Raise your hand if you are limping into the weekend.

Also raise your hand if you feel that you are coasting on fumes lately.

Life is crazy right now! Am I the only one who feels it?  Even something as benign as watching a women’s college basketball national championship (ok, that happened awhile ago, but I clearly remember that Sunday afternoon!) can turn into a stressful event that sticks with us for days.  And have you watched the news lately?

How about the weather and all of the watches and warnings and storms and extremes?  I don’t know where you live, but in Iowa, we have had all four seasons already this spring.  Yeah.  It’s been a little crazy.

Summer sports schedules are ramping up, the temps are rising, the constant distraction of social media, YouTube, video rabbit holes, and many of us trying to be everything to everyone (or am I the only one?) have our heads spinning.

So what do we do about it?

We recover.  Whenever we can.  We refill our buckets.  We act a little selfish so that we can be selfless. Say that last part with me again.  Out loud.  So those in the back can hear it!

YOU HAVE TO BE SELFISH SOMETIMES SO THAT YOU CAN BE SELFLESS AT OTHER TIMES!

If you haven’t taken a little time for you, then there isn’t much left to share with the world!

Why?  Because the world needs you.  The world needs the awesome that only you can bring.  And if you are fried crispy, how can you help the world?  So we need to focus on recovery.

I have spent so much time on this subject over the years.  Recovering from workouts related to triathlon, mountain climbing, racing, rowing.  Recovering after public speaking and creating content.  After tough conversations and doing hard parts of life with others.

From realizing I was completely burned out and almost walking away from my dental practice.

Yes.  That happened.

And it was horrific to walk through. And it has been less than two years since I was there.  So it is all rather fresh in my mind.

I learned that I was torched because I was empty.  My bucket was empty.  My cup was empty.  I was so empty that I was trying to borrow from other people’s cups and buckets.

I knew something had to give…

So I went to work learning about how we can refill.  How we can take our emptiness and get filled up!

And I have found no better time than the weekend to try these out!  These have been life-changing for me.  But don’t take my word for it- try them out.

And the danger is to think that these won’t work for you.  But… what if instead you asked another question… How might these techniques work for me?

1. CLEAR YOUR BRAIN!

Get a piece of paper or a journal out and write.  Everything in your brain that you can think of gets put on that paper. Everything that is running around in there.  It might take awhile.  And then grab a highlighter.  Here’s the kicker- you get to pick three to focus on.  Highlight the three most important things and start there.  Our lists in our head can be monumental.  They always look less daunting on paper!

2. MOVE!

All the supplements in the world come up short compared to a 30-minute walk in the sun.  Run, walk, canoe, kayak, bike, row, do yoga, whatever you do.  Just move.  This also gets the phone out of your hand… which is a really good thing!

3. BE STILL!

Wait!  You just said move.  Yep.  Sure did.  But also- be still.  Without your phone.  Alone with your thoughts.  Quietly simply breathing.  For five minutes.  Or ten.  Or fifteen. Or… an HOUR!  Allowing our brain to idle without stimulation is a great way to recover.  But… the excuse goes… my head spins when I sit still!  Yep.  Mine does too- maybe you need to do #1 first.  And then come back.  Or when it spins- it’s ok.  Just say this- I am here.  Right here.  Right now. Each time your head starts to spin.  Reminding yourself that stillness and quiet is the goal.

There is hope!

In the midst of the spinning of the world and activities, there are a few simple inputs we can use to help us navigate this crazy world.  And remember- how might one or all of these work into your routine?  The weekend is for recharging.  Try these out and let me know how it goes for you!  We are all in this together!

If you need some more help with recharging and feel like you are constantly spinning your wheels, I would love to do a complimentary coaching call with you.  Check out my COACHING page to see if we might be a good fit!  I look forward to talking!

And if you want to go a little further- here is a BLOG I wrote about another way to recharge- enjoying the simple pleasures of life.

Finally, if you want to listen to a great conversation learn about taking the next steps in your life, check out this podcast I recorded with one of my favorite people on the planet, Mitch Matthews.