Knowing our honest capacity
I like to let myself be a student of concepts. For the past many years life has given me many opportunities to become a student of CAPACITY. Only recently have I said a full yes to embracing the wisdom of this teacher, often suffering the consequences of not heeding her call. What I am learning is that an honest assessment of capacity has the immense power to change our lives and the world.
I have been a part of so many projects (mine and others) that had a beautiful vision and yet exhausted everyone involved bringing it into creation. (Sound familiar?)
Eventually the question is asked, is it worth it? Is the vision more important than the daily wellbeing of the people involved? And, can we build something with the utmost integrity, if the nervous system of the individuals and collective is stressed and distressed?
What is clear to me, is that when we work beyond our capacity for too long, we inevitably cause harm to ourselves or others. Balls get dropped, emotional connection becomes the last priority, and people feel ignored, run over, or used.
I am in the energy capacity dance every day. I support clients, watch friends, organizations, businesses, teachers, and family, all struggle with questions regarding capacity.
The physical world runs on energy. The amount of energy in a system is what allows creativity and change to take place. As always, when I am seeking to understand a common human problem, I look to the natural world. Can the natural world exist on unearned energy? What happens when an animal, for instance, is forced to use energy beyond their ability to input energy (food)? If this happens for too long, death is on the horizon.
If we really start thinking about where all of the excess energy is coming from that enables the lifestyle that many live in the United States, we start to see that it depends on the building of this country by the stolen energy/labor of African slaves and, more currently, underpaid workers here and abroad in “developing nations.” In addition, humans have developed an amazing capacity to enhance and use stored energy… including fossil fuels and caffeine.
All of this borrowed and stolen energy has allowed for the industrial age and rise of massive civilizations. And yet, amongst all of the beautiful things it may have created, this industrial growth has led to massive starvation, global climate change, intense war and violence, and a generally dysregulated nervous system of most people on earth.
When we consistently move faster than the speed of our natural capacity, our nervous systems go into a low grade fight or flight. We stop being able to be present, have moments of delight, or take time for our nose to drown in the smell of a beautiful flower.
So how well is it really working to run ourselves on this “unearned” energy? Our bodies know well what our capacity is. They will tell us when we have overdone it. And, if we are listening closely, they will tell us BEFORE we say yes to something whether it is within our capacity.
So, we’re in a big pickle that we can only solve one breath at a time. We’re not going to turn this around overnight for ourselves or the world. And yet, what small ways can we begin to be more aware of our's and our systems' energy capacity? Here's a few tips:
Efficient and smart use of energy: Where can you make the most impact with the least input? Where are you wasting energy inside of your life or system that is not helping you truly achieve your intentions?
Rest: How often are you prioritizing rest in your schedule? If you're working on a project, are rest, outbreaths, part of the flow of the day, month, year?
Listen to your body when designing your life, organization, or system: First, put attention on yourself. Then put a small amount of your attention on the choice in front of you. Stay in your body. Let the information come to you. Somatically or energetically notice how the choice in front of you registers in your body/mind. Notice where the mind might have preferences or habits, and then bring yourself back to what your body is telling you. Trust it, and grow this muscle of "measuring."
What brings you joy?: Things that are joyful and pleasurable can fill up our energy banks! Are you prioritizing work and activities that bring you joy? Is there an internalized program that says it must be hard or it is not worthwhile? Trust that the way can be joyful and resourcing.
Try out saying NO!: This is a hard one for most of us. When presented with an opportunity, we don't want to miss out or we don't want to offend or hurt someone else's feelings. Ultimately saying yes when we are actually a no will create future problems. We've all been there. You are doing noone a favor.
What are your priorities? We all have a limited amount of energy. So where we decide to use it should be based on our predetermined priorities. This will help you determine where your energy is best used to achieve what it is you really want for yourself or the world.
adrienne marie brown says "small is good, small is all." Where is that sweet spot? Might we cause less stress and less harm if we are honest about our capacity, or the capacity of any given system we are a part of? How might each of our lives change, and society as a whole evolve, if we only used earned energy, and only worked within our actual capacity?
** Also, I love and admire the work of Tricia Hersey of The Nap Ministry, where she talks about rest as resistance, “rooted in spiritual energy and centered in Black liberation, womanism, somatics, and Afrofuturism.” Reparations are needed, en masse, to repay the debt accrued from black folks and all BIPOC on these lands, for the massive energy that has been stolen.
