(Look for this week’s #ThursdayThoughtfulness questions after the jump.)
This Week’s Questions: What are your favorite ways of “recharging your batteries”? Do you think that rest, relaxation, and other forms of mindfulness are important parts of everyday life? Why or why not?
Follow #ThursdayThoughtfulness at the blog and on Twitter at 11:00 AM Eastern. Feel free to spread the thoughtfulness by reblogging this post, writing your own post on this topic, or sharing the quote image on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Sara Letourneau 
Nobody’s commented on this yet because we’re all resting!
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XD XD XD
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But seriously, I do find it hard to recharge my batteries at the moment, and being a human being rather than a laptop, I can’t just plug myself into the mains! Walking, some reading and DVDs help, as does music (mostly classical at the moment). Actual formal mindfulness in the sense of meditation is something I want to resume too.
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Ah, if only it were that easy to “recharge our batteries,” right? 😉
I also like to recharge by walking, reading, and listening to music (usually new age or soft instrumentals). And I can’t endorse meditation wholeheartedly enough, though I usually need something to listen to (either music or an actual meditation recording) to help me get there. How do you think you’ll meditate (in silence or with a recording / music) when you start doing it again?
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I have now resumed sitting meditation, slowly but surely. Silent at the moment, though I have been considering music, probably classical. I’ll also try to add more mindfulness to walking etc. I do have to ignore the inner critic that dismisses it all as a waste of time.
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Great! I hope it goes well for you. 🙂
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Pingback: Weekend Reads #72: Busy and Tired | Zezee with Books
I usually sleep when I’m feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes I meditate or concentrate fully on excercise so my mind doesn’t go off in tangents. I feel rest is absolutely necessary and no one can be a 100% energetic all the time. I was thinking just this afternoon on how I should write a post about the benefits of taking rest and I open my Reader to see this post. Coincidence?! 🤔
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Funny how that works sometimes, huh? 😉 And I couldn’t agree with you more, Nandini. My energy levels are definitely limited, and if I don’t get enough rest or sleep over an extended period of time, not only do I have trouble thinking or staying alert, but I can also make myself sick. :S So we all need to be sure that when we take care of ourselves, rest / sleep is part of that care.
Also, I like you how mentioned meditation. It’s so helpful, yet we don’t often take the time we need to do it.
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Sara I really liked your Post and oh that image is beautiful! Took me back many years when as a child I would gaze at the clouds and enter into a world in which I was bouncing up and down on them and doing high jumps from one to the other. These times helped me get through some pretty intense ‘stuff’ allowing me experience fun, joy and hope. Now at 63 I find I need to do more of this. Thanks for the reminder. Mary
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You’re welcome, Mary! I can’t take credit for the quote image, since I didn’t create it (if I did, I would’ve put my watermark on the bottom). But I’d found it recently while looking for potential quotes to share for Thursday Thoughtfulness, and it felt relevant at that time. 😉
I’m glad, though, that you found the image and the quote’s message relevant. And I know what you mean – it’s so easy to reach that “zone” of peace and joy when we’re children, and then as we get older, it either becomes more difficult to reach or we lose touch with it completely. It’s great that you recognize this and want to work toward finding that “zone” again more often as an adult.
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Hi Sara: Thanks for your comment. I’m brand new to learning to write stories and working on posts that may eventually be content for a blog I’m thinking of, so the information on the Watermark is interesting. I like to thank you for the extensive knowledge and experience you share with your readers. I am blown away by the ‘Character Evolution Files’. For about a year now I’ve felt as if I’m preparing for a second Masters’. So much to learn! I am finding your material so very helpful! Thank you again. It is rare that people with your knowledge and experience share yourself with others in this fashion without charging. Very appreciative! Take care. Mary
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You’re very welcome, Mary. I’m sorry I couldn’t continue the Character Evolution Files. It was something I really enjoyed, and the fact that so many readers found it helpful motivated me to keep it going for as long as I did. 🙂
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Oh boy, I don’t even know where to start.
