Energy Accounting: How Our Kirkcaldy Group Learned about how certain activities drained our energy
Recently our Kirkcaldy group had the chance to dive into the concept of Energy Accounting. Our volunteer assistant facilitator led the activity and kindly wrote this great blog post - thank you! :
Energy Accounting is a tool created by Autistic Clinical Psychologist Maja Toudal and Dr. Tony Attwood that helps people think of their energy as a limited resource, kind of like a battery. The idea is that when life drains your energy, it's important to have ways to recharge.
Energy Accounting encourages us to track how different activities, environments, and interactions impact our energy levels. For autistic people, this is especially important, as navigating the world can often be more exhausting than for it is neurotypical people. During the session, we created a safe space where everyone could reflect on what energises them and what leaves them feeling drained.
Using posters, each person had the chance to visually reflect on their own experiences with energy. A lot of people shared that their special interests helped them regain energy. Others talked about how they needed quiet time after socialising to recharge. By writing down these energy gains and drains, our group started to recognise how to better manage our energy and find ways to introduce energy gaining activities into our daily routines.
We also noticed that many of our energy drains were unique to being autistic. For many, it was reassuring to realise they weren’t the only ones facing these challenges, and that they weren’t alone.
Consistently using up all of our energy without giving ourselves the time to recharge can lead to autistic burnout, leaving us feeling physically and emotionally drained. Energy Accounting can make a big difference in preventing and recovering from burnout.
We discussed how important it is to give ourselves permission to take part in energy gaining activities, without feeling guilty for needing breaks. It’s okay to not always be “on the go” or constantly productive. In fact, taking time to recharge is just as important as being active, and it’s an important part of taking care of our well-being."
For more information on energy accounting please see more info HERE