DISCOVERING YOUR OWN RECHARGE MECHANSIMS

Once you’ve acknowledged the importance of taking time for yourself to recharge and renew, it’s wise to dive deeper into what things register for you as “battery rechargers” -- your own personal recharge and renewal mechanisms that you can implement to make your life more fulfilling and bring more ease. 

 

A common misconception is to think that recharging requires enough time to drive to the beach and back for a long walk, or for a full night out with friends and family. Such things may require a few hours out of your day – a sizeable chunk if you’re busy like most of us!  In truth, recharge can happen in just a few moments of fun and laughter wherever you are, or quiet meditation in your comfort spot at home.  Furthermore, for some individuals, walking on the beach doesn’t quite “do it” for them – but walking on a golf course while playing a round or two does!  Recharging can be so individual, and that’s the beauty of it.  No two of us are just alike.

 

What are your recharge mechanisms?  Something as simple as reading a magazine or browsing a catalog just for ideas?  Or ‘playing’ in the garden by snipping off the old dead stuff to renew your plants?  Some people enjoy polishing the car or tinkering on their boat to relax.  They find it a moving meditation.  Laughing and sharing stories on the phone with a buddy can qualify.  For some of us, we renew by playing our favorite music and dancing or singing along (I prefer to do both 😊).  What works for you?

 

Are there characteristics these all have in common?  Do they mostly use the right “creative/emotive” side of the brain versus the left “analytic/mental” side?   Rather than being “productivity/performance/output” driven activities, are they instead the enjoyable pastimes that allow one’s thoughts to wander and wonder, the muscles to relax a wee bit?  I would say, resoundingly yes!

 

To make the most of this, why not have some fun with a discovery process for yourself?  Try out a few possible recharge options, and then notice how you feel after you’ve engaged in each one. Perhaps rate each option for yourself on a 1 to 10 scale of enjoyment.

 

For example, I found that on Sunday morning it’s draining to go through emails on my phone to clear out the junk, yet watching 10 minutes of cute videos with adorable dogs and cats on YouTube makes me laugh and I start my day with joy.  Therefore, I’ve put funny animal videos into my “recharge mechanisms” category, with clearing out emails into my “distraction” category when I’m aiming for quality R & R time.  (Better to clean out emails while at the car wash waiting for the car to dry, or similar.)

 

Whether you’re a business person desiring more work life balance, or a stay at home parent juggling all the balls of that job, I encourage you to keep that beautiful life balance between output and input, action and productivity versus rest and renew. Analyze how you currently fill your open time, then reflect deeply for a moment – what gives you the most joy and relaxation, in what doses or frequency? Do you ever have open time – up until now? Or have you been scheduling every moment of your day with no timeouts?

 

If you find you aren’t already filling those spare moments with one of your favorite recharge mechanisms, amp those up and recharge up!  You’ll be thrilled as your resiliency and enthusiasm for life increases, and you’ll be so glad you put in the thought time to allow this to unfold!

 

©2025 Marie Moran