An Anthem of Hope: 4 Ways to Recharge
I have come to a seriously harsh and surprising reality as of late.
Balls are gon’ drop, people. Balls gon’ drop.
I can’t believe how increasingly difficult it has gotten to keep balance in my life when it comes to the day job, the freelance work, the husband, the friends, the family, the house… All the way down to the sad little dog sitting at my feet right now who is patiently in desperate need of a walk. I know that I am preaching to a choir of ball balancers here, so this is more of a “can you believe it, guys?!” statement, more than a statement that I think will be surprising to a single one of you.
This week I have realized how important it is to all the balls in my life (are you giggling yet?) to focus on recharging in healthy ways… Not just by taking time to allow myself to trail off and read a few blog posts that my friends have written or get lost on Instagram… But real. Tangible. Spiritual. Life-giving recharging.
This post is an anthem of hope for the future. Not a “This is how I have done it successfully” post because Lord knows, I haven’t… Don’t believe me? Just Ask the 14 unread text messages on my phone and my husband sitting next to me waiting for me to catch up on my blog posts for the week, so that we can go play.
So… here is my anthem of hope for recharging over this next season of figuring out how to balance it all…
READ OFFLINE //
When I make time to catch up on a good book that has been sitting in my stack for a long time, it does something really good for my soul. I tried to replace this pastime with listening to books on tape while driving or working, but it just doesn’t have the same effect on me. There is something about the satisfaction of choosing to sit down, light a candle, put my feet up, and choosing reading over all of the other options on the table. Even if it is just for a mere 30 minutes every other day, reading makes my mind slow down and does good things for my soul.
SHOWER //
It is a known fact that showering does amazing things for the brain. It tricks you into thinking you are refreshed on the inside, even though you have truly only refreshed on the outside. Because I am up so early (and shower less than every day… I’ll just leave it at that), I often miss out on the beauty of a refreshing shower as a recharge during my day. I am going to start saving some showers for my “I just got home from work and need a refreshing in-between before I refocus on another task” moments… And see if I can’t win back some of the amazing shower brain power benefits.
CHAT //
If you know me personally, you know I am not technically a hermit. In fact, I am quite extroverted at heart. But, I can for sure enjoy some hard core alone time, for longer than a lot of people. Mostly because I have so much going on in my head, that even with endless alone time, I never truly feel like I fleshed out everything I needed to. So, I move onto the next day, and use my free time as alone time again, in the endless pursuit of trying to get it all done, and keep all the balls in the air. This is no way to live, right? I seriously need to take some time out of my life to sit, drink coffee with friends, and just chat about life. Creatives shouldn’t stand alone. I to experience community, I need to sacrifice my time for the sake of those I love, I need to give and receive love, apart from the bare minimum.
EXPLORE //
There are a lot of ways that I could be using my time better. I could be better organized. I could be using more tools to help me be more efficient. I could schedule my time and adhere to my schedule more strictly. I could, I should, I… just get overwhelmed with all the things I could possibly be doing better. Instead of having a pity party and shutting down, I think in this next season I will try to simply explore some options. Maybe specifically explore how others in my field are scheduling out their work weeks, how others manage their editorial calendars amidst the rush of life and it’s constant busyness…. I won’t pigeon hole myself or beat myself up for not doing it all. I will explore my options of how I can do just a few things, just a little bit better.
Phew… That was therapeutic… Thanks for constantly giving me a platform to organize and share my thoughts. I know that so many of you struggle with the same ball issues (I know I am getting out of hand… I just. Can’t. Stop.).
How are you managing all that is on your plate?
How do you stay recharged?
What is your anthem of hope for this coming season?
I am dying to know.
