How to Clear Space in Your Emotional Bank Account

Right now, my emotional bank is running pretty empty. If you want any space in my head or my heart you would need to make a reservation and I am cautious about who I let in. Unfortunately, I haven’t always been so selective and it may be why I'm feeling tapped out. It’s what happens when a lot of emotional energy gets tied up in people, situations, and events over which we have little control- it brings us all down from time to time, don’t you think?

It’s a balancing act, determining what to spend energy on and what not to, what we can change vs. what we can’t. Things like- worrying (when has worry ever changed anything)? Yet we can get lost in it. Worrying about family, health, deadlines, jobs, performance, feeling overwhelmed by saying yes (and not saying no enough).

Then there’s the slippery slope of managing negative thoughts that often creep in out of sheer fatigue, when more is going out than coming in. When we're not taking time to reset the nervous system, breath, reframe, and figure out how to get into a better space emotionally.

These are trying times, from jobs being restructured or lost completely, family dynamics changing with everyone working and going to school from home, travel being something that isn’t advised, and not having our normal outlets or little time or space for them. I could go on, right? But when your bank starts to run empty, take a moment and ask yourself a few questions.

What to Consider When Your Emotional Bank is Running Low:

1. What can I let go of? What’s “extra,” that doesn’t need my time and attention to the degree that I am giving it? Is there a person or situation that’s taking up space that really doesn’t deserve the valuable energy I’m giving them?

2. What am I holding on to that might need to be addressed? Maybe I’ve latched on to a smaller situation or person or event that is not actually the root of my concerns, maybe it’s just a placeholder for a bigger challenge or emotion that I haven’t wanted or been able to deal with?

3. What can I bring in- sleep, better diet, a call to a friend, journaling, a walk, run, or a yoga class?

4. Am I taking time to challenge negative thoughts? Putting affirmations on sticky notes to remind me that negative thoughts have no place and I have the power to change them. Reframing for a different perspective. And remembering that thoughts are thoughts, not all of them are true.

5. How much am I getting in my own way, and what can I do to move over and make space for what matters?

It’s Sunday night. It’s a perfect night to fill our reservoir and start the week with a healthier mindset. Whatever you need to do, take a moment and be good to you. Reflect. Breath. Journal. Smile. Take a bath. Give yourself a hug. Dance. Sing. Listen to music. So many choices. Most of all, remember that it’s okay to run out of emotional space once in a while, and to take a minute, day, week, or whatever it takes to figure out how to feel recharged.

Wishing you good health, inside and out~

Angie