We all need time to replenish

I am one of those people, you know the one who is constantly going out of my way to serve others. I love it. There is nothing I get more fulfillment from than serving other people. It’s what I was made to do. Lucky for me I have always had a ton of energy. I’m the one still running on a full tank when everyone else is on empty.

Except that sometimes, my tank empties just like everyone else’s does.

It’s odd how sometimes it’s like a badge of honor that I have the endurance and stamina that I do. I mean it truly is helpful for the lifestyle that I lead. I work hard and I play hard. Not only that, but because I struggle with some medical challenges, I am never really at 100%. Having an exorbitant amount of energy and passion keeps me running.

One of my mentors recently gave me some great advice when we were talking about my energy level and passion. I was concerned because some people were skeptical of both. One of the things that struck me over the head with what he said is that it is ok to have both highs and lows. He reminded me that is ok to take some time to replenish. When I am feeling depleted, that I need to take some time to fill my bucket.

WOW!

I assure you if I did not hear this from my mentor, I would have not done what I did this past weekend. I had been feeling the pressure of setting my life plan for next year, feeling because I need to expand on some big thinking I’ve been doing and strained since I haven’t made some time to do some deep internal reflection. The buildup of these tensions was leading to frustration and some poor judgment.

So, what did I do?

I booked a room at the beach for the weekend. I love the beach and I really wanted to go to a physical place free of distractions where I could open my heart and mind. IT WAS AMAZING! I got to the room, looked out at the ocean and got straight to work. I loaded the walls and the slider up with giant sticky notes and filled them up with ideas, thoughts, dreams and plans. I filled pages with words describing the person I am working on becoming. I set intentions for the upcoming year and committed to some major events, down to the exact dates. I got so much done in a short amount of time, and it felt so good!

I realized so many things this weekend. First, that my brain was full of great things that were ready to come out to be thought about! Next, I realized how clear things became when I out them down on paper. Finally, I realized how much I needed to take that time. It goes to show that we really do need to take time to replenish our energy.

How do you recognize that your energy is depleted? What do you do to replenish your passion? Where do you go when you need nothing but your mind and some paper? Whatever it is, or wherever it is, I encourage you to do it. Do it and don’t feel guilty about taking some time for yourself. We are no good to others if we don’t take care of ourselves. Go out and nourish your mind!