How to Protect Your Energy at Work (Without Hiding Under Your Desk)

Let’s be real—work can be exhausting. Between back-to-back meetings, endless email chains, and that one coworker who always “circles back,” it’s easy to feel drained before lunchtime. If you’ve ever left work feeling like a human stress ball, it’s time to learn how to protect your energy at work—without quitting and becoming a full-time hermit.

Why Protecting Your Energy at Work Matters

Your energy isn’t an unlimited resource (no, coffee doesn’t count). When you’re constantly overextended, your productivity, focus, and sanity take a hit. Burnout isn’t just a buzzword—it’s real, and it often sneaks up on people who think “pushing through” is the answer. Spoiler: it’s not.

So, how do you protect your energy at work without looking like you’ve given up on life? Let’s dive in.

1. Set Boundaries Like a Boss

Boundaries aren’t just for toddlers and Wi-Fi passwords. If you say yes to every request, you’ll end up as the office doormat. Protect your energy by:

• Blocking focus time on your calendar (yes, even from that “quick 5-minute meeting” that never is).

• Saying no when your plate is full—politely, but firmly. “I’d love to help, but I’m at capacity” works wonders.

• Not responding to emails at 10 PM (unless you enjoy setting the expectation that you’re always available).

Remember: Your time is valuable, act like it.

2. Master the Art of Selective Ignoring

Not every Slack message, email, or “urgent” request deserves your immediate attention. Some things can wait. Some things can even… be ignored entirely.

• That never-ending group chat about Karen’s cat? Mute it.

• The "urgent" request that’s actually just a typo fix? It’ll survive.

• The office gossip session about Steve’s mysterious lunch choices? You don’t need that drama.

Energy is like Wi-Fi—if too many things are connected, everything slows down. Disconnect from what drains you.

3. Take Breaks Like You Mean It

If you work straight through lunch, congrats—you played yourself. Breaks are not a luxury, they’re a necessity.

• Take a real lunch break (eating over your keyboard doesn’t count).

• Step outside—fresh air does wonders.

• Do literally anything other than work for 5-10 minutes every hour.

You wouldn’t let your phone hit 1% battery and expect it to function. Treat yourself at least as well as your phone.

4. Protect Yourself With a Disco Ball of Energy ✨

This might sound woo-woo, but your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between real and imagined experiences. Whether you physically experience something or just visualize it, your body and mind respond as if it’s real. So, let’s use that to your advantage.

Try this: Imagine yourself surrounded by a giant, shimmering disco ball of energy. Any negativity, stress, or office drama that comes your way? It bounces right off and reflects back to wherever it came from.

• That coworker’s passive-aggressive comment? Ping! Deflected.

• Your boss’s “urgent” email at 4:59 PM? Boing! Not today.

• The collective stress of a deadline crunch? Nope, not sticking to you.

This might feel silly at first, but remember—your subconscious believes what you tell it. The more you visualize yourself as an untouchable force field of positivity, the less other people’s stress will seep into your own energy.

Bonus points if you actually play disco music in your head while doing this.

5. Leave Work… at Work

Easier said than done, but crucial. If you bring work stress home, you're never truly off the clock.

• Set a hard stop time—and stick to it.

• Have a shutdown routine—wrap up, log off, and resist the urge to “just check one more thing.”

• Do something for yourself after work—exercise, hobbies, or just staring at the ceiling in peaceful silence.

You don’t get paid to worry about work in your free time. Clock out mentally, too.

Workplace Wellness That Actually Works

(Because Your Employees Aren’t Robots… Yet.)

Your team isn’t struggling because they lack skills—they’re drowning in stress, miscommunication, and endless meetings that should have been emails. If you want a high-performing, engaged workforce (with fewer passive-aggressive email chains), it’s time for a smarter approach to workplace wellness.

Solutions That Actually Make a Difference

🚨 For Companies That Need a Full Overhaul

If burnout, inefficiency, and disengagement are your company’s daily reality, Workplace Overhaul is a hands-on, deep-dive intervention designed to fix workplace dysfunction at the root.

📲 Need Something Self-Paced?

For teams that need practical leadership, communication, and stress management tools without a full reset, our On-Demand Workplace Survival Kit offers instant access to sanity-saving strategies—without adding to the workload.

Take the First Step:

✔ Apply for Workplace Overhaul – If your workplace needs a serious transformation, let’s talk.

✔ Get the Workplace Survival Kit – Give your team the tools to work smarter, lead better, and reduce stress today.

👇🏼

Explore Solutions Now

(Because hoping things improve isn’t a strategy.)

About the Author

Phallyn is a corporate veteran turned workplace wellness expert with over a decade of experience in high-pressure environments. Certified in Feng Shui and hypnotherapy, she transformed her own burnout into a career helping businesses build healthier, more effective teams—without outdated corporate fluff. Through humor, honesty, and real-world strategies, she’s here to make work work better.

📧 Stay Connected:

💡 Apply for Workplace Overhaul – See if your company is ready for change.

📲 Get the Workplace Survival Kit – Instant access to stress-proofing, leadership, and productivity strategies.

📩 Subscribe – Get workplace wellness insights (and corporate humor) straight to your inbox.

🔗 Follow on LinkedIn & Facebook – Leadership tips, behind-the-scenes insights, and more.

✨ Work doesn’t have to feel like an endurance test. Let’s change the game—together 🙌🏼.