Low Battery. Please Charge.

Another day, another long walk in the park. The longer the better, but I only have an hour, so I make it quick.

Move faster, keep my heart rate up, burn those calories . . . fast, fast, fast.

“Low battery. Please charge.”

My earbuds are dying. NOOOOOO. This is the only way I can get through my walks. This is the only way I can multitask while I’m exercising — listening to an educational podcast. Exercising both my body and my mind, this is THE ROUTINE!

“Low battery. Please charge.”

It’s okay. I’ll just keep going. I’ll just walk faster so that if the earbuds give out completely, I will have at least walked the distance I wanted to. Just keep going.

“Low battery. Please charge.”

Gracious. Now I’m mad. This long, self-care walk has now turned into frustration, anger, and disappointment in myself that I didn’t charge my earbuds. Why does this have to happen to me today?

“Disconnected.”

Great. Here I am in the middle of my walk and all I have to listen to are my own thoughts. Isn’t that perfect. What a waste of time.

I begrudgingly walk another mile and listen to my thoughts. I go through my to-do list, thinking of all the things I should be doing instead of walking: grocery store, sending emails, planning dinner. It’s endless.

As I continue to walk, the words “Low battery. Please charge” keep replaying in my head. I can’t seem to shake it. Over and over I hear these words.

And that’s the sign I needed. It clicked.

I was the one who needed recharging. I was the one with the low battery. I was the one who needed to be set down, plugged in, and given a rest.

As moms, we are always on. We are always pushing harder, walking faster, and trying to multitask so much that we are running on empty. We are working hard, providing everything, and not giving ourselves the time to recharge.

And of course, we have no time to unplug. I know. If our families want to thrive, it takes ALL we have to keep going. It is sometimes impossible for us to take that time to stop and recharge our battery. So we just keep going.

I have one suggestion, though. Even if we can’t stop to recharge, we can stop to listen. Just like on my walk, when I had to sit with my own thoughts without my earbuds, we can do the same in our lives. We can THINK. We can be mindful. We can take the time to slow our minds down and listen to ourselves and how we speak to ourselves.

This is called self-compassion. Turning inward and giving ourselves the same love and kindness that we give our little ones. Taking the time to listen to how we talk to ourselves.

It takes no time, just conscious and mindful listening to ourselves. 

When we are running a million miles an hour and we are thinking to ourselves that we “should” be doing this or that, we can be mindful and stop ourselves. Unplug from that thought. Instead of being hard on ourselves, we can think to ourselves that we are doing the best we can with what we have and that our family loves and appreciates us.

It’s that simple.

Resources for a “Low Battery”

I have some great resources for self-compassion if you are looking for more information on how to bring this into your life.

• Kristin Neff’s Self-Compassion Website
  This website is FULL of amazing self-compassion exercises, guided practices, and free emails about self-compassion.
• The Transformative Effects of Mindful Self-Compassion
  This is an article that really lays out everything you would need to know about self-compassion and even has some exercises for you!
• How to Practice Self-Compassion: 8 Techniques and Tips
  Here is a comprehensive guide including other resources like books, journal prompts, and affirmations you can use.
• The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
  Brené Brown is the Queen of self-compassion – this is a wonderful book.

So next time you hear your body screaming, “Low battery. Please charge,” take some time to think about how you are talking to yourself. Give yourself some compassion and love; know that you are doing your best. Rest if you can, but most importantly, know that you are allowed to love yourself.