Holistic help for energy

Finding holistic help for energy issues is one of the most common reasons for coming to see our practitioners. Some people will tell us that ‘everything feels like an effort’, and they are physically dragging themselves through their daily tasks. For others, a lack of energy shows up more in emotional issues, with a loss of patience, irritability with loved ones, and maybe withdrawal from social situations. Or a lack of mental energy can cause brain fog, difficulties concentrating and lack of motivation.

Even when you have good ideas about how to get better, it can be daunting to put them in place if you don’t have the energy to make those changes. Our practitioners will usually suggest small steps to begin with. They try to apply these for themselves as well as for their clients.

Herbalist Joy Holmes, like many neurodivergent people needs solitude to recharge her batteries. Ideally, this means regular days at home away from screens; so, no working from home on that day. If she doesn’t have the time for a full day off, she will get out for a walk. “I find this needs to become part of my daily routine for about a week then I start to feel the benefit. The stress drains away and just putting one foot in front of the other regulates my emotional health.”

When healer Jo Brierley finds herself lacking energy or motivation, she turns to a simple muscle activation sequence called Be Activated, that she learned from the ocean surfer physiotherapist, Doug Heel. It starts with waking up the diaphragm. The breath follows naturally.

Herbalist Sara Furness comments that emotional weariness often indicates we have been spreading ourselves too thin, or life is dealing out tough situations to deal with. Or both.

“There is a season for all things; we are not designed to move through life at full speed, being everything to everyone. We may feel we don’t have enough time and space for activities which nourish us, or simply not do anything in particular, which, like silence in a conversation, can be an opportunity for processing our thoughts and feelings.

Brief pauses through the day can help to slow things down, and reconnect to our ability to deal with what is happening in the moment. Three conscious breaths in and out every hour or so can help; or try shifting your weight from left to right”

Alexander Technique teacher Hester Singer relies on the efficient use of the body. “When we move without tension we don’t use excess energy. Movements become easier, more graceful. Also, I practise and encourage clients to prioritise self-awareness and self-care.”

Massage therapist Kate Sheridan points out the base of the self-care pyramid for endurance training consists of fuelling, consistency and recovery. “This applies outside of sport too: eating well, sleeping well, and having routines and practices that support us.

When looking at what we need or want to do in life, it’s important to take in the wider view of all the factors affecting us. Is sleep being disrupted? Is work too demanding? Have you been unwell? Are there emotional pressures? Anything that is using up our energy in order to cope affects the ‘battery level’ left for other activities. If we press on regardless we can cope for a short time but then begin to experience symptoms such as fatigue, low mood and health issues.”

Kate says that she finds it helpful to acknowledge all that is going on, how we are coping, and what we can do to integrate appropriate strategies to nurture our energy.

Herbal consultations are useful to find the root cause of your energy loss. Your herbalist will work with you to plan the way forward. We might begin with simple steps such as Vitamin D supplementation, a supportive herbal tea blend and getting outdoors whenever possible. As our much-loved mentor Christopher Hedley used to say to us: ‘Get them eating right, sleeping right, then see what you’re left with!’ Then more subtle adjustments with herbs can replenish body systems and shift the aspects of your life that need adjusting.