Drop your arm again, close your eyes and think about a happy time when you were surrounded by people you love and who love you. Picture every detail of laughing and hugging. Now have your friend check your strength again.  Pretty strong, right?  Now you witnessed first hand the power  your mind has over your energy.

You can test your strength with food, books, music cds, and other things as well.  You've read about how raw vegetables are so nutritious and they encourage you to consume more.  I tested myself holding a carrot to my heart and was I shocked when my energy decreased.  Then I realized that carrots are loaded with sugar and being a diabetic, my mind new my body does not produce insulin like it should and informed me that my energy would be depleted by consuming it.  I also held a cd that contained Blues music. I enjoy Blues once in awhile, but it clearly took my energy away.

This exercise is fascinating. Try a wide variety of different things to test.

So we learned that thinking about shame or sadness can deplete our energy: some foods, music, even books can deplete our energy. The question is, how can we stop the loss of energy or better yet, how can we increase our energy?

Caroline Myss, author of Spirit of Anatomy, talks about our energy bank and how we make deposits and withdrawals throughout our daily routine. Let's say you wake up in the morning with 100 in your energy bank.  Let me show you just how fast you can lose that 100. 

 

	You overslept and are running late for work.  You're angry at yourself for hitting the snooze button too many times.   - 15
	You hit every stop light from home to work.  You're angry because you're late and you need more green lights.   -15
	Some person cuts you off - you yell at him (like that's going to help correct the situation).  - 20
	You finally get to work with only 50 left in your energy bank.  You have a big meeting to go to and the copy machine is down for repairs. You have copies to make for this meeting.  Panic attack hits because there's no way you can be prepared for the meeting.  - 35
	On your way home from work you stop at the grocery store to pick up a few items.  You get in line at the express checkout and the person in front of you insists the product she is buying is on sale.  Takes 10 minutes to look through paper ads. You cuss her under your breath and get angry for picking the wrong checkout as usual.  After 10 minutes of trying to find the item in the sales ad she brought with her, she finally realizes it's the wrong brand.  - 20
	You finally arrive home with A NEGATIVE  5 in your energy bank.  Your spouse wants to know what's for dinner? If looks could kill they'd probably be dead by now.  - 15