I read another really good blog lately that talked about the importance of "re-charging" to the human lifestyle. It is really amazing to me how often people forget about that aspect of living. How can you do it? Especially at this time of year when it seems everyone is busy and school is either ending for high schoolers or about to begin again for summer college sessions? Well, I have learned the importance of a few key things, and I would like to suggest a few of them for you to consider.
Exactly what do I mean by re-charging? Just starting anew. Getting a new wind, finding a way to re-energize. This afternoon, I was tired. It had been a very busy week and I had been working hard to get a lot done in not enough time. The coming week promises to be more of the same, if not more intense. How can you face it if you don't take time for rest and play? The answer, quite simply put, is that you can't. You will struggle through and not be your best - not a good option.
Each day, and the living of it, has to be a conscious creation in which discipline and order are relieved with some play and pure foolishness. - Mary Satton
I like to think that when I work, I work hard. I spend all my time figuring out what I need to get done, and then I attack it. I tend to be that way when I rest and play too. I knew today was a day that I would need to do some work. I don't really like to work on Saturdays, I would rather enjoy the entire day doing whatever I want. Adulthood has taught me that it is not always possible to delay my work. It needs doing - but when I finished what I had as a goal, I said "now it's me time." I took a nap and got some reading done to catch up on what is going on in the world. It was wonderful! I feel so much better and happier than I did before I did it. That is re-charging. A change in your state of mind.
Bunny slippers give me confidence because they're so jaunty. They make a statement; they say, 'Nothing the world does to me can ever get me so far down that I can't be silly and frivolous.' If I died and found myself in Hell, I could endure the place if I had bunny slippers. - Dean Koontz
Dean Koontz writes intense and scary books. He must need to feel silly every so often to offset the intensity of his work, otherwise I would think he would go crazy. He knows how to play, and it is important for adults to know how to be silly and crazy. Having fun, laughing, and letting go of responsibilities for a moment will recharge you better than anything. My husband and I make faces at each other from across the room sometimes just to tell each other to relax and enjoy life. It is helpful to do something really ridiculous every so often - it's good to spend a majority of the day with a smile on your face.
He who does not get fun and enjoyment out of every day needs to reorganize his life. - George Matthew Adams
Besides play and rest, it is great to talk to people and to spend a little time daydreaming. Talking seems easy, but there are different types of talking. There is talking that leads to accomplishing a task and there is talking just to talk to someone because you want to have a conversation. It is easy with texting and e-mailing to lose the art of conversing. Digital talk doesn't really count. You need to see the sparkle of someone's eye to really have a great talk, and if you don't enjoy this... well, I suggest it is worth working on. I have been around people who don't like talking. They look away and try to detach. Of course, I can't force conversation from my end, but I encourage everyone to spend time really talking every day. Ask someone how they feel about something. You might be amazed at how much you enjoy hearing what they have to say. Also, try to lose yourself in a daydream for a few minutes when you can. It is really freeing, and tends to make you happy! Push yourself to have ideas... I daydream about a place that doesn't exist yet but will in the future if my daydreams come true. I would like to have a small home by the water where I can entertain my future grandkids and have all of my art supplies and things that I love. I don't know if this "art shack" as I have dubbed it, exists by a lake, a river or a pond - or maybe the ocean? I sure do love to daydream about it though, and it makes me incredibly happy to think about it.
Laughter is a holy thing. It is as sacred as music and silence and solemnity, maybe more sacred. Laughter is like a prayer, like a bridge over which creatures tiptoe to meet each other. Laughter is like mercy; it heals. When you can laugh at yourself, you are free. - Ted Loder
Another very quick way to recharge is to just sleep for awhile and breathe deeply. On the days that I am the most tired and the most stressed, I almost always realize that I am short on these two ingredients. I love to nap when I can, which is usually only a couple days a week. Today was one of those lovely days. I woke up feeling a zillion times better and ready to complete my day. I took time to breathe deeply. Poor respiration causes bad stress levels to increase and anxieties and worries to appear out of thin air. Yoga concentrates on breathing properly, and this really has helped me in the past with being able to re-focus on taking in a sufficient amount of oxygen to get my brain to work at its peak. I hope you will take a few moments today to re-charge your battery in whatever way works for you!
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