Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: You're listening to the Poised Powerhouse Podcast. My name is Dr. Sita Hood, and I'm obsessed with empowering women like you with practical life strategies to live authentically without compromising your wellness.
[00:00:20] Speaker A: I used to be caught up in.
[00:00:21] Speaker B: The hustle hard mentality until I learned that my quirky little traits I thought weren't that important actually turned out to be the secret sauce. I. I needed to step boldly into my purpose and create impact not only in my life, but so many amazing women around me. Organizing your schedule, launching impactful programs, redefining leadership without code switching or compromise, and stepping boldly into your God given assignment are all topics we'll discuss here. Think of this podcast as that simple Sunday brunch with your girls that feels so therapeutic, you can't wait to get to it. But let's clarify, this is not a substitute for a relationship with a licensed therapist. All right, grab your notebook and your coffee or your tea. We don't discriminate over here. And let's start the show.
[00:01:22] Speaker A: Welcome back for another episode of the Poise Powerhouse Podcast. I AM your host, Dr. Ceta Hood, licensed therapist and executive leadership consultant. What is in your mug today? Today in my mug, even though we're a little bit under the weather, we still drinking iced coffee. Okay, Now, I'm not gonna lie. I did, at some point switch to warm coffee when, like, this cold first hit me. For those of y'all that don't live in a cold state or don't live in Illinois, it's minus two today. Okay. It's negative two today. So y'all, that's like, oh, my gosh, I want to move somewhere and see the snow. Do you really? Do you want to do, like, daily life and the snow? You really want to do that?
Anyway, how I'm feeling, I had canceled a day in the Life over on my Instagram channel because. Or Instagram page. Yeah, because I have been feeling under the weather. I was sick, and so I needed to take the time and reset. And so I'm finally feeling well enough to at least record this next episode. So that is why I'm here with you. But that's how I'm feeling. How about you? All right, babe, let's talk. Have you ever woken up? Let me know if this sounds familiar. Ever woken up feeling behind on your to do list already? I'm talking about your feet ain't even hit the floor and your. Your eyes just opened. You're already overwhelmed with what you have to do. Your to do list is looking super crazy and people are pulling on you from every direction before you even get out the bed. And by the time you finally sit down at night, you know you'd have had a chaotic day. By the time you finally sit down at night, you don't even know where today went.
That is what we like to call an energy leak. Boom. And if you are constantly running into energy leaks and you feel like you're running on fumes, you're feeling drained, and you wondering why you can't quite catch up all the time, this episode is exactly what you need. Today we are going to be getting real about the sneaky ways that your energy is leaking. Because some of these may be shocking to you. I don't know, you might look at something that you were like, oh, I thought that was helpful when I did that. But if you really sit back and think about it, it's not quite helpful. We're also going to dive into why you're feeling overwhelmed all the time and hints it's not just because you have too much to do and how to seal off those leaks so that you can design a day that actually serves you. Where you get things done. One that is purpose filled instead of chaotic and draining. Ready?
Hey hey.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: Aren't you tired of running around like a chicken with your head cut off? How many times have you promised to do better with your wellness routines only to let life get on top of you again? I want to invite you to Pause and Pour by downloading my app, the Lavish Haven, your sanctuary for cultivating daily wellness. It's completely free to use. You'll start with our Pause and Pour quiz and then access our signature daily and weekly wellness trackers, mood playlists, elevated emotions, collections, scripture based guided audios, and so much more. Hit the link below to start today.
[00:04:52] Speaker A: Foreign let's talk about where your energy is going. Overwhelm is not just about having too much to do. It's also about the lack of clarity around what you should do and what actually matters. So a lack of clarity around your priorities. And if you don't know where your energy is leaking, how are you supposed to plug it up? How are you supposed to fix the problem if you can't even pinpoint where it's happening? So. So let's talk about what an energy leak is. It is anything. And I'm talking about anything that drains your time, your mental space, your emotional energy without giving you something back. Sometimes it's something super obvious like over committing and we know that's connected to people pleasing and sometimes it's sneaky. Like carrying other people's emotions like they are your personal responsibility. So if you're listening to this episode and you're like, I'm an empath. I feel. Feel what everyone else feels when I walk into that space. Okay, cute. But that's an energy leak for you. You are draining out your energy and you carry something that that person likely didn't even ask you to carry. And the signs that you are experiencing an energy leak is you wake up tired. Let me ask you a question. Like, why is your sp spirit and you're so tired and you just woke up. Like, that's exhaustion right there. A clear sign that your energy is leaking somewhere. And if your spirit is exhausted, then we need to talk about spiritual things to replenish your spirit, right? Because sometimes physically you can feel well rested, but you're just emotionally spiritually tired. And if that's the case, again, we go back to the 4D concept in resolving that. Another sign that you're experiencing an energy leak. Certain conversations tend to drain you. That one friend, we. We got em. We all got em. That. That one friend. That one friend that always calls when she's in a crisis, or that co worker whose problem is always somehow your problem. Yeah, that's an energy leak. It's beyond just being nice. It's an energy leak, girl. And we gotta get some containment on that. Okay, another sign. You're busy all day, but you feel like you didn't get anything done if you listen to this episode of the Shoe feed. Like Cinderella girl. Okay, another sign. Your calendar is packed, but you feel empty. When you're doing all of these things, you're not feeling fulfillment. And another sign you spend more time reacting than creating. An example of this would be like, text messages, emails, random errands that weren't necessarily on the list. Like, you find yourself reacting, doing all those things that have nothing to do with your to do list. Does this sound familiar?
