Power Leaks Writing Exercise
This exercise is concerned with power leaks and how to help deal with them. Power leaks create a deficit in your energy tank, and they often occur when you have allowed yourself to be emotionally and mentally overwhelmed by an external situation.
A useful writing tool to use when something has happened that has left your mind in turmoil with strong feelings, which are threatening to throw you off balance and deplete your energy.
Completing this writing exercise helps you to step back from the heat and intensity of the emotion, analyse the external event that has happened, and see exactly how you lost your power. You can then reflect on what you can learn from this going forward and consider what you want to do differently.
As with all these writing exercises that I’ve shared with you in my blogs – the purpose is to:
· become aware of your behaviour and attitudes,
· to learn from your experiences,
· and to do something differently as a result.
The next time you have a wobble and experience a power leak in your energy tank, set aside some time when you will not be disturbed and do this free flow writing exercise.
I like to light a candle before I start and blow it out when I’ve finished, to signal the end of this writing piece.
Once you begin, it is best not to think too much about what you are writing. Just write, following the prompts below. Banish the critic. Keep writing. Write fast. Don’t censor what you’ve written in any way. Don’t read what you’re writing until you’ve finished each prompt.
What was the event that affected you emotionally? Describe it in detail and be specific – who / what / how / where etc.
What were your feelings – what happened to you because of the event, - how were you affected, how did you lose your power?
What was it about the circumstances that didn’t fit with you - according to your mindset and way of viewing the world, what made you so uncomfortable?
How could you adjust this mindset – can you view the incident or person from another perspective, taking into account they view the world differently from you and have their own baggage?
How could you have behaved differently, that might have resulted in a more positive effect on the circumstances?
What action could you have taken to plug your power leak?
What will you do differently next time such an event occurs – to prevent your power leak
Read everything you’ve written during this exercise.
When you’ve had a chance to digest it, take some time to write down your answers to these reflections, as a review of the experience.
What did you notice about yourself whilst you were doing the writing in terms of your feelings, energy levels etc?
How did you feel immediately after finishing?
How do you feel now?
What insight have you gained from completing this writing exercise?
How has your perception changed?
Can you do anything differently with this insight?
Writing about what gave rise to the power leak in your energy tank and resulting strong emotions, and then considering it from different perspectives, can allow you to see how you lost your power, what you can learn about this going forward and what you might be able to do differently.
Another powerful tool that helps me on a regular basis.