A few days ago my phone stopped making sounds. I could still hear others and others could hear me, but as far as alerts and ringtones were concerned? Nothing. I refused to take this as a sign that it’s time to upgrade my phone (though popular opinion seems to think otherwise 😉 ). Instead, I shut off the phone, popped the battery out, waited a few minutes and put the battery back in. Lo and behold, the phone started working as it should!
It got me to thinking about how we all need to hit the reset button every once and awhile. Whether it’s taking a vacation, an unscheduled nap, or trying something new; we need to find a way to release the things that are holding us back from moving forward with ease and at a pace that’s faster than molasses. I can already hear the protests – “I would love to create a fresh start, but who has the time?” If there’s one thing that I have learned in the past few years, it’s that we make/find time for the things that are important to us.
Unfortunately for many of us, the things that are important to us have to do more with the wants and needs of others than our own needs. We don’t want to be selfish, or inconsiderate, so what’s important to us takes a back seat to everything else that’s going on. We all know what the result of doing this for too long is though, don’t we? Emotional, mental, physical and spiritual exhaustion are what wait for us if we don’t make the time to tend to our own needs. I don’t know about you, but if you’re having trouble finding the time for self-care, you definitely don’t have time for burnout!
The start of every day is a chance to hit the reset button. Whether it’s doing a morning yoga class, a 20-minute meditation or reading a book, it’s about giving yourself permission to take some “me-time”. Look at your daily schedule and see where you can make time to do a mini-recharge, whatever that may look like for you. If it means getting to bed or waking up earlier, do it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with the difference even a few minutes of self-care can make in your day!
Like my phone example, hitting the reset button allows you to operate at your best, the way you were meant to. Delaying or ignoring the need to rest, recharge and start anew, just reduces your productivity and effectiveness. How many missed calls and messages would there have been if I didn’t reset my phone? Obviously, I know that we are not built the same as electronics, but there are a few similarities. We don’t function well when our energy/power levels are low, and when we don’t let go of things that have already happened that don’t serve us, it slows down our progress.
Whether it’s deleting those temporary files (past events and perceived wrongs), recharging our batteries (sleep, healthy food and exercise) or hitting the reset button (all of the above), we have to do what’s best for us so that we can operate at maximum efficiency and effectiveness for ourselves and those we care about. ♥