Finding Ways to Re-Energize: Why It’s So Critical to Our Mental Health and Well-Being
- Shannon Hurst
- Oct 10
- 5 min read
There’s a point when the noise, the pace, and the emotional demands of life start to drain you dry. It’s not always obvious, sometimes it shows up as exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix, irritability that doesn’t make sense, or that quiet heaviness that seems to live behind your eyes. I’ve been there, too many times to count.
When we talk about re-energizing, it’s not just about rest or coffee or sleep. It’s about realigning our energy... physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, so that we’re not running on fumes or, worse, borrowing from others just to get through the day.
When We Start Taking Energy From Others
I really believe that, when we’re drained, we often unconsciously pull from those around us. We lean too hard, take too much, or find ourselves surrounded by people who take from us. Years ago I read James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy and it talks about seven energy-sucking personalities... traits that either drain or dominate the energy field around them. Chances are... you’ve probably met them:
The Intimidator – controls through fear.
The Poor Me – thrives on sympathy.
The Aloof – withholds to draw attention.
The Interrogator – questions to gain power.
The Critic – chips away at confidence.
The Drama Magnet – feeds off chaos.
The Victim – constantly helpless to keep energy flowing toward them.
When we interact with these energy types, or find ourselves becoming one when we’re depleted, we enter a tug-of-war that leaves everyone exhausted. The Mayans and many Indigenous cultures have long taught that energy exchange is sacred. They believed all living things, humans, trees, rivers, mountains, and even the wind, carry energy that must stay in balance. When it’s disrupted, so are we.
Why Nature is Our Greatest Re-Energizer
Whenever I feel completely drained, I run straight to nature. It’s my compass, my cure, my grounding wire. The forest doesn’t demand. The river doesn’t judge. The wind doesn’t take, it gives.
I’ve stood on mountain ridges, wind whipping through my hair, and felt my chest finally expand again after days of tightness. I’ve sat beside lakes so still they mirror the sky, and felt my heart calm in a way no therapist or medication ever could.
The Power of Stillness and Connection
I could not do the work I do today, writing, creating, connecting... if I didn’t recharge in nature at least once a week. Last week, I paddled out on a lake in the first light of day, surrounded by dense fog that felt like a dream. Out of the mist came a beaver, the same one that had found me the two mornings before. I sat still, every part of me calm, sending peaceful energy toward him. He swam closer, finally circling my kayak, and then slipped right beneath me, the water rippling softly in his wake.
A few days later, I was paddling again, this time on the ocean at Oak Bay with my good friend. We came across an island full of seals sunning themselves. At first, they dove away, but after a while, they began to stay. As I quieted my mind and focused on peace, appreciation, and the beauty of the moment, the warmth of the sun, the stillness of the ocean... they let me come close, within just a few feet. One by one, they looked at me briefly, then closed their eyes, smiling as if to say, you’re welcome here too.
These moments, small, sacred gifts from nature, filled me with such joy and energy that words can barely capture it.
Even if you can’t escape to the wilderness, you can still reconnect. Sit on your porch and listen. Watch the way the light shifts through the trees. Feel the air move across your skin. Walk around your neighbourhood and let your senses come alive, the smell of rain, the warmth of the sun, the laughter of kids on bikes. That’s nature’s medicine.
We forget that we are part of nature... not separate from it. The earth’s energy pulses beneath us, the same rhythm that moves through the tides and moon phases, through the roots of trees and into the soles of our feet. We just have to slow down long enough to tune back in.
The Power of Crystal Energy and Release
I recently started working at Big Rock Crystals a few days a week and I’ve come to understand energy in an even deeper way. Crystals are like tiny batteries of the Earth, they hold frequency, vibration, and memory. Whether it’s the calming pulse of amethyst, the grounding of smoky quartz, or the clarity of clear quartz, each one carries its own medicine.
Holding a crystal, meditating with it, or even keeping one in your pocket can be a gentle reminder to stay grounded. They don’t replace healing, they support it. They remind us to pause, breathe, and reconnect with something ancient and steady when life feels chaotic.
Releasing negative energy is not a luxury, it’s essential.
Whether it’s a salt bath, a moonlight meditation, a crystal grid, or just a deep cry in the woods, letting energy move through us instead of sticking to us is how we stay healthy.
The Healing Power of Touch: Acupuncture, Reiki, and Massage
Energy flows best when our bodies are open, physically and emotionally. That’s why touch-based therapies are so powerful. Acupuncture, for example, has been used for thousands of years to restore balance by unblocking the body’s energy meridians. It’s not just about pain relief; it’s about allowing energy to circulate freely again. It has been a huge asset for me and is part of my staying healthy physically and mentally.
Reiki works on a similar principle, using gentle, intentional touch (or even energy from a distance) to help the body remember its natural state of harmony. I’ve felt that warmth move through me like a soft current, melting away the static that builds up from stress and grief.
Massage, too, is a kind of grounding medicine. When our muscles soften, our minds follow. Physical touch reminds us that we are human, connected, supported, and deserving of care. Whether it’s a professional treatment or simply holding hands, hugging a friend, or cuddling your dog, physical connection recharges our internal batteries in ways we often underestimate.
The Elements Know How to Heal Us
Each element teaches us something powerful:
Earth grounds us, it reminds us of stability and support.
Water cleanses and carries away pain.
Fire transforms, burning away what no longer serves.
Air renews, it clears the mental fog.
Spirit (or Ether) connects all things, it reminds us we are never truly alone.
The sun nourishes, the moon restores, and the wind whispers wisdom if we just slow down enough to listen.
Final Thoughts: Re-Energize to Rise
Re-energizing isn’t selfish, it’s survival. It’s how we refill the cup we keep pouring from.
So today, take five minutes and step outside. Feel your feet on the ground. Take a breath so deep your ribs expand. Notice something beautiful... a bird, a leaf, the colour of the sky. Let the Earth remind you that you’re still here, still strong, still capable of renewal.
We can’t control what life throws at us, but we can choose how we recharge between the storms. Because your energy, your light... is sacred.
Protect it.
Nurture it.
And when it flickers, go back to the source that never runs dry: Nature itself.
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