Let me start this article by asking you a question. Have you ever been completely exhausted without even lifting a finger? Perhaps it was something that was mentally exhausting. I remember closing on my commercial property and barely having the strength to walk out of the office. I also remember when my mother was in the hospital and feeling the same level of exhaustion. I was emotionally and mentally drained.
I believe that most people associate getting tired with physical exertion. While this is true of course, by pushing and challenging yourself physically will make you tired, however, it is also mentally exhilarating as well. Sometimes you may not feel great doing the exercise, but you almost always feel better after. I am talking about the kind of tired where your mind has been so active that you have depleted your mental energy. It could be stressful situations at work, it could difficult conversations with someone your care about or making tough decisions.
Fact is that we only have a certain amount of mental energy at our disposal. Similar to your cell phone or any battery operated device. Once the energy is depleted, it won’t function as well or at all. We are the same way. When our mental energy is depleted, we don’t have the mental capacity to make rational and logical decisions. In fact, situations that would typically be perceived as minor become major crisis’s because our minds could only handle so much. Have you ever had a situation where you felt this way? I know I have.
In fact, just the other day, my wife mentioned that she had a difficult conversation with someone very close to her and told me how tired she was after. Her words were, “I am so tired my eyes hurt”. Yet, she did not do any extra strenuous activity, she used up her mental energy for the time being and she was in need of a recharge. We went out for a nice dinner, had good conversations and she was feeling better.
Well, the next question is how do we replenish our mental energy once it’s depleted. How do we re-charge our batteries per say. I have come up with five things that you could do to quickly to charge up your mental energy and get back to running at full capacity. I personally have utilized all of these in my own life and it has worked every time. Enjoy!
1. Sitting Meditation: Meditation is one of the best ways that you could replenish your energy quickly. The ability to close your eyes, breathe deeply, quiet your mind and slow down your brain waves will do wonders for you for a quick energy fix. I do this just about every morning. A key to meditation is to allow any thoughts that come in and out of your mind without giving much attention to any of them. If you try to resist the incoming thoughts, you will think about resisting and won’t give your mind an opportunity to calm down. When you are able to sit for 20 minutes or a half hour in meditation, you will instantly feel better.
2. Active Meditation: While sitting meditation is being still and quieting your mind, active meditation gives you the same benefit but while in activity. Active meditation could be a hobby or interest that you engage in which engulfs your mind, body and spirit into the activity. For example, adult coloring books have become a great form of active meditation. Many people including my daughter look to adult coloring to calm their mind down. Others look to gardening, walking their dog, cooking or more physically challenging activities such as martial arts, exercise, endurance activities. It really doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you allow yourself to engage in the activity that will temporarily take you away from your current reality. That in turn will recharge your batteries.
3. Go in nature: There is nothing more invigorating and rejuvenating than a walk in the woods or spending time in nature. We were born to be outdoors, in nature, in our natural environment. We were not meant to be confined to four walls sitting at a computer behind a desk. Breathing in the fresh air, stepping away from the electromagnetic energy from your portable devices, and removing yourself from whatever situation that depleted your energy in the first place will do wonders. There is a natural connection that we have with the environment that eliminates the stress and tension right out of you. For me personally, I make a point to be outdoors everyday at some capacity. It is a must in my world and you will do well if you give it a try.
4. Get entertained: Sometimes a great movie, play or even a good book will take your mind elsewhere. I recall seeing a movie recently and completely losing myself in the movie and temporarily forgetting about the rest of my life. (Not that my life was bad) It is a great feeling to sit down, completely engaged in a performance and lose track of your own being. That is why the movie industry is so lucrative and is a multi billion dollar industry. It has the ability to take individuals away from their own reality and give them a mental respite from their own world. If you are feeling overwhelmed, seek out some form of entertainment so you could get your mini-vacation from reality.
5. Take a trip: For those individuals who have been working on a project that has lasted for an extended period of time, you may need a bit more than meditation and a walk in the woods. You need a vacation. Here’s the deal. You could continue on without a break and slowly watch your energy disappear to the point where mistakes and challenges become the norm. Or you could step away from the situation, take some time for yourself or with your family, recharge your mind and come back ready to do what needs to be done. Think about it, you always feel better after a break even when you think you can’t get away. Trust me, life will go on even if you are not there so do as Nike says; just do it!
OK, so which one are you going to do first. The great thing is the first four of them could be put into action right away. Obviously, the vacation or trip will take some planning but once you get the ball rolling, you will be energized just knowing you will be getting away. Please make sure you take the time to do something, especially if you have recognized that you may need it. Some signs to look for in recognizing your mental energy may be depleted are:
• Lack of physical energy
• Lack of patience and feeling stressed
• Answering back sharply
• Always tired
• Lack of motivation
• Complaining
• Feeling as if everything is a major crisis
• Not wanting to get out of bed
• Mind is racing all the time
Well, if any of these are you, take some time for yourself and recharge your batteries.
If you should have any questions or comments regarding this article or any other articles I have written, I would love to hear about it. Feel free to comment in the comment section below, share on social media or even email me at cberlow@empoweredmastery.com if you wish. I promise that if you reach out to me, I will personally respond. Thank you for taking the time to read and look forward to hearing from you.
All the best!
Chris Berlow