What I do when I need to recharge
Do you ever just hit a wall? You could be feeling fine one day and the next day, you’ve had enough. For me, I know this time comes when I’m feeling irritable, exhausted and impatient. The slightest inconvenience can throw me into a tailspin. When I reach that point, I have to check in with myself and reprioritize in order to get in some “me time”. Here are a couple of things I do when I need to recharge.
Alone Time - This is so important to me personally. When you’re married and also working from home with your significant other, it can be days (or even weeks) since the last time you’ve truly had some alone time. Not that I don’t love spending time with my husband, but sometimes you need that quiet time to be still with your thoughts. When I need some alone time, I like to go and get my nails done and listen to a podcast or music. No talking for two and a half hours is heaven.
Going on a Walk - I’m a believer in movement helping emotions to move through you. Going on a walk is one of my favorite forms of exercise. I like a nice, long and relaxing walk. For me, there is no better place to do that than walking the trails at Town Lake here in Austin. The scenery is beautiful and being outside just automatically boosts my serotonin.
Cooking - Some people find cooking stressful or maybe the exact opposite of recharging. Not for me. I love trying out new recipes and getting creative in the kitchen. I can have a hard time sitting still and so making something with my hands is soothing to me. Putting on some jazz music and pouring myself some wine just takes it to the next level.
Take a Bath - I’m a big bath person. I know they are definitely not for everyone but I find them to be so relaxing. I’ll all about romanticizing my life, so I think the luxury of taking a bath at the end of the day is unmatched. I like to light candles, play music, add bath salts and read my current book.
Read a Book - For me, reading is a form of meditation. When i’m feeling overwhelmed by life, I find myself constantly scrolling or struggling to stay focused on one task at a time. When I’m reading, that is literally all that I am doing. You can’t multi-task while reading, so it forces you to get quiet and concentrate on one sole thing. Something that is especially hard these days.
Have a Flow Day - A flow day is where you don’t make any plans or don’t tell yourself “I need to do this” or “I have to get that done”. You simply just ask yourself what you want to do in that moment, with no plans of what you will do after that. You go from one activity to the next without planning out anything, just doing what you feel in the moment. This is something new that I’m trying out and to be completely honest, is difficult for me. As someone who wants to control everything and gets a lot of satisfaction out of “accomplishing”, I’m trying to be better about having these types of days to reduce my overall stress.
What do you do to recharge?
