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In this episode, we're going to discuss how identifying and removing things that drain your energy and affect your balance can help you thrive. I share with you my AHA moment after taking care of our house plant that led me to realize certain things in our lives may be draining our energy and causing imbalance, even though they seem to be functioning. We'll explore how creating boundaries and cutting out these energy drainers can lead to a more fulfilling life.
Segment 1: The Analogy of the House Plant
The analogy of a house plant helps to illustrate how something that appears green and alive may not be contributing to the plant's health.
We need to identify and cut out those sections that are holding the plant back, even if they still look green.
Similarly, in our lives, certain things may be draining our energy and causing imbalance, even though they appear to be functioning.
Segment 2: False Friends
We all have false friends that drain our energy and cause imbalance, such as relationships or habits that are no longer serving us.
It's important to recognize these false friends and have the courage to cut them out of our lives, even if it means creating discomfort.
Once these false friends are removed, we create space for growth and fulfillment.
Segment 3: Poor Boundaries at Work
Many people struggle with poor boundaries at work, feeling obligated to stay in a job that goes against their values and drains their energy.
It's important to recognize the impact of poor boundaries on our overall well-being and make changes accordingly, even if it means leaving a job.
By creating boundaries at work, we create space for personal growth and a greater sense of fulfillment.
Identifying and cutting out what's draining our energy and causing imbalance is crucial for finding balance in life. Just like cutting out sections of a house plant can lead to growth and vibrancy, creating boundaries and cutting out false friends in our lives can lead to personal growth and fulfillment. It may be uncomfortable at first, but the results are worth it.
Welcome to the Balance Code Podcast , a place where you have permission to step outside the hamster wheel of day-to-day life and learn tools to create more balance . My name is Katie Russell . I'm a licensed therapist and burnout and hidden grief specialist . I support ambitious , goal-driven people who are ready to get off the one-way train , to burnout and start to enjoy life again to the fullest . Oh and , by the way , I'm a mom of three , an ex-pat living in Germany who's still learning the language , and an entrepreneur Living my Balance Code is what keeps me able to work in incredible ways without burning out . So let's find your Balance Code . Hello everyone , In today's episode we're going to be addressing what are those things that are draining your energy and affecting your balance in life , and I think you're going to be surprised . The analogy I'm going to use is going to help you see that it might be things that you think are working and actually are not working . Okay , so the other day I was looking at our houseplant it's this beautiful piece of lily and I realized it was like super droopy , no matter how much water I'd been giving it and making sure it had good sun . It was like really struggling . Then I noticed there were parts of the plant that were still green , looked very much alive but actually were not contributing to the health of the plant . You could tell that their droopiness wasn't going to be bouncing back anytime soon , even though it was still green and it was just time to cut those back . And of course , inside of me I'm like but it's green , Leave it . And then I realized , well , actually it's draining the energy from the plant by staying here and even though it's not turned brown or yellow or it doesn't look like it's dying , it's quite almost wilted looking and it really just needs to have , it just needs to go . I knew the pot was big enough . It just needed to be , in a sense , repotted within that pot , new soil , freshen it up . So I grab a huge IKEA bag and grab this large pot , put it inside of it , pull out the soil and just start to really freshen everything up . I set the plant in deeper into the pot and put some more soil on top to just give it a little more of a foundation , right Like , give it more structure to hold and balance the plant .
Speaker 1
Well , in that process I started to realize there were sections of the plant that were really droopy . They were still green . They look like they could probably bounce back , but it was just areas of the plant that were holding the rest of the plant back . Do you see where I'm going ? And there was a part of me that did not want to cut those leaves off because , of course , it is green . It is still there . No , it's working . However , it's draining the energy from the rest of the plant that could be thriving if it wasn't there . So I think that my scissors and I cut out those sections and it was a moment of oh , this feels awful and then continue to repot the plant .
Speaker 1
And a couple of days later , I noticed how strong and vibrant this plant was standing , how it was able to just like . I mean , all of a sudden , like , three flowers sprouted out of it , like , and I thought , wow , what are things in our lives that are draining our energy ? But they look alive , they look like they're part of the system , they look like they're functioning , but once we take a closer look , we realize they're actually draining the system . They're creating the imbalance . They're false friends , right ? What are the things that we keep around ? Hey , this might be even relationships and friendships , or certain habits that we have or you name it that are actually hurting us , and when we finally let them go , cut them off , create a boundary , release them , all of a sudden we actually thrive that , that space that we created though sometimes scary , because we don't always like open space that means we have time to think about things or feel things , or it makes us feel important to be busy or to have those relationships or to be needed . As soon as we remove those things , we thrive .
