Recharge Your Battery, Recharge Your Soul S. 5 Ep. 71

Listen to this episode to learn ways to recharge your battery and soul!

Episode Summary:

Have you ever felt emotionally and physically exhausted? Have you ever felt moments when you were completely drained of all energy and inspiration? We have! We all have those moments when our internal battery is running on or near empty. Just like your cell phone might glitch when the battery life is low, the same can be true when the battery of your soul runs low.

In this episode, we will explore how to identify when your internal battery is low, look at what drains your battery, find out how to recharge your battery and finally we will look at proactive steps we can all take to keep our passion charged.

In this episode:

As always, we share personal examples and stories in the podcast. For the full experience, please listen to the podcast.

Introduction:

When was the time you made a comment about a battery? If you’re anything like us it probably wasn’t too long ago, maybe even just minutes ago. We regularly say things like, “I need to charge my phone. The battery is running low” or “I need to charge my watch the battery picture has a line through it.” We might even say things like “The remote control isn’t working correctly, the battery must by dying.” Or “Can we wait to leave for just a few more minutes so my laptop can charge a bit more.”

Think of your passion for your life and work like a battery… Do you regularly talk about your internal battery? Think if you spent the same amount of time and energy on keeping the battery that is your passion and your soul charged, that you do on your phone battery? What would that look and feel like? Wow! That’s a thought.

Today we are going to explore how to identify when your life battery is getting low, how to identify your battery drainers, and explore strategies for how and when to recharge your battery, including how to charge up proactively and to supercharge your battery!

Look for signs that your life battery is running low

When our cell phone battery starts to get low, the visual reminder is there. The picture of the battery shows the percentage it is charged and it also switches to different colors, such as red when it gets low to draw our attention to it.

Our life battery does not have the same reminder and often gets overlooked in our busy day-to-day schedules.

When our cell phone battery gets low, it can get “glitchy.”   For example, it takes longer for an app to load or games don’t play as well.

Ask yourself:

What physical symptoms do I feel/display when my body or soul’s battery starts to get low?

For example, perhaps your neck gets tight, or you get migraines.

What emotional symptoms do I feel or display when my body or soul’s battery starts to get low?

For example, maybe you find yourself getting short with people  or things that normally don’t bother you start to bother you.

The next time you notice that you are experiencing any of these physical or emotional signs that your battery is getting drained, take notice. This is like the little battery picture telling you that is switching to red and needs to be charged.

Identify things that drain your battery 

Before we begin this brief section of the podcast where we discuss what drains your battery, we want to point out that not all things that drain your battery are bad. Even if you love something, too much of it can drain your battery…

For example, you might love to play a musical instrument or a sport. However, if you sign up for a competition that requires hours and hours of your time, it might just become a battery drainer.

Also, what drains your battery, may not be battery draining for another person.

Think about your last day or last week at home. Ask yourself, “Which of my daily responsibilities drain my battery/passion?” You know these things in your life, though you have likely not identified them as battery drainers.

For Paula, for years the car line to drop off her kids in the morning was a battery drainer. It was  extremely frustrating and it often drained her battery to the point that it regularly started her day off on a bad foot.

For Michele, city traffic is very draining. She gets frustrated when things are moving slowly or when drivers are irresponsible, cutting in, hitting the brakes, or honking at someone.

Find what recharges you

For our phones and devices, it is easy to identify what recharges them- plugging them in to an electricity source.

The human equivalent is REST.

This is another great time for self-reflection. In the same way  we reflected on what it looks and feels like when we are drained,  we can ask similar questions about rest. .

What physical  or emotional reactions do I feel or display when I am resting or recharging?

For Paula  the physical reaction is clear. Her shoulders drop down about 2 inches and the tightness in her face muscles relax. Emotionally, she is calmer and more patient. Reading, beaches, and long walks and talks with loved ones are her forms of rest and recharging.

For Michele, an introvert, recharging usually means finding quiet time for herself. Like Paula, she likes to be around water which helps her to be calmer and to think more clearly.

It is important to identify those things in our work and home life that recharge our battery and passion so that  we can make sure we are doing them!

What are those things for you? If you are stuck on this one, it might be helpful to break it down into two reflection questions:

What are the activities in which I most enjoy relaxing and recharging in my personal life?

What are the activities in which I most enjoy relaxing and recharging in my professional life?

Strategies for how and when to recharge your battery

A charging battery makes us think of renewal, resilience, and boundless energy. However, there needs to be a plan to recharge batteries or the renewal and rejuvenation won’t occur.

What if we recharged our battery as often as we recharge our phones? What would that look like?

Although it would be amazing, it is likely that you cannot spend as much time in a day thinking about and actually recharging your body and soul like you do for all of your different devices. However, it is important to look at the signs, physically and emotionally, that are shouting at you to charge up.

You need a plan. You need to be intentional. You need to identify how and when to charge.

When our cell phone battery is running low, we don’t wait for it to drain completely. We “charge up” when we have free time to prepare for long stretches away from the charger.

You might have a charger in your car, because  you know you might not always get home before you  need a charge.

We could, and should, be doing the same for the batteries of our soul. What could that look like for you?

Paula sings in my car with the radio on full blast on her way into work or driving to a particularly tough meeting. She particularly loves to belt out to ABBA! Or she listens to an audio book which does helps her to escape for a little bit.

Michele is not an ABBA fan, but she’s learned not to over schedule herself, even with fun activities or people. She needs need quiet time to read.

What fills your battery?  How could you fit in a bit more rest and recharging time into your day, even if it is just a few minutes in the car?

Ways to “supercharge” your batteries and restore your passion in short and effective bursts

Paula only buys the charging cords that give you a high level of boost in a very short amount of time. The same could be said for what we could do in our lives. Maybe you don’t have a week to sit on a beach and recharge your battery to 100%, however, a cup of coffee with a friend before work or a good laugh with the colleague down the hall can give you that nice little supercharge to your soul that you need to sustain you longer.

Consider activities you could do with colleagues or friends to supercharge your battery.  What fun things could you do with students? Is there a PD you want to explore? A short book you want to indulge in while riding the bus?

How can you prepare to space/time these activities accordingly so you can recharge before, or interspersed throughout, activities that drain your battery?

Recap:

Be aware. Be intentional. Listen to your body and your emotions. What drains you? What recharges you? Take that rest. Recharge in the way that best suits your life.

The ultimate goal is to avoid letting your charge get too low!

Quote:

We end with this quote from the wise and wonderful Oprah Winfrey.

“If you neglect to recharge a battery, it dies. And if you run full speed ahead without stopping for water, you lose momentum to finish the race.”

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

The Inspired Together Teachers Podcast Episode 16 Real Self Care

The Inspired Together Teachers Podcast Episode 22 What’s Draining You? 

The Inspired Together Teachers Podcast Episode 31 Finding More Joy

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

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More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.