We’ve all heard of the word sustainability in some form or another. In fact, it’s something a lot of folks (myself included) would consider a core value.
But what about inner sustainability?
How do we sustain ourselves? Let’s start by defining what the word means. The Wikipedia definition of sustainability is: the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. Most people tend to think of external things like how to sustainably harvest, eat & commute. All very important things in our modern world.
Inner sustainability is the ability to self-regulate. To make your energy system regenerative, too! Not just the trees & structures we live amongst.
How can we do that? I’ll give some examples. Starting with more common things:
- Meditation
- Humor (laughing, making people laugh)
- Co-counseling (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz285zwHY7U)
- Yoga
- Movement
- Dance!
- Journaling
- Energy work
- Hypnosis (there’s meditations online for this)
- Play!
- Exercise
- Voicing your needs
- Eating your favorite snack
- Enneagram/Meyers-Briggs (https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test , https://www.16personalities.com/infp-personality)
- EFT / tapping (Louis Hays)
- Nature time
- Binge watching
- Massage
- Routines
- Setting & keeping promises to self
- Shamanic breath work
- Understanding different love languages (https://verilymag.com/2013/04/dr-gary-chapman-explains-the-5-love-languages)
- Reparenting (I recommend following @the.holistic.psychologist on Instagram for more info)
- Gardening / dirt time
- Animals
- Children
- Inner empathy
- Group hugs
- Socializing
- Anti oppression work (https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pd)
- Working with chakras
- Laying on the couch
- Hyper-focusing (For my fellow ADHD folk)
Inner sustainability can look different for everyone, and can change as we grow & change. We may need different things as life ebbs & flows.
Often times, I like to remind myself of this list when I’m feeling a little lost or when my go to medicine just isn’t working.
Depending on where you are, you can utilize what’s around you to your advantage. Got a yoga mat? Do some yoga! Have a phone or computer? Reach out to loved ones! Watch a video! On the subway? Meditate…journal.
Self regulation is super important for us to be able to function at our best in the world that so badly needs it. We are in a crucial time, many of us are awake and aware of that, of how our tiny moves & grooves affect everything around us. Hopefully, we can learn to get better and better at directing our energy…by filling up our cup when we need it.
You can start by recognizing when you’re feeling depleted (hopefully, before that). Maybe you’re feeling a physical symptom. Like an ache or pain…or maybe you’re feeling emotionally drained. But the trick is to name it first. Then decide how to tame it.
The other night while trying to complete this post, I struggled to maintain focus & clarity. I discovered while typing, that what I needed wasn’t expression through this screen (though I often do). What I needed was to completely immerse myself in another activity. I shut my computer, went to my room and began doing some breathing exercises…which lead to movement, which led to a jog outside, which led to dancing in a field under the stars. Not the way I envisioned my night would go at all. And I deeply needed that. I feel refreshed & inspired. As Nahko and Medicine for the People quote in their song Manifesto, “find your medicine and use it”. I’m beginning to understand the meaning of this statement more & more, and you often need your medicine before you realize it.
Hopefully with time you can begin understanding yourself a little better, too. If you don’t already know what brings you energy, I encourage you to try different things.
Good luck and happy discovering!