the supplement, I've also been making an intentional effort to eat more vegetables, fruit and whole foods. I've always wanted to be vegan, for no other reason then I believe that eating foods that are alive and full of nutrients is what our bodies most truly need and thrive on . I have a long way to go to becoming vegan, mainly because being vegan takes a lot of time and prep work (and I just don't have that much time right now) - AND - because I grew up eating frozen dinners and fast food, so I have a natural default to want to eat like a teenage boy. However, I can incorporate a lot more of these elements into my diet. I know that the natural assumption is to eat more red meat, if tying to increase my iron, but honestly I just can't eat that much meat. Also, everything I've read in regards to the types of foods I should be eating and/or avoiding to help, says to eat minimal meat and eat a lots of vegetables, fruit, nuts, herbs. Trying to move to an 80/20 diet in that most of my diet is made up of food that will work FOR my body, instead of against it. 

I highly recommend that if you are dealing with fatigue/exhaustion issues that you start with trying to heal your body. Go get a physical, blood tests, etc. to see if something is off. This has been the biggest impact on my energy the last couple of months. I'm able to wake up easier - working out doesn't completely drain me - and have seen a difference in my mood (probably a team effort with trying to undo my anxiety and being mindful). I don't feel like I'm going to crash half-way through the day and I also don't feel like my brain is in a constant fog. It will be hard to work on your gaining energy through your mind and soul, if something is off with your body. 

Mind:

In my last post, I talked about re-framing my thoughts as a way to help with my anxiety. Reducing my anxiety has been a major factor in preserving my energy, as I don't spend so much time worrying about things completely out of my control. It takes a lot of energy to keep those thoughts running on the hamster wheel and learning to get off the wheel has helped to not exhaust the little energy reserves I have left, and am working to build back up. 

I want to play a quick game with you (something I learned from my Servant Leadership Conference); it is a little exercise to show the importance of what we focus on. For the next 10 seconds, take a look around the space you are currently in and find/memorize all of the things that are green. Just try to find everything green and keep a mental list of them so that you can name them off after the 10 seconds are up. If you can't count and try to memorize at the same time, lol, just scan the room once or twice to try to find/memorize all the green objects. Ready. Set. Go. 

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Quick, now tell me how many items around you that are red (without looking up)??

You probably can't name anything without looking around. That's because our brains become hyper-sensitive to the areas that we ask it to focus on. Our thoughts play a HUGE factor in our energy; both in the energy that we receive and the energy we give. For me, that meant looking at life like a game of "Survivor." How was I going to get through this day? How was I going to get through ANOTHER obstacle? My brain was constantly in overdrive to scan my environment for all of the things I needed to prepare myself for, rather than looking around at all the beauty around me and all the things I GET to do. My mom passed away when she was 32 and every year that her birthday comes around (her birthday is coming up on 4/29. Happy birthday, mom), or mine, I always think how fortunate I am to have had X more years to be alive, to have with Shane, my family etc. It's a reminder for me to remember to enjoy the ups and downs of life, while I have them.  

Releasing my mind has allowed me space to breathe and relax, thus preserving my energy and also allowing myself to find the healthy energy around me that will fill me up, rather than deplete me. Be mindful of your mind! Start paying attention to the things you focus on, the stories you tell yourself over and over. It plays a big part in how you see, enter and receive the world around you. If you are feeling depleted, take a few minutes each day to quiet your mind and focus on the beauty in your day, your life or in the world. Change your focus! Stop looking at only things in this world that are 'green' and start noticing all the colors around you. If there is a 'story' that you regularly tell yourself (life isn't fair, life is hard, people suck, I'm not good enough, I'm afraid, .......), try to take that quiet time to reframe the story. How can it be different? How can you be different? If you can reframe the narrative you repeat to yourself, I promise you will start seeing/reacting to things MUCH differently. 

Quick video that I came across and love about intuition and energy, and how we are all connected. 

