Virginia WaltonWe know our devices need a charge and we would not dream of going away without a charger, yet we think we can go for days without giving ourselves time to recharge.
Why do we treat our devices better than ourselves? I suspect two reasons:
1) We simply do not think about it
2) We think it is selfish to put ourselves in front of our to-do lists.
I used to say, I’ll sleep when I die. Guess what if I hadn’t changed my approach that might have been sooner than desired. Just like your phone needs time on the charger, your laptop does not perform well when its battery is too low, you will not perform your best if you do not give yourself energy.
I am not saying you have to go away for a week and leave your phone at home, nor do you have to spend hours a day sitting cross-legged chanting on a round cushion. If you can and want to do this, GREAT
I am talking about finding the time for a quick reset each day.
Here are my three simple tips for a recharge.
1. Meditate.
Just five minutes of quiet focus will clear your mind.
Before you say, “I can’t get five minutes of quiet”, I know you can. If you have to turn your phone off or put it on airplane mode. May you have tried this, but found yourself sitting there with everything on your to-do list running through your head,
You run teams, a house, raise kids, care for parents, and serve your community, I do not believe there is anything you cannot do if you put your mind to it. Pun intended!
Seriously, though I get it, I’ve been there and have days where that is what happens when I turn my timer on, but I notice it and then just place all my focus on breathing in and out. When you focus on your breathing your mind goes there and not to your to-do list.
It is basically a reset button for your mind.
2. Exercise.
Again, you do not have to find an hour or rush to meet the class schedule at your gym or yoga studio. This time of year is great for being outdoors.
A 10-minute walk at lunchtime will refresh you and give you that second wind for the afternoon. Clearing your mind by stepping away from your desk will make you more productive.
If your day goes off-plan, do not just skip your exercise, something is better than nothing.
Saturday, I had to be at my Church at 10:15 to be ready for Confirmation, so I had my morning planned, but then my Religious Education Director texted me asking if I could be there at 9:45. Instead of skipping my cardio, I got on the elliptical and thought I can do 20 minutes instead of 40, it’s better than nothing. Because I was cutting my time, I pushed myself harder to try to get as much out of it.
This is when being Type A, is a blessing!
3. Combine the two!
Yes, you can do a walking meditation! You can find walking meditations online or in free meditation apps. If you want to make it a technology-free experience, go for a walk and focus on everything you see such as the clouds, the flowers, trees, the architecture of the buildings you pass, and the color of the ground.
Just like focusing on your breathing, focusing on your surroundings will take your mind away from the never-ending to-do list or the projects and issues you are working to resolve.
Stop making excuses.
There are simple ways to build a recharge that do not involve caffeine or a cookie!
You can find 5 to 20 minutes every day for these!
If you truly cannot find 20 minutes, you need to reach out ASAP because that is not sustainable. The good news is I am confident that we can find it!