How to Protect Your Energy: A Simple Mental Reset to Restore Focus and Clarity
Have you ever noticed how even the small stuff, like replying to a message, taking care of a simple task, or getting through the next part of your day feels harder when your energy is low?
We often think burnout comes from doing too much. But more often, it comes from giving too much mental energy to worry or stressful thinking, especially about things we can’t control.
This post offers you a simple but powerful reset: a way to shift your thinking and restore the energy that may be quietly draining away.
When something’s weighing on you, pause and ask:
Is this within my control, within my influence, or outside of both?
By clarifying what you can actually do something about, you conserve your energy and regain clarity. Let’s break it down:
Within Your Control
These are the things you have direct power over: the choices you make, the actions you take, and the mindset you bring.
You control:
How you respond in the moment
What you say yes or no to
The meaning you give something and the thoughts you choose to dwell on
Example: You’re feeling pulled in multiple directions, with demands coming from work, home, or people around you. Even if you don’t have control over everything being asked of you, you can choose to pause, take a breath, and decide what you want to give your energy to and what you don’t. That conscious choice is within your control.
Within Your Influence
Although you can’t change how others think or act, the way you engage with them can impact what happens around you. Your presence, tone, and intention all carry influence, often more than you realize.
You influence:
The energy in a conversation
Whether someone might feel seen, heard, or dismissed
Whether collaboration feels productive or strained
Example: Even in challenging conversations, your interaction can set the stage for how things unfold. By staying calm, speaking with compassion, and listening with care, you create a space where connection and understanding are more likely. This can also ease the path toward resolution, rather than letting tension build up and leave the situation feeling heavy and unresolved.
Outside of Both
Some things are not yours to carry:
Other people’s choices
Past events
The future
Global conflict or uncertainty
We don’t ignore these realities, but we can choose not to let them take over our inner world, dictate how we feel, or define what’s possible for us.
Reminder: “I can care about this, but I don’t have to carry it.”
Even when something is outside your control or influence, releasing the mental grip of worry can help you feel more spacious, grounded, and empowered. It frees up your energy to become more aware of what is possible and helps you act with greater clarity and strength, no matter what you're facing.
When you know what’s yours and what isn’t, you stop leaking energy into places that don’t serve you. You bring it back to what supports you and moves you forward.
Let this be a day of honoring your energy, one boundary, one breath, one choice at a time.