7 ways to recharge your battery

becca
Feb 27, 2020
5 min read

No, I don't mean your car battery or your phone battery. I mean your heart battery...lol so cheesy.

Do you ever feel like life is just whizzing by at 100mph? All of a sudden the week/month/year is over but in your mind it had just begun? You look back and are like, "What did I even do this week? What did I accomplish?" This happens to me a lot...and I mean A LOT. And when this happens, I know that it's time to take a step back and analyze why I don't feel like I'm getting a lot out of my everyday life.

It usually stems from taking too much on and not living in the moment; not being present and mindful. Mindfulness is a practice that takes a lot of...practice. You really have to work at it every single day. And even if you do that, you're going to go through periods where you lose your mindfulness. And have to work to get it back. But don't let that discourage you.

Take a moment to slow down and appreciate all the good things in life.

This past weekend was a major recharging moment in my life. And I didn't even realize that I needed it until it happened. I hadn't had that kind of quality time with my mom and sisters in probably years. It was just us...drinking coffee, eating muffins and bouncing ideas off one another for a solid 5 hours. We then proceeded to do a little shopping at a local clothing store, get Mexican and margaritas, and simply chat about life. Not to mention I got to see my nieces and nephew to top the day off.

There were multiple moments in the day where I felt like a weight was lifted. And not that my life had been extremely stressful or that I had a lot going on, but I think I just needed quality time with family and I didn't even realize it. Not to mention how awesome it was to have genuine, uninterrupted conversations with my mom and sisters. Usually there's so much commotion going on around us that we can't REALLY talk. But on Saturday, we got that quality time. And it was SO GOOD.

I'm hoping (and planning) on this becoming a regular thing for us. My spirits were really high Saturday evening and I could definitely use more of that on a regular basis.

If you're ever feeling like life is whizzing by, recognize it and take a moment to step back. What would make it slow down for you? There are multiple things that help me to become more mindful; to find and recognize all of the blessings I have in life. I'm going to share some of those ideas with you in hopes that you'll be able to take a step back and become more mindful, as well as have multiple options in your back pocket as to how to recharge when you're feeling completely drained. As I've said before, life is too dang short to let it quickly pass you by.

1. Spend a Saturday afternoon with the ones you love

And don't have anything on the docket; keep the day wide open. No plans means no stress (or should). Take the time to simply appreciate your life and the lives of those around you. When we get together with family, it tends to have this spastic/hurried/stressed vibe around it. Take that out of the picture. Completely eliminate it by just simply BEING. Don't try to control the environment. Just let the day take shape as God intended.

2. Take a walk

Whether it's around your neighborhood or a planned hike outside of town, just take the dogs (or simply yourself) and GET OUT. Even leave the phone at home (if you think it's safe). Unplug. Take in your surroundings. Breathe in that fresh air. Look up at the clouds and thank the universe for blessing you with this incredible life.

3. Grab a book

For me, burying my head into a good book can really help relieve some stress. You get lost in a completely fictional world and lose sight of those little stress-filled thoughts you had beforehand. All of these tips go back to taking some "me time" to recharge, but I think this one is especially good to implement in your life. Turn off all other noise, go sit in a quiet room by yourself and read for 30+ minutes. You'll be surprised at how much you'll start to look forward to reading time. Ever heard of the Harry Potter series? ;) You should give it a shot.

4. Pour a glass & sit on a patio

I would choose wine, but it doesn't have to be. :) Freshly brewed sweet tea, lemonade...whatever it is, pour yourself some and go relax in the sunshine. This isn't the best time of year for this, I realize, but keep it in mind for the upcoming spring and summer months. I grab my drink, head to the backyard and sit on the patio while my dogs are playing. Soak up the sunshine and enjoy the beautiful day. You could also bring that great book with you if it suits your fancy. ;)

5. Go home

And I don't mean your personal home...I mean your parent's home. The place you grew up. Or, if they've moved, the place where the people who raised you are located. When I was having a really tough time several years ago, or even in college when I was feeling really stressed out, I would go "home" for the day. And immediately feel relief. There's something about a hug from mom and dad (plus mom's home-cooked meals) that fills your heart. That recharges your battery. Parents somehow have a way of understanding even when they don't know the full situation...imagine that.

6. Take a bath

I'm not really a bath kind of person unless I've showered beforehand...lol. Don't like sitting in my own funk. But I do find it very relaxing if I've bathed prior to. Another way I do a little daily recharge is taking long, hot showers at the end of the day. Clint isn't very appreciative of me taking all the hot water (whoops), but it helps me relax. It's my thinking time, too. I process what happened that day or work through plans for the coming days. It's my daily time to take a step back and recharge that battery a little.

7. Write

I wasn't kidding when I said that this whole blogging thing has turned into quite the therapy session. Putting your thoughts onto paper, or the internet in this instance, can allow you to take a deep breath. Even if you don't share it with anyone, letting it all out helps to relieve the stress that carrying it was causing. Bottling it up isn't doing you any good. If you're feeling really passionate about something or if something is bothering you, write it down. Talk it through on paper. See how you feel afterwards. It'll likely feel like a weight has been lifted.

Take back control of your life by LOSING control. Everything doesn't always have to be in its place; you don't always have to have a plan. Being more mindful of how you're feeling and why you're feeling that way, is a very important step in recharging your battery. You have to be able to recognize when you're overwhelmed and you have to be okay with taking the necessary YOU time to re-balance. Embrace every moment. Be mindful of every moment.

Thank you for joining me and I hope you were able to really gain something positive from today's post.

A place to be #unapologeticallyme.