Time to relax: Season offers a chance to rest and ‘recharge your battery’

This is my favorite time of year. The early darkness and chilly temperatures beckon me indoors to snuggle up next to the fire with a blanket and a book.

I relax into the knowledge that I am done — not in any morbid sense. Rather, I acknowledge that it’s time for me to come inside and rest.

My work is complete. I take a deep breath and relax.

This occurs to me on multiple levels. I’m fully aware of it daily as the sun dips behind the hills in the late afternoon.

I also experience it in a calendrical sense. Everywhere I look, I’m reminded that another year is drawing to a close.

The liquidambars along the driveway now bathe our home in a golden hue. The leaves are falling off the fruit trees. The tomato plants have long been removed.

I listen to this season and heed its whisper: “Hunker down. Go to bed early. Recharge your battery.”

Completion doesn’t necessarily mean permanence. It could just as easily mean a temporary break.

For instance, we might return to the same task next year, next month or even later in the afternoon.

Yet whatever the duration, there is a hiatus, an opportunity to reset. We’re momentarily off duty until it’s time to re-enlist.

Unfortunately, this downtime can feel counterintuitive. We don’t get many invites to chill out. Instead, we’re barraged by nonstop messages to do more, be more and produce more.

It may be directly correlated to our increasing reliance on technology.

We can connect to the office 24/7 or witness a passenger squabble onboard an airliner in real time. It’s no longer okay to be offline or unplugged.

This hyper connectivity takes its toll.

Research repeatedly shows that cell phones can be addictive and that excessive screen time is closely correlated to sleep problems.

We’re also encouraged to multi-task, to do as many things as possible at the same time. This strategy is not only emotionally draining but ineffectual.

Completion becomes an abstract concept as extra chores are always added to our plate.

Now I don’t want to throw shade on technology.

My iPhone and I are constant companions. My PC sits ever on the alert. Still, it’s imperative that we power down at routine intervals. Both our brains and bodies need R&R.

How to be done

Acknowledge the completion of a task. A simple statement, such as “This is now finished,” helps you be mindful of what you are doing.

Pause. Take a few deep, cleansing breaths. Relax your shoulders and hands. Get up and walk around. Allow yourself to experience the space between your actions.

Reset your environment. Put away equipment. Clean off your desktop.

Change your setting. Make the “after” surroundings different from the “before.”

Engage in a relaxing activity. Read a book. Listen to a podcast. Spend time playing with your cat.

Be conscious when it’s time to reengage. Don’t leap blindly into something new. Do so with intention.

This story was originally published November 18, 2019 at 10:00 AM.