I heard a great comment today from someone who had recently had a frustrating experience. She referred to having “surplus energy” after the event. Our brains generate emotional responses to all sorts of stimuli, and even after the situation has been handled, those emotions don’t just instantly go away. That’s “surplus energy.”
Regardless of whether or not the emotion was helpful in the moment as a guide to your actions, the moment is over. You now have to do something with that energy – ideally, something helpful. Any engineer will tell you that energy that doesn’t get directed properly becomes “waste heat,” and waste heat can absolutely destroy a system if not managed properly. If you’ve ever had a car or computer overheat, you’ve experienced this firsthand.
There’s no single right way to productively direct this surplus energy, but it does have to be directed. You can’t just let it rattle around inside you, or you’ll overheat. Different energy in different people can create the need for different responses – maybe I need to take a walk in nature to blow off steam from an unpleasant personal interaction, but someone else needs to vent to a friend.
The key is to recognize the need and be intentional. Identify it. Say, “The moment is over, but I still have surplus energy from that event. What should I do with it so I can get back to my day?” Even asking the question can prevent a spiral.
And hey, you can always try doing what I do – write!
The Opportunity Machine 