Okay, if it does, it's time for some boundary setting and a little energy detox. So let's talk about how to plug the leaks and take back some of that energy. Okay, the first thing that I want you to do is to conduct an energy audit. Okay? This is an action step for you. Not just something for you to listen to the podcast. It's an action step for you. Okay, now when I say this next part, I want you to think about the notes section of your phone or something like that. It doesn't have to be a formal piece of paper, but you need to Start tracking it. So for the next three days, or even over the weekend, whatever you decide. But I think it works better during the weekday because that's when you're probably the busiest, if you have a traditional schedule, or even if you have kids. So the action step is, for the next three days, write down everything you do and how you feel after you do it again. You can keep track of this in the notes section of your phone, or you can put it in an actual notebook if that's what you want. So when you talk about how you feel afterwards, I want you to note if it was draining or if it energized you. And you're going to need to be honest about this. You don't have to show this to anybody, but you need to be honest about it, because this is going to show exactly where your energy is going. I remember coming to the realization that a certain person was specifically draining my energy. Actually had this realization maybe two times in a relationship with different people. Like, it was two separate people. But it was very clear that my energy levels were depleted after talking to them. There are certain people that just pull on you in a very particular way, and it drains everything from you. You need to know who those people are. There are certain tasks that do the same thing to you. You need to know what those tasks are, because then you can get into structuring your day and figuring out, you know, what benefits you and how to function at your optimal levels of functioning if you know where the leaks are. So that's your first piece of homework. The second one is the power of no strategy.
Yes. It is very simple. Let me give you some freedom right quick. No is a complete sentence, period. And I know you've heard that before, but I need you to really ingest that. No is a complete sentence. No is a complete sentence. You do not have to explain, justify, or even feel guilty for taking some time for yourself, creating boundaries, right? Try these when you're thinking about phrases to say, girl, you know what? I appreciate you inviting me, but I really can't commit to that right now. Oh, I would love to, but I have to preserve my energy because I'm working on XYZ or. But I have to preserve my energy. I'm saying no so that I could say yes to something else, but you decide how much you want to offer up. When I was finishing out my doctorate program, I had to tell people no a lot. And my no sounded exactly like this. No, I really need to focus all my energy on finishing this program. That was it. But for some people, it was just a no because no, it's a complete sentence. So you have some homework of tracking your energy. And the other thing I want to challenge you is this week, practice saying one intentional no and see what happens to your energy when you say no to that thing. That drains you and your fears to feel guilty about it. Another thing that you can do to plug up the leak and take back some of your energy is to design your day with intention. Okay? How we start our days really does matter. And again, I know a lot of this stuff you've probably already heard, but it's good to have a reminder. And when you put it all together, it makes a complete package, a complete system, a complete strategy that works for you. Because maybe you've heard no is a complete sentence and that's all you picked up. Or oh, yeah, let's just take a audit of this, blah, blah, blah, like. But no, we pair it all together.
That's what makes it a cohesive system. Okay? So you're going to first and foremost do an energy audit and then you're going to use the power of no strategy. And then you're going to design your day with intentionality. So let's say that the morning, you protect the first 10 to 30 minutes of your morning. Because again, how you start your day matters. Before you grab your phone, take 10 minutes for yourself. Take 30 minutes for yourself. So I like to wake up to like instrumental music and then like a worship song. And so that's what my alarm is set with. But you can do that or you can do something completely different. But that instantly puts my mind in a very specific place. Right? So you can try gratitude, you can try some deep breathing. If that happens to soothe you, you can try worship music. And you can start by asking the Holy Spirit this question. What can I do today to protect my peace God? Midday, let's say your morning did not kick off the way that you wanted to. You have the freedom to pause and to pour. And I like to call this the midday reset routine. Okay? If your morning was chaotic, do not write the whole day off. Pause and pour. Play a song, Take a five minute walk, close your laptop and just breathe. Like, just take a minute. Okay? Take a minute and refresh. Focus yourself and decide, how do I want the rest of the day to go? How will I protect my energy and the peace, you know, that I'm experiencing right now? And then for the evening, you want to focus on closing the energy loop so that you are not like overthinking Because a lot of times when we try to go to sleep, we have trouble resting properly because our brains are still so energized and they're still on go. So you want to stop carrying today's stress into tomorrow, okay? Because what does the Bible say? Tomorrow has enough worries of its own. Put it down, lay your butt down and go to sleep.
