Energy budgeting guide for burnout recovery

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Key Takeaways

• Energy Dollars budgeting framework:

  - Energy is finite.

  - Figure out where you spend, earn and invest in life. Counter that with what 'taxes' you.

• Personalise Matters: it's about self-awareness, not comparison. Building towards a life that feels good for you.

• Dealing with Energy Debt: create a strategy for where where you might be, then find ways towards your own sense of autonomy and control.

Bottom line: Treat your energy like money: plan, spend and invest in what matters. Normalise burnout ('debt') and low energy and an ebb and flow of life. Use a framework to build back towards what feels right for you.

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Feeling potential burn-out? Feeling overwhelmed with life? Has anyone ever talked to you about your 'energy dollars'?

Part of the job of a therapist should be to find different ways to help things 'click' for you - 'that lightbulb' moment' when you feel like it's all coming together. That you've found a way through.

Sometimes it requires us using differently language. Finding 'different doors in'.

'Energy dollars' is my version of Spoon Theory - an energy management framework. Originally developed by an American Writer, Christine Miserandino, she used it to describe to her friends, how the chronic illness of Lupus, impacted her daily energy levels.

In my work with neurodivergent people and women, I've found it a helpful framework to also talk about the different things that can take from us, or fuel us. Sometimes, to normalise and explain how we landed at burnout. It's also helped some people find a different, kinder language to explain where they're at, to their partners, friends, family, workplaces. To find a way forward, through your choices, together.

Why spoons?

Love the concept - confused about the label?

I'll admit...I never understood the 'spoon' part. Only after reading the original post did I realise that Christine had creatively used what she had on hand to describe the concept to her friend at a dinner party.

But most of us don't carry around spoons. So, I thought, what's something we carry and use every day? Money! (Yes - even if it's mostly digital these days)

'Energy dollars' recognises that, like money, our precious energy (time and focus) should be seen as a finite and precious resource. It also means it's something that we can tangibly plan with and for.

I believe that everybody understands money - when we have it, when we don't have it and how to use it. Whether that was buying your first orange slice at the tuck shop with the pocket money your parents gave you. Or, saving up really hard for what might have felt like forever to buy that first CD or game. We've all developed a relationship with money.

Why not dollars?

We are all unique. We all make our own choices. Especially with our money. This approach is about being as unique and empowered in our choices and energy, as we are about our own money. It's about knowing what you have to spend on, what you'd prefer to spend on, and having a 1-pager for what your short and long-term priorities are.

Energy Dollars - A How To:

Congratulations! You already have energy dollars!

No, this is not some rigged lottery or crypto-scam. This is a budgeting tool for your already-in-the-bank 'Energy Dollars'.

Let's pretend you wake up every morning with $100 energy dollars. Over the next 24-hours, think about how they're going to be spent and where you could earn?

(As similar to financial advice, individual circumstance should be taken into consideration with the below)

• Earn

  i.e. What 'fills your cup' (lame therapist language - sorry) ? What gives you LIFE!

  • Examples;

    • Going for a walk in the sun

    • Having a lie on the couch

    • Having a chat with a friend

    • Screaming the lyrics to your favourite song

    • Any of those classic self-care strategies

• Spend / Tax 

  i.e. what takes from you? What drains you?

  • Examples;

    • Getting out of bed

    • Grocery shopping and feeling overwhelmed

    • A big conversation with someone you don't really like

    • Simply existing

• Invest

  i.e. what boundaries can you put in place? Yes - there's an upfront cost but how could it help you earn in the long-run?

  *Yes - there's a possibility, like with any investment market, that there's risk upfront too. Sometimes it's about backing yourself and the love that is in your relationships.

  • Examples;

    • Saying 'no'

    • Postponing a catch-up with a friend when you're just not feeling it

    • Taking a mental health sick day if feeling burnt out from work

    • Having a difficult conversation with a loved one, if it comes from truth, honesty and kindness, based on your feelings.

Normalising that we all have different spending habits

Ok, now that we have the basics, we also need to talk about the uniqueness of your strategy.

So maybe for you, it takes $10 energy dollars to get out of bed? Maybe for me, $5 energy dollars but then another $5 if it's cold? The point is, where energy dollars get 'spent' or 'taxed' is personal. It's not about comparing, but instead, normalising that different tasks are going to feel differently for everyone. Our job is just to be mindful of what takes from us, and how much. So that we can be smart savers and spenders, for what feels right for you.

Bonus strategy - A Debt Strategy:

The reality is, some of us fall behind. Whether it's a rough patch or the timing of unfortunate situations, the reality is, we can all sometimes feel like we just can't catch a break.

Like with money, some of us can fall in to debt. Into 'negative energy dollars'.

How to - A Debt Strategy

Just like with money, sometimes it's about having hard conversations with ourselves. Acknowledging that for now, in this moment, we are behind. This also means having the very real conversation with ourselves that, we might have to change what we're doing, until we're feeling ahead again.

This might include;

• Budgeting

  • What are my essentials right now?

  • What do I need to spend my energy on?

  • What are some small sacrifices I might need to make?

  • Where or what can I afford to hold off spending on, until I've got more energy in the bank?

    
    

• Having a more assertive long-term investment strategy

  • Where do I need to say 'no' right now to protect what energy I do have?

  • Do I need to say 'no' to cut my losses somewhere, so that I can re-invest my energy into a more positive investment later?

• Doing things differently - 'diversifying' income streams

  • With what I've been spending my energy on, is this sustainable?

  • If my existing self-care / earning strategies haven't been working, could I try something different? Anything that gets your creative juices flowing is always a good start.

If you've been feeling 'low/negative energy dollars' for a while and can't quite catch-up, what other things could I move towards in the long-term? New job? New friendship circles? New habits?

*Always consider seeing your General Practitioner (GP) if you've not been feeling well or yourself for a while. It is possible there may be something more going on.

A communication strategy

Ever felt like it's too awkward to tell your partner that you need a whole Saturday to binge Netflix? Worried about hurting them or feeling shame or embarrassment? Some people have therefore found it easier to use 'energy dollars' as a relationship communication tool.

Instead of saying "Please leave me alone, I need the afternoon to binge watch Netflix". Try saying "I have $20 energy dollars in the bank....I just need some time to get my energy dollars back up". It's not personal. It's just normal that we all have different needs at different times and have different ways to re-charge. It also gives the other person confidence that there's a way through this tough time for you - that you have a plan, that by communicating, you care about them. That perhaps, in this moment, there's nothing more they can do for you. Or, if part of your self-care strategy is needing their support, that there is something they can do for you - giving you space, picking up a chore that's taxing your energy dollars, giving you a hug because this fills your energy dollars. The key is empowering yourself of your own energy dollars and needs - that you've got this ✊.

The Bottom Line

We all have energy dollars and it's smart and wise to learn how to use them, for you. What will tax you, will likely be different from what will tax me. What recharges you, will also be unique to you. Your approach to your daily energy dollars should be no different to your approach to money.

So the next time you're feeling low on energy, do a quick check-in on how many energy dollars you have in the bank. Normalise that you might be feeling low because your energy dollars are low - the 'math maths'! Now you know what to do - budget step-by-step. 5c at a time, if needed.

If all of this still feels like a struggle, reach out to someone like me and we'll take it step-by-step.