Many of us know that vitality means “energy.” When it’s low, we feel tired or down. When it’s high, we feel good or optimistic.
But do you know the source of your energy? The source of what makes you feel more alive?
Many of us cannot feel the difference between stimulation and real energy. Not surprisingly, many of the pleasures we pursue such as sex, exercise, food, music, alcohol, and drugs are methods we use to enliven us.
Is there a way to tell whether the pleasure we engage in provides us with stimulation or real energy?
Inherently, ‘pleasures’ such as drugs and alcohol are harmful due to the plethora of negative effects it has on our body. In addition, they’re often sought after with an impulsive quality or desire because of the lift it can bring.
Other ‘pleasures’ such as sex, exercise, music, and food often go under the radar because they aren’t inherently harmful to the body. But they can be equally detrimental to our health based on:
1. The degree in which we engage in the pleasure
2. The quality in which we engage in the pleasure
And both of those factors are directly affected by how strongly we pursue the activity whether consciously or subconsciously to relieve our anxiety, panic attacks, depression, or other negative states of mind. In other words, we do it to stimulate us into a “better” state of well-being.
My point being, just because you’re not on an antidepressant doesn’t mean you’re not depressed. And by depressed I mean, your body’s inherent vitality or real energy can still be working at a suboptimal rate. What are some signs of this?
“I need to exercise in the morning to wake myself up”
“If I don’t have my morning coffee, I’m a zombie.”
“I’m soo tired in the afternoon.”
“All I need is 6 hrs of sleep, then I’ll be okay.”
“I’m not an alcoholic, but if I don’t drink for awhile, I feel down.”
“If I don’t exercise every other day, I feel down.”
“Loud music gets me going in the morning.”
“If I don’t eat chocolate or candy for awhile, I feel down.”
So what constitutes ‘real energy‘ then? Strong Adrenals + Strong Thyroid. This provides the person a constant healthy state of natural euphoria through hormones such as cortisol. Then, one is less likely to impulsively go after ‘pleasures’ to feel better. Rather, more effortlessly their pleasurable pursuits are done at the cost of moderation for the benefit of healthier enjoyment.