This is a guest post by Prudence Sinclair.
“Newport Daffodil Days”- Photo Attribution to my dear friend ‘s son, Ryan.https://www.facebook.com/ryanzippphoto
I’m dedicating this blog to Lisa, who is on her way to a new life without fear and anxiety of her recent melanoma scare. Please send in healing angels with lots of prayers, love, and great energy to help her on her journey. Thank you. 💝
Hello, lovely you.
After my diagnosis, in the stretch of weeks that followed where everything felt jagged and unreal, I moved through the days in a kind of constant brace. Fear was always there. Anger too, closer to the surface than I wanted to admit. It didn’t take much to set it off. I kept waiting for the next hard thing, like the ground might give way again at any moment.
And then, without anything outside of me really changing, something inside me did.
I was sitting on the edge of my bed one morning, already exhausted in a way that was… different. Yes, the cancer was making me sleep more, but this was something else. A deeper exhaustion, like my soul had gone “offline.” I had been spending myself in ways I hadn’t been paying attention to, and now there wasn’t enough left for the one place it actually needed to go: toward my healing and recovery. My body wasn’t asking politely anymore. It needed energy in a real, physical way to function, repair, and get through what was in front of me.
Up until then, I had treated energy like it would just come back. I said yes easily. I stayed in conversations that went on too long. I gave my attention to things that didn’t feel good but felt expected. I told myself that was just part of being considerate, of being someone people could rely on.
Sitting there that morning, I could feel how untrue that was. That’s when it really settled in for me. My energy wasn’t endless. It wasn’t something I could keep handing out and expect to have what I needed left over. It was limited, and where I spent it was shaping how I felt in my body, how I moved through my days, and how much I actually had available for healing. I realized my energy was sacred currency!
That changed the way I started making decisions. Not overnight, but in the small, everyday moments where I had been running on autopilot without even realizing it.
Over time, a few patterns became clear. Simple things I could come back to when I felt myself getting pulled in too many directions or giving more than I actually had. Nothing complicated, just ways to start paying attention and protecting what mattered.
If you’re feeling depleted and don’t have the energy to create a healthy and rewarding life, here are some ways to start noticing, protecting, and restoring your energy.
Notice Where Your Energy Actually Drops
This isn’t something you figure out all at once. It shows up in real time, usually in the middle of something ordinary.
You’re talking to someone and halfway through you feel yourself fading a little. You agree to something and immediately feel that small heaviness settle in. You sit down to do something and your mind starts looking for a way out.
That’s the moment to pay attention to.
I used to ignore those signals because they felt inconvenient. Now I treat them as information. Not something to analyze to death, just something to notice honestly. If you start catching even one of those moments a day, you’ll begin to see patterns you can’t unsee.
Pay Attention to the Yes That Comes Too Fast
A lot of the time, the energy drain doesn’t come from what we do, it comes from how quickly we agree to it. There’s usually a split second before the answer comes out where something in you hesitates. It’s subtle, and it’s easy to override, especially if you’re used to being agreeable or keeping things smooth.
I still catch myself doing it.
What helped was giving myself a little space before responding. Saying I’d check and get back to them. Letting the conversation pause instead of filling it right away. It gave me just enough room to feel whether I actually had the energy for what was being asked, or if I was about to commit out of habit.
Try it for yourself the next time you’re about to make a decision regarding where your energy should go. Pause for just a moment before you say yes, and notice how it feels to give your energy permission to decide first.
Let Your Boundaries Be a Little Imperfect
When I first started pulling back, I thought I had to do it the right way. Can you imagine? I had just been diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma and given 6 months to live, and I was concerned I might be hurting people’s feelings!!
I quickly realized I needed to get over this people pleasing tendency immediately for my own sanity and my health. I didn’t always have the perfect words when setting boundaries, but I began to notice I felt better after, lighter and less resentful. That mattered more than getting it exactly right.
You don’t need perfectly worded boundaries to protect your energy, you just need to start honoring what you’re actually feeling, even if it comes out a little uneven at first.
Notice What You’re Carrying That Was Never Yours
Not all energy drains come from what you’re doing. Some come from what you’re holding onto without realizing it.
I used to replay conversations in my head, worry about how someone else felt, hold tension that wasn’t mine. Most of the time, I didn’t even notice it – I just assumed it was part of me.
At some point, I started asking myself, quietly, “Is this really mine to carry?” The answer often surprised me. A lot of what I’d been holding didn’t belong to me at all.
When you catch yourself doing this, try a simple check: name it. Say to yourself, “This isn’t mine.” Physically let it drop: shift your posture, unclench your shoulders, take a deep breath. Sometimes even writing it down and letting it go on paper helps.
You don’t have to fix it or solve it for anyone else. You just notice, release, and move on. Little by little, those invisible drains stop sapping your energy, and you start holding space for what actually matters.
Spend More Time Where You’re Energized
Once I stopped leaking energy in so many small ways, I started to notice the opposite too. The things that didn’t take energy from me but instead energized me!
For me, it was being somewhere quiet without needing to fill the space. Sitting in the sun for a few minutes and not turning it into something productive. Being around people who didn’t need anything from me, who were just there for me and willing to help me on my healing journey.
If your energy is already being spent every day, it makes sense to spend more of it in places that actually give something back. Start by noticing where you feel lighter, steadier, or even a little more alive. Those are the moments that refill you, even if just a little.
Some ways to lean into that:
- Protect your mornings – even ten minutes of quiet before the day pulls you in can make a big difference. No screens, no obligations. Just your body and your breath.
- Choose interactions intentionally – spend time with people who don’t demand from you constantly. Ones who make you laugh, who listen, who let you be exactly as you are.
- Move your body in ways that feel good – not to punish or push, but to reconnect. A short walk, gentle stretching, dancing in your kitchen. Feel it instead of judging it.
- Engage your senses – light a candle, play music that settles you, make a cup of tea and actually taste it. Tiny sensory pleasures can restore more than we expect.
The key is not to do all of it at once. Start small. Pick one thing that actually restores you today and watch how it compounds.
Treat Your Energy Like it Matters
Protecting your energy isn’t always easy. It asks for honesty, attention, and a quiet kind of courage. But each time you notice a drain and choose differently, you’re practicing a spiritual lesson that matters. You’re telling yourself – and your life – that what you need matters. You start to see clearly what lifts you, steadies you, and nourishes the person you’re becoming. Little by little, this awareness becomes a way of living. You create space for more of what restores you, more of what feels aligned, and more of what helps you build the life you actually love!
Prue Sinclair,
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