I didn’t realize just how tired I was when I retired. As I have said in earlier posts, the last few years of my career were an unending struggle. The struggle had effected my overall health (mental and physical), my relationships with friends and family, my self-esteem, well, just about everything. So when I left, I needed to recharge but the problem was where to start?
Many questions cycled rapidly through my mind. Look for a job. Run away. Take a nap. Get drunk. Find a hobby. Hide. Take a walk. Take a deep breath. Step back.
I received some wise advice to combine some physical activity with meditation and some recommended reading. Yoga was three times a week and did wonders. It made me get up in the morning knowing I had somewhere to go. The postures helped to relieve my stress and the meditation helped with calming my mind.
I had to power down before powering up again. Think about recharging a cell phone. It can be plugged in every night to recharge it for the next day but if you take the time to close all those applications running in the background, the charge will last a lot longer. Same with me, I had to close some long running apps that were dragging me down.
So my recharging started from a spiritual/mental health perspective and a physical one. I knew I was improving when I started to sleep past a quarter till four. My day took on a new shape. I slowed down. No longer did I allot windows of 15 minutes for each task. While I am still, unfortunately, a list maker, I am able to sit down, take a nap, read a book, or do nothing.
I have taken my recharging in small bites. I feel that I am about 80%. Working on it everyday has helped. I think that is the key. You have to maintain a healthy balance. Don’t let yourself get to run down. Work on how to relax, laugh, rest, eat well and enjoy what you do.
Smile, life can be good.
Why am I here? Where am I Going?
My Second Act, Scene One 