Energy Accounting

Energy accounting is an approach that can help people who have been prone to experience overwhelm, overload, exhaustion, fatigue and burnout.

Spending energy

Increasing your awareness of your physical and mental energy can be the start to knowing when recharge or recovery is needed.. Analogies such as batteries, 'spending' energy, smarties, and spoons or stress buckets have been used to to help understand the idea of accounting for your energy and finding ways to manage and/or replenish it.

Neurodivergence people often report that the number of energy units on everyday experiences and tasks can flucuate and sometimes be more than most people, such as on the experience of tolerating sensory inputs such as clothing or noises. As such, more of their energy units are spent on bits that others may take for granted. Another aspect to consider is how quickly and easily energy units can be recharged or replenished through activities and actions that may be soothing, relaxing, engaging and stimulating.

It can be useful to think of energy accounting as a proactive strategy that can be used to consider the day or week ahead. Reviewing the tasks and activities to come in terms of the 'spending' of energy can lead to proactively planning in down time and replenishing activities.

Making a list of the things in the week that involve the spending of energy units and the parts of the week or things that replenish energy can be a good starting point. Think small detail and go through the day hour to hour (sometimes minute to minute!). Another way to do this is by reviewing a daily or weekly plan and quantifying the energy spent or gained.

The next sections cover this idea further in terms of checking in with energy levels and emotions.

Asking yourself, ‘How is my energy?'

Ideas from energy accounting can also be used moment to moment with ideas such as noting what battery am I using. We can consider ourselves to have three batteries we can 'run' from, our 'normal', our 'reserve' and our 'emergency' battery. We aim to use our normal battery as much as possible, though recognise that sometimes we drain our reserve battery or even our emergency one. Our reserve battery can help us navigate and manage more challenging moments or experiences, whilst our emergency battery has only a small amount of charge so does not last for long - it really only functions to get us home or into a more calming/lower demand situation.

Knowing about your current energy level (including what battery supply you are using) and how you feel in any moment can be a challenge. This is particularly challenging when there are differences in what your attention naturally focuses on (executive functioning and monotropism) and how easy the process of tuning into your body is (interoception and alexithymia).

At times, it can become confused as to your current energy level (how you are physically feeling) and how you are feeling emotionally. As such developing the skills of checking in with your energy levels and emotions can be useful.

Energy levels (low, medium or high) often need to match the activity or task we are engaging with, for example, we may need a medium energy when checking emails, but a low energy when trying to sleep.

The first step is to write a list of signals that you can notice in your body and ways you are behaviour that may indicate whether you are in a low, mid or high energy state. The app How We Feel can be used to check in with how we feel be rating energy (high to low) and pleasantness (pleasant to unpleasant), before then selecting words that describe your feeling in that work. Another way to consider this if it is proving challenging, is to ask the question, how am I feeling physically compared to this morning (or other time point in the past). If your current energy level does not match what is needed for the current task, then you can move onto step two.

Step two is to use a range of activities that may have an energy changing impact on your physically. Depending on what battery we have been using, we might need to recharge in different ways. If we have been using our emergency battery, often a more deliberate period of recharge is needed. If we have drained some of our reserve battery, the recharge may be quicker and supported with a short rest or engagment in something that is enjoyed. Here are some examples, thought everyone is different so a trial and error approach may be needed.

Decrease energy levels by:

•         Dimming the lights

•         Having a bath

•         Using lavender scents

•         Relaxing music or soundscapes

•         Dampen out sound

•         Use weighted items

•         Have a warm drink

•         Calming stimming actions

•         Deep pressure experiences

•         Seek quieter setting

•         Change to unscented products and weaker tasting foods

•        Use pastel-coloured items

•        Drink from a sports bottle

•        Engaging in chewing, sucking and blowing sensory activities

•         Use resistive putty

•         Stroke calming materials (have in pocket or attached to items you use)

•         Carry something heavy (heavy items in back pack or bumbag for example)

•        Use light weight wrist and ankle cuffs

•         Take a short break to run an ‘errand’

•         Practice physiological sigh (in breath, second in depth, and exhale slowly)

•         Close eyes and imagine calming place you have spent time

Increase energy levels by:

• Physical exercise and movement (walk, dance, run, climb)

• ­        Eat crunchy foods and snacks

• ­        Have a ice cool drink

• ­        Increase lighting

• ­        Play music with an up tempo beat or dramatic quality

• ­        Touch something cold / cool shower

• ­        Use fidget items

• ­        Citrus scents

• ­        Higher energy stims

• ­        Stretch, bend over and put head between your legs

• ­        Bounce on a yoga ball

• ­        Do a forwards roll or safely attempt a gymnastics / Pilates move

• ­        Go for a walk around the perimeter

• ­        Wash face or hands with cold water

• ­        Consider base layer clothing to give more input to the body

• ­        Eat ice lolly with frozen fruit in it

• ­        Drink or eat something with a strong flavour

• ­        Use bright colours, for example, use a highlighter when reading

• ­        Use scented hand cream (citrus scents)

The lists are a starting point, you will have actions and strategies that can be energy increasing and reducing for you.

Checking in with emotional responses

When working out how we are feeling emotionally, it can be useful to follow a process that starts broad and gets more specific. Check in with yourself and ask, “How am I feeling emotionally right now using the scale below.”

When getting more specific about emotions it can be useful to follow the process outlined below.

1. What words describe how I am feeling?

2. What are the physical sensations and changes I am noticing in my body?

3. What thoughts am I currently having?

4. What am I doing in response to this emotion? OR what are the urges I am noticing in response to this emotion?

The app How We Feel can help with your emotional responses.

Some people feel able to learn about their emotions and energy levels independently. Other people value having input from a professional to help them a) understand and accept their emotions, b) develop a tolerance for their emotions, and c) notice any unhelpful patterns/habits they have developed when feeling different emotions. Consultations and support are available from Dr Harris, please use the contact form to arrange these.