Soul: 

This one is my favorite. I think because it's the one that you get to have more fun with. Your body is biological and heavily tied into what you feed it (and we know how hard it is to not reach for the chips and salsa, chick-fil-a, or trader joes appetizers - or whatever your vices are, those are obviously mine :)). Your mind (probably the hardest) requires you to intentionally undo the 'self-truths' that you believe and repeat to yourself, and retraining it to be focused on a different narrative. Wouldn't it be lovely if we could really just put on rose colored glasses and call it a day?! 

Getting energy from your soul means filling it with things that just make you happy; finding things that brings purpose and joy into your life. For all of you with little kids, I know that this piece can be difficult - to squeeze in time for things that just make YOU happy. Now that Shane is older, independent and NEVER home - it's been easier for me to focus more on myself. My schedule isn't so dictated by his schedule and I can leave him home if need be. While my most treasured role has been/will always be in being a mom, I can also admit that it's been nice to have part of my life back. Having a child at 18 and being a single mom since 24 (and somehow managing to finish college and work during all of that), it's been a long journey and am appreciating some of his independence. I really believe that our soul is best served when we are living in our purpose and filling it with experiences that make it smile. 

My purpose these past six months has been tied to building a business that takes my story, my education, my job experience and my personal resources - to help others overcome the obstacles holding them back in life. I've always known that my journey was for a much bigger purpose than me and that God was going to use it in a big way and I really feel like this is part of that purpose. There is a special place in my heart to want to help single moms through their journey and provide them resources to raise the frequency in their lives. I want to help people to hustle to find their purpose in life and to also remember to breathe along the way and finding grace in the journey. It hasn't been an easy six months. Building out an online business has come with many, many moments of frustration - but I knew I was walking in my purpose and that the transformation was strengthening my wings for when it was time to take flight. I now have a coaching business, a product line and merchandise completely up and running. Still lots to do with it, but that's the fun part about it. It's amazing the energy you are able to muster up when your soul is in line with God, the universe, your purpose. If you would have told me I would be building a business, on top of working full-time, being a mom, and all of the other things on my plate (on top of feeling like I was a zombie) - I would have told you to "go fly a kite." But here I am. 

One of the other recent things that I've done to energize my soul was finally making a 12 year dream a reality; I got a Vespa!! I am head over heels obsessed with it. Every time I get on that thing, I am just one big smile. I have the wind in my face and when I am scooting around town I see the world around in such a different perspective. You focus on things that you NEVER notice when in your car. It is seriously the best. I know that getting a Vespa isn't for everyone, but if everyone could find something in their life that brings as much happiness as this silly little scooter brings me, then the world would be a much brighter place. 

If you are like me, you have felt that you don't have any hobbies, skills, talents; something that you can turn to that brings you energy or happiness. That's okay. If you just start saying "yes" to different experiences, or opportunities, you will start getting an idea of what your soul needs. You owe it to yourself to say "yes" and find something. Life is too short and hard enough sometimes, to go through your whole life struggling/surviving through each day. And for those of you out there reading this right now thinking that watching The Housewives is what makes your soul happy, I encourage you to get out and try other things. I'll admit that I get sucked in to a good Housewives Reunion, but find something that lights up your soul!

Taking back control of my body, mind and soul has become a crucial part of my life these days. Partly because I've had to - and partly because I have a vision of being that 98 year old lady who is dancing for no reason, other than because it brings her pure joy. I know my energy levels will be something I struggle with and have to remain diligently mindful of, but making small tweaks in my life have already made some big changes.  I've struggled to get to where I am in my life and now I want to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I want to feel good, from the inside-out. That's meant taking action and control of the trinity source of my energy; our bodies, our minds and our souls. I hope something in this post has sparked you to look at one of these areas to see how you can raise your frequency and raise your energy; especially if it includes your health and getting a check-up.

If you'd like help in understanding your "self-truths", removing obstacles and learning to become intentional - I'd love to help you. You can check out more on my website. 

P.S. Super IRONIC moment. After I wrote the first part of my post and inserted the comment about Alanis M. "Ironic" song - my sister and I were going to the gym and the song playing on the radio was her song!! How ironic :) - I took it as a sign from God that I was on the right track with this post. I always want to be intentional about when I write something; in hopes that it's meaningful to others. 

<3,

Kris

IG: @kallesintentions // Hustle & Breathe