Has Your Self-Care Battery Run Down?
Have you noticed that every appliance that has a battery has to be recharged? If you don’t recharge it, then the device no longer functions in the way it was designed, or at all. It is still a very good phone, but with that dead battery it is useless.
It is the same for us as human beings. We need to be ‘recharged’…. plugged in to a power source that will keep us going even when we don’t feel like it. For some that power source is God, for others it is nature, for others it is relationships, or exercise, or going away with your partner for the weekend. Perhaps it is going to the gym for a good workout. But whatever it is for you, it is imperative you take time for yourself so you can empty yourself out once again to your family, to your partner, to the cause that is bigger than you.
What price do we pay for neglecting to plug in to recharge our battery?
In my coaching sessions I often see moms who are at the point of exhaustion trying to be the supermom and feeling like a failure if they don’t keep up with the other moms at the school canteen. For the busy executive, they are juggling so many batons that when one drops everything stops while they attempt to pick that one up again. For others, it is keeping up with the Joneses…. whoever the Joneses are. Often, both partners work long hours to buy a magnificent house and lifestyle they can’t afford, to impress people they don’t even like, to be ‘accepted.’ They are working such long hours that they don’t even have time to enjoy it all. The bank owns them and everything is on credit. In the process of chasing the dollar they lose touch with each other, their children and then family dysfunction is the result. Our health can suffer, our relationships suffer, our friendships fall apart, just because we didn’t recharge!! It isn’t about not having the wonderful lifestyle, but about taking the time to stop and smell the roses; taking the time to be appreciative; and taking the time to count our blessings with those we hold dear. It’s about taking the time to listen, really listen, to those who are important to us and having fun together, bonding, as we invest time into the really important things of life.
Being happy in and with ourselves, first of all, is the foundation of happiness at home. Inner happiness allows us to be more productive and less stressed at work. Research has proven that those who are content inwardly are healthier. A strong relationship with your mate can support you in developing a healthier life and an enhanced career! When you like yourself, you stop competing with everyone else to prove yourself. That doesn’t mean we no longer are growing, but rather that we appreciate, value and live in gratitude for our many blessings. We are plugged in to our source. Our battery is full.