Okay? I did paraphrase that, but you get the point. So what you're going to do in the evening is do a two minute brain dump. Write down the lingering thoughts, and here's the most important part. Let's them go. Okay? And I know a lot of times we think like, oh my gosh, girl, a brain dump is nothing. Okay? Like, that's not really going to help me. I still got blah, blah, blah. Have you tried it though? Did you try, did you try it? Did you try it? Did you try a brain dump? If you didn't try it, try it. Just try it. Just try it for like two, three days. See, haven't you cleared out your mind? And what I like to do sometimes is if I didn't write it in my planner, I like to brain dump it in an email as schedule that email to send the next morning. Then I feel free because I already know the reminder is coming to me in the morning. Okay? So we have to think about shifting from overwhelm to intentionality. Let's simple. Listen, listen, listen. Overwhelm again is not just about doing too much, but it's about getting clear. You heard me say that a little bit earlier and now I kind of want to dive into that. Instead of asking how do I get everything done? Why don't you shift to what actually needs to get done today, what can wait? Okay, like those are the questions that we need to be asking ourselves. Not how much can I get done? How do I get everything at auto? How do I knock out my to do list? No, no, no. What needs to get done today? What can wait? Very, very simple time management. We talked about time blocking last week. Time management is real cute. Okay, that's real cute. But energy management is where the momentum builds. That's where you become 10 times more powerful because you take your progress in slow, consistent, disciplined strides. I'm trying to take, I'm trying to tell you. I'm trying to tell you, girl, that's how you achieve what it is you're looking to achieve in life. Whether that be a promotion, whether that be moving, whether that be starting a business, whatever you want to achieve. It takes slow, sustainable progress and I know that making these changes can feel super overwhelming, especially when you're already stretched in and you probably have all of these cognitive distortions, AKA those sneaky little lies that are in your head telling you, I can't do that. Well, she got this. Well, she got that. Well, I should be over here, or I can't do that, or ba, ba, ba, ba, ba. You name it. Okay? All of those lies that repeatedly go on in your head. Some of those lies sit in your subconscious and some you are conscious about. And that's exactly why I created the Mental Reset Guide. It is a comprehensive resource that is going to help you identify those sneaky little lies that are in your head telling you you cannot change your life. You cannot plug up the energy leaks, you cannot become as successful as her. And it's going to help you squash those things and become a bit more confident. Inside the Mental Reset Guide, you're going to understand common cognitive distortions, AKA those sneaky little lies that your mind tells you. I'm going to give you a structured approach to reframe negative thoughts and cultivate a positive mindset.
Going to get practical tools like guided reflection exercises and journal prompts to help you apply what you've learned so that you can see real transformation. And the best part, this is not just some worksheets that you download and forget about it. This is a guided process that walks you through shifting your habits and routines in a way that actually sticks. Because I could have you do all of these things, go through the energy audit, go ahead and reset your routine and start an intentional morning and go through the power of the no strategy. But if we don't have those cognitive distortions down, if we don't attack those sneaky little lies, it's going to be hard to create something that is sustainable and sticks. So if you are interested in grabbing that, I will leave the link for that in the show notes. Because, girl, you got purpose work to do, okay? You do not have time to be held back by energy leaks.
[00:19:18] Speaker B: You know those little things that just nourish your heart, mind and soul. Those little gems dropped in your week that make all the difference in your day but are seemingly unimportant. Like the person who went out of their way to do something nice for you or that amazing sermon on YouTube that just hit exactly like you needed it to. Well, I'm sharing my weekly nourishment with you, and if there's something that nourished you this week, I'd love to hear about it by tagging me on Instagram at drcetahood or dropping a comment underneath this episode.
[00:19:54] Speaker A: Here we go.
This week's weekly nourishment is gonna be a shout out to husband. Because when your homegirl was not feeling good, husband was on his job taking care of me. And so I really appreciate that that's what life partners are supposed to do. So shout out to you. Boo.
Okay, so today we talked about where your energy is leaking, how to seal those leaks, and how to redesign your day in a way that actually serves you and helps you step into your purpose filled assignment. Okay, now let's make it real again. I'm giving you homework. Yes, you got podcast homework. Your action steps. Start your three day energy audit and DM me one thing that you're cutting out this week. Okay? That's all I'm asking. Grab the mental reset guide if you are ready to go from chaotic, overwhelming thoughts to calm, aligned and control thoughts. And finally, if you enjoyed today's episode, share the love. Share with your mama, share with your auntie, share with your best friend. Then head on over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a five star review. Reviews help the podcast to grow. Well, that's all I have for you today. I'll see you on these social media streets. Bye.