These days, my form of resting is reading or watching a movie. But I long so much for quiet moments, away from the world, with nature around me. I’ve been feeling the need for it so much lately.
I use to meditate when I was younger, but I’ve lost the discipline to set time aside for it. The closest I get is stretches after my daily run, but that lasts only a few minutes.
And at night, before bed, I take a few minutes to think about what happened in the day. I think it is important to make time for those moments when you can sift silently through your thoughts, not just recharge your energy but reflect on yourself and your actions. When I was studying education, it was a practice often recommended by our professors and I think it’s an important discipline to carry through life for anyone. It’s a daily chance to learn from our experiences, to consider the way we acted and reacted, the way we felt. It’s a mindfulness that helps with personal development.
But time away would be really good…
Sorry for the ramble 🙂
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“But I long so much for quiet moments, away from the world, with nature around me. I’ve been feeling the need for it so much lately.”
This part of your comment just reminded me of a place I’ve been meaning to visit for a while. I enjoy being out in nature during the spring and summer, too, and the park in mind would be a lovely place to explore while doing just that.
Also, Faith: please never apologize for a long comment. I always love reading yours. 🙂
Meditation does require discipline, I agree. And as much as it helps me, I don’t do it often enough to intuitively make it a habit. But we don’t have to create a large window of time if we want to meditate. Sometimes 5 or 10 minutes is enough. But making the effort to fit in meditation is a step in the right direction.
I consider reading one of my forms of rest, too. And I like your nighttime habit of reflecting on the day. On one hand, it reminds me of my own bedtime habit of voicing one thing I’m grateful for. On the other, the need to reflect on things is what drives me to journal on some nights. (I tend to process things more deeply when I write about them.) Like you said, taking time to reflect on the day, a current situation, our actions and feelings, etc. is a good way of learning from our experiences and possibly affirming how we’d do it differently next time – or validating that we’re on the right now.
And… my train of thought just crashed, so I think I’ll stop here. *laughs, then blushes*
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“Also, Faith: please never apologize for a long comment. I always love reading yours.”
Well the feeling is very mutual!
I love your train of thought. 🙂 Definitely a lot to think about. I wish I could be more disciplined when it comes to journalling. It’s always something I mean to make time for but never do 😛 And taking the time to be grateful is also important. ❤
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I don’t have a consistent journaling habit, tbh. *lol* I tend to do it when I feel the need for it. But when I have done it, it’s always felt really good afterwards. It’s funny how you end up answering your own questions about things via journaling…
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I think this is a mindset that’s really tough for many get into, including me. XD Resting feels like laziness sometimes, but it truly is so important for ones’ health.
storitorigrace.blogspot.com
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It does seem that way, and probably to some cultures more than others. Here in the US, if we’re not constantly on the go or doing things, then yes, people might perceive us as “lazy” or “unmotivated.” But we need to take timeouts from the busyness now and then to get back in touch in ourselves. Example: Tonight, after a round of writing, I’ll finally be ready to sent out links to the GoFundMe donors who picked the photo album perk. So tomorrow night, I’ll celebrate it not by finally going back to social media, but by journaling and coloring in my mandala book. It’s been a while since I’ve done either, and I’m looking forward to it.
So yes, don’t forget to take care of yourself with rest now and then, Tori. 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
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My favorite ways are, of course, sleeping, books, and video games. 😉
I think this quote is also about how important it is to be idle “consciously”. To make it a choice, a deliberate action, rather than a moment of collapsing because we’re exhausted – because this way, it is, in a way, both more efficient and guilt-free.
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^^ I agree with you on that last bit. Rest isn’t just the hours we sleep at night. It’s also the time we consciously set aside to simply be, however we choose to do it. And while we benefit from either type of rest, we maybe enjoy the “resting” when we’re awake a little more, since we know we took the time to take care of ourselves in ways that bring us contentment, satisfaction, and/or joy.
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