Speaker 1
I think about times in the past where I have said yes to too many volunteer opportunities , Even things I've created myself organizations I have created myself . That there was just a point where I knew it was time for me to step away but I felt like , well , no , it's still green , it's still thriving . Yeah , it's a bit droopy in my own life , it's great for other people , but I'll just , I'll suffer through , I'll keep doing it because it's for them . And at the end of the day , I can say that at least in two of those organizations I stayed with it six months to a year , longer than I really needed to , and it drained me . It drained my life , energy , it drained my ability to be creative in other areas of my life because I was giving to this group or this organization and as much as I loved it and people benefited from it , that was that green . It's still there for my plant , for my system , for my balance . It was throwing me off . And the moment I let those organizations go , when I stepped back and made sure , okay , there's a leadership team in place or there's a new leader to take over , I felt relief . Maybe you've had times like this too . Maybe it's a friendship that was just draining you and draining you , but you kept it there because we have history and there's greenness in that history and we've known each other for so long . And then you get to the point where you realized just because it's green doesn't mean it has to stay and it's actually draining my system .
Speaker 1
Some of my clients struggle with this in work too , because they think you know I have this job and like what am I complaining about ? And even though there's poor boundaries at work and it really goes against some of my values and you know , but I have the job and I'm good at it and you know , they talk themselves into staying and I just sort of point out but where's the harm of looking for new jobs and applying to them and just see what happens . And there's the issue of they already feel so drained in their energy because of the job that really isn't fulfilling that it's hard to even imagine having the energy to apply and so they stay stuck . But as soon as we start to apply and create , put new soil in there and create a new environment for that work situation , we start to notice we have the energy again and we can start to cut off those leaves , create those boundaries , release the things that are not helping us .
Speaker 1
Often when we don't enjoy a job , we create unhealthy habits and patterns that continue to perpetuate the problem . So as soon as you start to see hope and creativity and there are other jobs I'm getting interviews , People are interested in working with me you break some of those habits and I've even had people go . Well , you know the job's not so bad now and then I remind them it's because you have hope , because you've got that creativity and that drive is in you again and you're excited by these other jobs , which is making it so that you're excited in your work . Now you can decide if you wanna stay there or not . But it's green , droopy leaves . You get to decide if that's gonna be part of your plant or not .
Speaker 1
So reflect what is sticking around in your life . Because it looks green , you know , maybe it'll bounce back and you're just keeping it around and you're realizing it's actually draining the whole system . It's draining your system , it's draining your family system , it's draining your home , it's draining your work , whatever it might be , and it's time to cut it . It's time to release it , it's time to create better boundaries around it . And I would even say take a moment , write those things down .
Speaker 1
You might feel a sense of ugh , but uncomfortable conversations have to happen , Katie , for me to do that , or ugh , I have to step outside of my comfort zone and feel a sense of lack or scarcity or fear of what will be next . This includes in relationships . It's not only in work . If I let go of this friendship , then who do I have to talk to ? Well , all of a sudden , when you cut off the things that are unhealthy , you find the healthy pieces thrive right . You find those relationships that really matter to you . You find the pieces of your work you really enjoy . You find that job you actually wanna do . You find the habits that help you thrive , rather than the things that were holding you back .
Speaker 1
We think because those areas of our lives , they're working , they're still green , they're just sort of limp hanging there , but they're green that they have to stay , but just like the plant , as soon as I remove them , the energy and life force could go straight into the parts of the plant that really were ready to thrive . They were ready to thrive . Think about it three flowers , bam . Within a couple days we're like I'm here , thank you . That's your life as well .
So what are the components that are holding you back from having the creativity , the blossoming moments of potential and possibilities and opportunities , and is it worth really keeping them around , allowing them to drain your energy so that you miss out on all of those things ?
Speaker 1
Just some food for thought today , and I'd love to hear what it is . So take a moment , think about it and email me at info at katievruslercom and tell me what your things are , because I wanna be able to respond to you and help hold you accountable to starting to create the change in your life around those , so that you can thrive , so that you can have that greater balance . I hope you enjoyed today's episode and my beautiful analogy of working with plants . Thank you so much for listening to today's episode . If you have a moment , please leave a rating or review so that others can find this podcast who are looking for support just like you . Let's connect on Instagram at katierusler or at balancecodepodcast , or check down in the show notes to find ways that we can work together and see other offerings that I have for you at this time and , as always , here's to finding our balance code .
