5 Reasons Why You Need to Recharge on a Regular Basis
What happens when you don’t charge your cell phone? You turn down the screen brightness, try not to check your texts, and count down the moments until your phone shuts off altogether. While as humans we don’t have the ability to send emails from our brains, we do function similarly to cell phones in that we require energy to perform tasks. And just like your phone, when we’re not fully charged, we don’t perform as well.
What we mean by “recharging” can look differently depending on your life, but essentially it means self-care and rest. It’s not something you do just on vacation, either; you should be taking time out throughout every day to recharge. But Americans are terrible at recharging—we work harder, take fewer vacations, retire later, and have fewer days off than any other industrialized country. Here’s proof that you should be taking time out of your day to rest and refresh:
1. It reduces stress
You’re a lovely person, but that friendliness is diminished when you’re stressed, right? That’s because stress can mute positive traits, and that can have an impact on your interpersonal relationships as well as your coping mechanisms. When you step away from the stress by meditating, taking a walk, or finding some other way to relax, you allow your positive traits to shine.
2. It increases creativity
On a typical day, you’ve got so many things on your mind that there really isn’t space for your creativity to flourish. By resting and recharging, you allow your creativity a chance to take up space again.
3. You’ll feel better
The stress hormone cortisol makes you feel panicked and on edge, but when you relax, you’ll give your “feel-good” hormones a chance to be released. Your mood will feel elevated and you’ll be more prepared to take on the day.
4. It might help you live longer
Studies have shown stress contributes to the top causes of death, so when you take the time to recharge and reduce your stress, you’re helping yourself physically. That could mean avoiding some fatal health issues.
5. It can strengthen your immune system
Relaxation helps your body repair itself, and that means your immune system benefits. Remember when finals rolled around in college? How did you feel? Chances are, your friends all caught colds and you felt terrible. That’s because stress weakens the immune system. Recharging regularly can help keep you well.
So how can you recharge? Here are some suggestions:
Set aside one day a week to fully rest. Lazy Sundays are perfect.
Turn off your wifi temporarily. No internet means no email.
Shut down your cell phone.
Take a relaxing bath.
Request a mental health day. Most bosses are more than happy to give you a day off work for the sake of mental health.
Meditate. Even a few minutes can do wonders.
Take a drive.
Walk the dog.
Take a nap.
Color. This is why adult coloring books are all the rage.
Read a book.
Journal.
Get a pedicure.
Find something that resonates with you. If pedicures stress you out, try taking a walk instead. If you love hot chocolate, take a hot chocolate break and focus only on that. There’s no glory in being a martyr for constantly staying busy; take time to recharge and be good to yourself and your life.
If you would like to discover more about what mindfulness is and to cultivate more of it in your life or in your workplace, join our online courses. The course offers both background information and practical strategies for bringing mindfulness into your personal, and/or professional life.
Reference:
https://selecthealth.org/blog/2018/04/5-reasons-why-you-need-to-recharge-on-a-regular-basis