Recharge Yourself Anytime!

It's February and while we just started a new year, with the very cold temperatures and dreary skies (not to mention the market that is hot hot hot) it can sometimes be more than tempting to pull the covers over our heads and just go back to bed.

How do you recharge yourself on these days?  Keeping a smile on your face and acting "as if" until the day improves or better yet, you improve is the first step.  Did you know that actually acting "as if" (you are happy or preparred, empowered or how ever you want to appear) really can trick your brain into believing that you are... what you want to be.  It works!  Soon you see yourself the way you want to be seen.

Coffee helps too! OK, well it does for me. I admit, I have bought into the jingle that the best part of waking up, is... a good cup of coffee!  First thing in the morning that caffeine kick and the aroma, who can go wrong with a great cup of coffee?  Find your favorite spot to treat yourself for getting up and out of bed and take it to go! My best coffee happens to come from my Krueig coffee maker.

Before you have to jump into the day, spend a few minutes meditating or in prayer. Why? Because when we pray we speak what is really on our minds and we release our troubles to our God. The prayer calms our mind and actually slows our breathing into a regular rythmic pace.  Take a couple of cleansing breathes too!  Oxygen helps everything!  Next spend the rest of the coffee time speaking affirmations about yourself outloud. Repeat them, saying them as though you believe them!  Picture yourself succeeding at everything you have to do today!  Everything!

To keep this day going the way you have preparred for it to go, build in some quiet moments.  Sometimes that really only happens in the rest room, or in the car on our way to the next appointment.  Turn the phone OFF for a few minutes and do something for yourself.  Put on your favorite song, listen to a book, read a chapter or even a few pages of something that YOU love!  Now, put that smile back on your face and continue acting "as if" until you are no longer acting.

A real great way to recharge is to play a game of random acts of kindness.  Plan to smile at everyone for the next hour.  Or stop and pick up a $7.00 bouquet of flowers and drop them off at the first elderly person who comes to mind.  Our elderly don't get a lot of attention and you will find yourself feeding your soul when you are doing good. When you feed your soul, guess what?  You recharge yourself!

On the way home and starting to panic about how you will get everything done?  Feeling the panic of dinner and homework not to mention all the places the three kids need to go to in an hour tonight?  Put that smile back on your face first. Have a plan!  A plan keeps chaos out of the picture.  Keep healthy, fast dinners available.  Planning dinners ahead of time can reduce a lot of stress.  Get to bed at a decent time because to be at your best your body needs time to recharge.  That means powering down and picking up a book to help you be ready for bed.

Before you lay your head down for the night. Kiss everyone good night with that gorgeous smile of yours.  A parent's smile and love goes a long way towards creating a sanctuary for everyone to recharge in.  Then think about what you have done well today. Make sure you laid out something healthy for dinner tomorrow night and now count some sheep!