Why Do You Always Feel "Drained"? A Disruptive View of Energy

On No Mind Tells You: True Energy Never Depletes

"I'm exhausted," "That drained me," "I need to recharge"—these are phrases we often use. We tend to believe that work, socializing, and chores "deplete" our precious life energy, while rest and entertainment "replenish" it.

Section 3.2 of Chapter 3 in On No Mind presents a completely different energy model: In the state of No Mind, energy is not "used up" but "flows through." Nothing is inherently "depleting." The feeling of being drained arises because "mind at work" creates friction in the process.

Part 1: Resetting the Energy Model: From "Battery" to "Ocean"

We usually see ourselves as a "battery" that needs constant recharging, with limited energy that diminishes with use. This perception makes us fearful of giving, calculative of gains and losses, living in a deep-seated sense of scarcity.

But Self-Nature is like the sun—shining on all things without losing its light; like the ocean—churning for eons without losing a drop. Your essence is the boundless "Deep Sea," not the fleeting "wave" on the surface.

When you identify as the limited, isolated "wave" (the ego), any action feels like depleting yourself. But when you recognize yourself as the infinite "ocean" (Self-Nature), all action becomes the natural undulation and expression of the ocean's energy.

Part 2: The Real Source of "Feeling Drained": Inner Friction

Feeling "tired" is often not caused by the action itself, but by the immense inner friction created by "mind at work" during the process:

1. Resistance: "I don't want to do this, but I have to."

2. Fragmentation: The body acts, but the mind is elsewhere (regretting the past, worrying about the future).

3. Judgment: Doing while simultaneously evaluating how well, how fast, or how meaningful it is.

4. Identification: Strongly tying the outcome of action to "my worth" or "my image."

These mental activities are like driving with both the accelerator and brake pressed simultaneously; energy burns out in this internal conflict. The energy consumed by the task itself is far less than what is consumed by your "mental drama" about the task.

Part 3: The Energy Flow in No Mind: How to Work All Day and Still Feel Energized?

The key is not to do less, but to change the "identity" with which you act—from a "limited user" to an "infinite channel."

Practice: Transform Your Language and Mindset

1. Transform Your Speech:

   • Change "This task drained a lot of my energy" to "A lot of energy flowed through me in this task."

   • Change "I must finish this task" to "Life energy is manifesting through me to complete this expression."

2. Do One Thing Fully:
   Choose a small daily task (like replying to an email, organizing your desk). For the few minutes you do it, be 100% with it. Feel the tactile sensation of fingers on keys, feel the flow of thought, feel the simple completion at the end. Don't think about meaning, don't worry about what's next—just fully experience this "flowing through" process.

3. Find "Stillness in Motion":
   Amid busyness, pause for a second. Shift attention from "what is being done" to the "vast background awareness in which doing is happening." Feel that unmoving "presence." You'll find the body moves, but the heart rests at the bottom of the Deep Sea. This is the "moving yet unmoving" state of No Mind.

When inner friction vanishes, energy is no longer "consumed," but flows like water through a clean pipe—smooth and unobstructed. You'll experience a peculiar lightness: having done much, yet not feeling tired, because energy renews itself in the flow.

Conclusion: You Are Not an Energy Consumer, You Are the Ocean of Energy

What On No Mind offers us is a fundamental sense of security: You are inherently whole and never depleted.

Life does not need to be lived cautiously in "energy-saving mode." On the contrary, when you dare to engage fully and become a clear channel for energy to flow through, you'll find the more you give, the more abundant you feel; the more you act, the more vitality you have.

Stop calculating the gain and loss of energy. Abide in No Mind, let the energy of life flow freely through you—to create, to serve, to experience this infinitely abundant world.

True rest is not stopping action, but stopping the inner friction of "mind at work."
True energy is not gained through storage, but radiates in unobstructed flow.

Core ideas derived from On No Mind, Chapter 3.2: "Nothing Depletes You: The Energy Flow in No Mind".