Energy Leadership Index - Level 1 : When Life Happens TO You
- Sophie van het Erve
- Jul 2
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 17
You might know that feeling when your alarm doesn't go off, you spill coffee on your shirt, your computer crashes right before an important deadline, and suddenly you're sitting in your car thinking, "Of course (this is happening to me. Why does everything always go wrong?)"
Or maybe it's bigger than a bad morning. Maybe it's that season when job applications keep getting rejected, relationships feel strained, and you can't shake the feeling that you're stuck. Stuck in quicksand – the harder you try to move forward, the deeper you seem to sink.
Welcome to Level 1 energy. It’s no fun here.
Before we go any further, let me be clear: there's absolutely nothing wrong with you for experiencing this. Level 1 is a completely human response to feeling overwhelmed, powerless, or defeated. We all visit this energy level, and recognizing it is actually the first step toward freedom.
The Energy Leadership Index (ELI) is a research-backed assessment that measures how your energy shows up in two key scenarios: when you're under stress versus when you're performing at your best. It reveals your energy patterns across seven distinct levels – from destructive, draining energy to creative, life-giving energy. This blogpost provides a general overview of the ELI.
The Landscape of Level 1: "I Can't"
Level 1 energy is characterized as the victim level. Not because you're playing victim, but because circumstances genuinely feel like they're happening TO you rather than WITH you. The core thought pattern here is "I can't." I can't change this situation. I can't make it better. I can't see a way forward.
From this level, the world might feel heavy and hopeless. Problems seem insurmountable. Other people appear to have it all figured out while you're barely keeping your head above water. There's often a sense of apathy or resignation, like "What's the point of even trying?"
The emotional landscape includes feeling stuck, helpless, overwhelmed, defeated, or numb. Energy feels depleted. Motivation is practically nonexistent. It's like trying to run through mud while everyone else seems to be racing ahead on clear pavement.
Level 1 in the Workplace: When Everything Feels Impossible
In professional settings, Level 1 energy might show up as consistently missing deadlines not because you don't care, but because everything feels impossibly difficult. You might find yourself thinking, "My boss doesn't understand how much I have on my plate”, "Of course they gave me the impossible project,”or “This isn’t my fault, I’m set up to fail.”
Team meetings become exercises in explaining why things can't be done rather than exploring how they might be accomplished.
You might catch yourself saying things like, "That'll never work here" or "They don't pay me enough to deal with this."
There's often a lot of blame in Level 1. Not malicious blame, but the kind that comes from genuinely feeling powerless to change your circumstances. The department is disorganized. The leadership doesn't communicate well. The systems are broken.
All of these things might even be objectively true, but from Level 1, they feel like immovable barriers rather than challenges to navigate.
Level 1 in Relationships: The Martyrdom Trap
Level 1 energy in personal relationships often looks like martyrdom or chronic helplessness. You might find yourself saying things like, "I do everything around here" or "No one appreciates how hard I work to keep this family/friendship/relationship together."
At Level 1, there's a sense of being taken advantage of, misunderstood, or unsupported. You might feel like you're always giving and never receiving, always accommodating and never being accommodated.
Conversations become litanies of everything that's wrong, everyone who's let you down, and all the ways life isn't fair. Arguments (both those imaginary ones in your head, and those with other people) tend to focus on the past – all the times you've been hurt, disappointed, or ignored.
It becomes difficult to see your role in relationship dynamics because you're genuinely experiencing yourself as the recipient of others' choices rather than an active participant in creating the relationship dynamic.
The Hidden Gifts of Level 1: Yes, Really
Here's something that might surprise you: Level 1 energy, uncomfortable as it is, comes with genuine gifts. When we're operating from this level, we often develop deep empathy for others who are struggling. We become acutely aware of systems, relationships, or situations that aren't working. We develop a finely tuned sensitivity to injustice and unfairness.
Level 1 can also be a powerful catalyst for change. Sometimes we need to hit bottom before we're willing to do the hard work of shifting our circumstances or our relationship to our circumstances. Rock bottom, as they say, can become the solid foundation on which you rebuild.
There's also an honesty in Level 1 that's worth acknowledging. When you're here, you're not pretending everything is fine when it isn't. You're not forcing false positivity. You're experiencing your reality authentically, even if that reality feels heavy and difficult.
Recognizing When You're Operating from Level 1
Level 1 can be sneaky because it often feels justified. And oftentimes it is – there are genuinely difficult circumstances that warrant feeling overwhelmed or powerless.
The key is recognizing when you're stuck in this energy versus when you're just moving through a natural response to challenging situations.
Some signs you might be operating from Level 1 of the Energy Leadership Index:
Everything feels like it's happening TO you rather than WITH you
You frequently think or say "I can't" without exploring alternatives
Problems feel insurmountable rather than challenging
You find yourself explaining why things won't work more than exploring how they might
There's a lot of focus on what others need to change for things to improve
You feel chronically drained, regardless of how much rest you get
Small setbacks feel like major disasters
You notice yourself using absolute language: "always," "never," "everyone," "no one"
Gentle Strategies for Shifting Out: No Toxic Positivity Here
If you recognize yourself in Level 1 right now, please hear this: you don't need to positive-think your way out. You don't need to "just choose a better attitude." Those approaches often make Level 1 energy worse because they add self-judgment to an already difficult experience.
Instead, try these gentler approaches:
Start with validation. Acknowledge that your feelings make sense given your circumstances. You're not wrong for feeling overwhelmed if you actually are overwhelmed.
Look for the smallest possible next step. Not the solution to everything, just the tiniest movement forward. Maybe it's sending one email, making your bed, or asking one person for help.
Connect with someone who gets it. Level 1 energy thrives in isolation. Even a brief conversation with someone who understands can provide relief.
Focus on what you can control. This might be as simple as what you have for lunch or what time you go to bed. When everything feels chaotic, exercising choice in small areas can rebuild your sense of agency.
Practice the phrase "right now." Instead of "I can't handle this," try "I can't handle this right now." It's a small shift that opens the door to future possibility.
Level 1 is often where transformation begins. It's the energy that says, "Something needs to change," even when you can't yet see how that change might happen. And sometimes, that recognition is exactly what your system needs to begin the journey toward something different.
The goal isn't to never experience Level 1 energy. We all do, we all will. The aim is to recognize it, move through it with self-compassion, and gradually build your capacity to shift to more constructive energy when you're ready.
Understanding your energy patterns is the first step toward living an intentional life. If you're finding yourself frequently in Level 1 energy, know that this is valuable information about your current circumstances and internal state – and it's absolutely possible to develop greater choice in how you respond to life's challenges. Take the ELI assessment and book a debrief to discover what this could look life for you.
