10 Actions to Recharge Anytime, Anywhere

As I was selecting a topic for this month’s newsletter, this line from one of my morning practice readings provided the inspiration I was after:

 

“You can, at any moment, find a retreat in yourself.”

Marcus Aurelius

It’s easy to think of a retreat as a ‘big R’ Retreat, especially now that Covid restrictions have loosened and we can more easily travel. Last month I had the opportunity to WFH (Work From Hawaii). Two weeks prior to the trip I recall thinking, “I just need to get through the next two weeks then I can WFH and recharge.”

The Marcus Aurelius quote, from The Daily Stoic, led me to jot down actions I can take to inject recharging moments into my schedule anytime, anywhere without requiring a five-hour transoceanic flight.

Here’s the list I came up with. The next time I need a moment to recharge, I’ll hit pause, pull up, and select one of these. I hope you’ll try them, too – and if you have a favorite that’s NOT on this list please let me know!

  1. Take one thing off your calendar and enjoy the bliss of unscheduled time.

  2. Go for a five minute walk.

  3. Grab a favorite book, open it to any page, and start reading. (One of my favorites is No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin.)

  4. Instead of texting, emailing, or adding a comment to social media, share your feedback by making an old-fashioned phone call.

  5. Extend as long as possible the amount of time each morning before looking at your phone and email.

  6. Select one day of the week as a ‘social media free day’. (This is one of my favorite ways to recharge!)

  7. Do something you can add to your list of first-time experiences. (A recent entry on my list: attending my first hot Pilates class.)

  8. Write! Grab a journal, a piece of paper, or the back of a five-foot long CVS receipt. Put a question at the top, and start writing. Looking for a great question? Respond to this email and I’ll share three.

  9. Pray! I love this reminder from Dr. David Rosmarin, director of the Spirituality and Mental Health Program at McLean Hospital: “Prayer can calm your nervous system, shutting down your fight or flight response. It can make you less reactive to negative emotions and less angry.”

  10. Listen to my latest podcast appearance. 😊


That last suggestion IS a bit of self-promotion, but listening to a podcast (or audiobook) can help us recharge. That’s why I was thrilled when Kelsey Murphy invited me on her podcast, Whiskey & Work, to share my six practices for overcoming overwhelm and sustaining high performance. Kelsey teed up our conversation with the following praise pile worthy introduction:


“What I love about Ben the most is his energy. It’s so confident but also grounding. He can talk me off a ledge, and you’ll hear him coaching me on this episode.”

 
 

If you’re reading this and you’re on a ledge – or you’re looking for a new practice (or two) to make a positive shift – I hope you’ll listen to our conversation.

Ben Kiker