Recharging…

The other day, around noon, I started feeling tired. Like, a nap sounded great. I thought about “indulging” but put it off a little.

Then, a half hour later, I noticed my cell phone battery was low. There’s nothing wrong with the phone, really. That just happens when you have your phone running apps that use a lot of power.

…and my body was like, “I’m no different, woman! TAKE THE NAP!”

So, yeah, I plugged in my phone and I unplugged my brain, and we both got a bit of a recharge.

I love analogies that work. This was a good one.

How often have I noticed my “battery” is low, but then judged myself for it? As if I’m supposed to be the energizer bunny or something. Psh.

It’s ever-so-much more pleasant to skip the part where I berate myself for being a weakling human and just recognize –

Hey – I’m running “apps” that are using a lot of energy. I need to recharge. Better make space for that or I’ll be shutting down by the end of the day.

If I’m out somewhere, notice battery is low and I can’t recharge it, I’ll put my phone on airplane mode to conserve battery.

You can do the same with emotional energy, too. You can find your emotional “airplane mode” and detach from things that aren’t necessary so you have stamina when you’ll need it. There may be fun little hacks you can come up with that will be for your sanity like a portable charger for your phone. Essential oils in your pocket are an easy example, but there are many many many others, and most don’t take up pocket space. 😉

Also like our lovely phones, it’s a good idea to take inventory of the “apps” we’re running in the background.

“Oops, maps is still running, but I’m already here!”
Anyone else ever done that? 

If you’ve already dealt with your stressful situation, then let the emotions cycle out & uninstall that “app.” If there’s nothing you can do about it at that moment, it’s probably a good idea to just turn that power-sucking “app” off and open it up when your “battery” isn’t as low.

Sooooooo…

Just so you know. Unresolved trauma is a major power-sucking “app” draining the life out of you. Holding on to feelings of bitterness or rage will leave you massively compromised in other areas of your life. Getting it resolved (shutting down that app) takes some work, yeah, but then you don’t have that yuck causing low-grade (or high-grade) depression/anxiety in the background.

There’s no shame in needing tech support when your phone’s issues are beyond your skill set…
and there’s certainly no shame in needing “tech support” for your feelings if they’re impacting your day-to-day.

There may be ways of viewing your situation that help it not suck the life out of you as much. Kind of like how Facebook Messenger can be a massive space hog — but Messenger Lite takes up less space and still gets the job done.