Do you take the time to really recharge? What does recharging look like for you? When was the last time you had a time out? What freedom would you feel if you were to recharge yourself and rejuvenate to the point of letting go of stress on a regular basis?
There is so much freedom in taking proper care of yourself. But it does not happen if it is not treated as a priority and scheduled into your time management. If you do not put this as a priority no one else will! We train people how to treat us by how we treat ourselves and yet how often do we allow other people, other projects, and other priorities to take precedence over our schedule?
What does recharge mean to you? It can mean different things to different people. How do you rejuvenate yourself to be grounded, free of stress, have that time out or time away from it all, refocus and find clarity, refreshed and renewed. How are you taking that well deserved break or that needed sense of freedom and peace?
This can be achieved on many levels and can be created easily. It does not require leaving town or having a vacation. This must first start on a regular routine of daily self-care. The way we treat ourselves shows up on the outside in how we deal with 
everyday stress and decisions and how we treat others. Also, the way we treat ourselves, “teaches” others how to treat us. If you are not creating this to be a very big focus in your life, chances are you are exhibiting signs of stress, anxiety, frustration and overwhelm.
While I know the importance of daily self-care to maintain balance and focus, the real thing I want to talk about is a bigger break in your routine. To recharge, it usually means getting from your normal everyday routine and allowing yourself to really 
“shut out” things like your cell phone, computer or other distractions. For us, one of our favorites is Lake Powell. We do several trips to Lake Powell every year. It is easy for us, because we leave our boat down there all season and it is pretty easy to jump in the truck and take off, since we are ’empty nesters’ and all.
We have trips with just our friends or with our kids and grandkids, but those are not necessarily “rejuvenation” trips. They are more work and entertaining than what I am talking about today. Yes they can be stress relievers and are definitely great for fresh air, a walk on the sandy beach, floating in the water without a care in the world, hiking in nature or playing and reconnecting with family and building stronger relationships.
The kind of trip I am talking about is just Bill & I. It is a few days with no agenda. It is just time for us to reconnect and share 
that time together. There are no plans. No distractions. Not a set menu. We sleep until we are done and nap whenever we feel like it. We listen to audio books and spend time together. Yes we will go for a hike if we feel like it and float in the water when we are too hot, but it is just complete connection and rejuvenation for us. This is a way that we take advantage of our time together.
We also have regular date nights, pillow talk and good relationship tactics in place to create the relationship that we want. We have loved our 35 + years together, but we are very conscious about how we “rejuvenate and recharge” our relationship on a regular basis.
The thing I love most about Lake Powell, besides the beauty, the fun and the memories, is the peacefulness that you can feel. Look at this picture…absolute peace, right? It is not just our relationship that gets a good recharge boost, but we are 
personally able to take the time to reset and refocus on what is really important.
We are able to individually reflect on what is happening in our own lives and refocus on what is important, what needs to happen next and how we can best take that on. It is when we take a step back and look at the bigger picture that we can really see things. It is when we calm our mind and have quiet time that we “hear” what we need to hear and know what we need to know. That is when we find clarity and peace.
My question for you is this: What are you doing for yourself on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and bi-annual basis to recharge yourself? What does your self-care look like and how can you easily implement a better plan and focus? What does peace or freedom 
look like for you? How can you be a better person by implementing some of this into your life on a consistent basis?
I realize that is a bunch of questions, but I also know how much better of a person both Bill and I are when we have these things in our lives and we focus on what that looks like for us. Think about it, you could have regular self-care every day if you were to not watch that one hour of tv or news or Netflix or whatever, right?
Join me in being a person who knows how to “recharge” you and understands just how important that time spent can be! I love 
being able to know what I need to do and what helps me to get there the fastest! I have learned to take time-outs regularly and have them be something I look forward to. I know I am more productive and have a better focus when I have taken the time to take a break. If you have not tried this on a consistent basis, you should!