The 7 Keys To Conserve Energy According To Zen Buddhism

We call “energy” this vital force which depends as much on a physical reserve as on an emotional state. Conserving your energy in a world like ours is not easy. Thousands of factors take it away from us, such as stress and everyday problems.

This is why the feeling of fatigue is frequent. We end each day with the feeling of having had to carry a ton on our shoulders for a mile. The only thing we want then is to do nothing to conserve the energy we have left.

We don’t even do extraordinary things during the day: routine is often enough to wear us out. Why is this happening? There may be factors that prevent us from conserving our energy, and that eventually turns into issues that could be resolved. However, there are keys to preventing this from happening. Here are seven.

1. Not having debts

Not meeting the debts on time is something that torments anyone. We not only have the sensation of having a payment awaiting us but also  the psychological perception of being at fault or doing something wrong. To keep your energy at an adequate level, your best bet is to avoid debt. If this is not possible, then paying them becomes a top priority. If we don’t do it materially, we often do it psychologically.

2. Keep promises

Promises made have a similar effect to debts, although there isn’t a deadline so close. Before we commit to doing something, we need to ask ourselves whether we are really capable of keeping our promise or not. The fact of promising and not keeping one’s word generates a very important psychological load.

In addition, promises that are not kept create discomfort for other people. An unnecessary conflict that prevents us from conserving our energy. Either we live up to what we have promised or admit it is impossible for us and negotiate compensation.

3. Rest, a key to maintaining energy

In today’s world, we must constantly remember the importance of rest. It seems obvious, but it is disturbing to see how endless people can forget it. They feel condemned to do, do and do, relentlessly.

Rest is the best way to conserve energy. We must be careful and enrich our rest times as much as possible. It is the basis of our physical, emotional and cognitive well-being. If we don’t get adequate rest, we simply won’t be able to function adequately.

4. Organize yourself

We don’t always take the time to rethink our activities  and assess whether we are doing them in the most practical way. A lot of times things happen without our having control over them and that’s how we have to take them: as they come.

We can always organize ourselves better. We just need to take a little time to put our ideas in order. And also to try to find methods and mechanisms that would be more functional. It is good to do all of this regularly in order to get the most benefit from it.

5. Take care of your health

To maintain energy at balanced levels, it is absolutely essential to take care of our health. This includes healthy habits and careful monitoring of any health problem that comes your way.

Healthy habits are linked to nutrition, exercise and rest. These three areas are essential for leading a healthy life. We also need to have regular check-ups, especially if we see new symptoms or suffer from a particular problem. Let’s not be alarmed and listen to what the doctor tells us if we are sick.

6. Don’t run away from difficult situations

Trying to run away from difficulties when there is no other solution than to face them only ends up amplifying them and making them even more difficult to manage and solve. We can close our eyes to problems but they will always come back eventually, whether in the form of anxiety  or in the form of concrete consequences.

Once we realize the serious problem that exists in our life, we become extremely worried. This worry does not go away on its own. It does not disappear. It stays there, in gravity, and steals a lot of energy from us. Thus, the sooner we accept a problem, the sooner we will find possibilities or alternatives to solve it.

7. Accept and forgive

Few attitudes rob us of as much energy as resisting reality. This almost never adjusts to our desires: it is therefore absurd to keep us in a position of negation or partial ignorance. If we want to transform it, the first step is to accept the way it is configured.

Forgiving is part of this acceptance. Forgiving ourselves for making mistakes means recognizing that we are human, that we make mistakes, and that it does not rob us of any value. Forgiving others means accepting that they also have flaws and that this is part of their reality. Holding on to resentment or punishing ourselves only takes away our vitality.

For Zen Buddhism, energy is an absolute good that must be protected and conserved. All these recommendations for conserving our energy constitute a guide and a catalog that will undoubtedly bring many benefits to those who follow them.

Our thoughts

Some people leave us with a smile on their face, while others get us down and drain all of our energy …