Remember to Hit ‘Refresh’: Personal Regeneration in an Era of Fatigue
With the now-infamous 2020 coming to an end, terms like “digital fatigue” and “depleted surge capacity” have been making the internet rounds. Between Zoom meetings and the constantly changing health regulations, the current state of life is a mix of data overload, constant demands for our time and attention and expectations that we should be always available or plugged in.
I think we’re all yearning for a moment of peace and solitude where we can just relax and recharge; to have a chance, without phone, computers or to-do lists, to take a breath and recenter ourselves.
THE CHALLENGE
This reality has been a frequent topic of conversation in different communities I’m in. Showing up most frequently as areas of struggle and dissatisfaction are the challenges around remote work, the divisive political landscape and social media pressures. Also expressed are feelings of being rundown, apathetic and anxious.
During one of these (ironically digital) group discussions, someone asked the following question: “How do we proactively and effectively manage challenges in these areas? How do we get back to our center, regenerate ourselves?”
Exploring the idea of “regenerating oneself “ provides an opportunity to look at where and how we spend our time, at our personal support structures and at the regenerative activities in which we do, or do not, engage. It requires intention, rest and new external inputs that support vitality.
Here are some suggestions for three distinct areas of being: mind, body and soul. It is up to you to consider and specify, individually, which areas need more attention, and to what degree.
MIND
I noticed in myself a tendency to start feeling depleted when I’m not creating the mental space to stop processing my day-to-day tasks and stressors. By being hyper-connected to work, social media and the political discussion of a tenuous election year, it’s been easy to start feeling mentally exhausted and numb to it all. If you can relate, consider scheduling time for these practices:
• Spend time in silence (preferably outdoors).
• Meditate. (Calm, Headspace, Ten Percent Happier and Insight Timer are all great apps for this.)
• Read about topics of interest; learn something new.
• Get present to accomplishments, goals and dreams.
• Journal.
• Unplug. (Get off of social media and the news— for days, when possible.)
• Sleep.
BODY
As a former athlete, I have considerable knowledge about caring for my body. I know what to do to maintain optimal physical health. However, knowledge does not always equal action. As an entrepreneur who is growing a young startup, I can often get caught up in late nights, insufficient rest, sporadic sleep schedules and ergonomically questionable working scenarios. Some of the practices that I find useful for regeneration for my body are:
• Cooking/eating nourishing food
• Stretching/yoga
• Walking/hiking
• Gym or home workout routine
• Massage/acupressure (solo, or partnered)
• Soaking/hot shower
• Sex
• Sleep
SOUL
I find “soul” to be the foundation of “mind” and “body.” I tend to spend the most amount of time on this area of my being by necessity. While I will schedule a few times per week on my mind and body, working on regenerating my soul is a daily practice. The soul mostly requires “being” and is therefore task-based. Here are some broad tasks to consider:
• Observation (of people and surroundings)
• Performing good deeds (spontaneous/anonymous)
• Speaking with/relating to others and understanding their world (practicing empathy and compassion)
• Exploring art (creation/consumption)
• Teaching/ sharing knowledge about a passion
• Sleep
• Seeking and sharing “joy”
You’ll notice that in all three areas, sleep is a common thread. There is a saying that “Without integrity, nothing works.” Because rest is integral to rejuvenation, this expression, lightly modified, also applies: “Without rest, nothing works.”
If you feel like there is not enough time in your day for these regenerative practices, I invite you to take a closer look at how much time you’re spending on non-essential activities that deplete you and remove vitality from your day. Consider scheduling specific (and limited) time for social media consumption and breaking up regenerative activities into small-sized segments throughout your day or week. In the end, it can only add more fulfillment, joy and vitality for you, those you love and the good you’re doing out in the world.
