Issue 47: Renew, Refresh & Recharge
THE LEAP
BY QUANTUM ORANGE
GROW, EXPAND & EVOLVE
ISSUE 47 | RENEW, REFRESH & RECHARGE
Each week The (Quantum) Leap summarises a key aspect of success into what you need to Think, Feel and Do to create a personal shift.
Recovery is an important word and a vital concept. It means renewal of life and energy. Knowing how and when to recover may prove to be the most important skill in your life.
~ James E. Loehr
THINK
Most people hit the holiday season travelling at the speed they were maxing out at during the year. A treat and relax seems like a fair reward, so they go hard on the treats, which overloads their system and creates even higher levels of exhaustion.
In this edition we’re looking at ways to ‘unload’ so we can be renewed and refreshed ready for the new year.
After completing your end of year review, think about what you could let go of so that you can travel lighter and refresh yourself for the year to come.
Ask yourself:
- Which commitments, bad habits, and even relationships do I think are causing me more stress than enjoyment?
- Another energy drain is dragging unresolved issues into the new year. To help with this ask yourself:
- What are the projects and goals that have been hanging around my to do list for years that I just never get around to
- Which of these can I release myself from or simply drop because they no longer serve my best interests?
- Get rid of any goal that is no longer aligned with who you are, who you want to be, or where you want to go.
- What are some behaviour patterns I would like to eliminate?
If you’ve been stressing out and wondering how you’ll ever manage to get everything done, it’s important to encourage yourself to take a breath and calm down. The never-ending to-do lists are probably not going away anytime soon, so you’ll need to schedule regular moments of mindfulness to bring some calm to your day.
FEEL
Endings shift our perception, so taking the time to review and renew ensures you energise yourself for the next year.
Rather than simply busying yourself with tasks that need to be completed, check in on your emotional well-being and let go of any feelings that have built up in your emotional bank account over the past year.
Go within and answer the following reflection questions:
- What resentment, anger, or hurt am I willing to let go of?
- What kind of guilt, embarrassment or shame have I been hanging on to? What stories am I telling myself that no longer serve me? How do these stories leave me feeling?
- Who might I be if I completely let go of those disempowering stories?
- How am I feeling now that the year is practically over? Excited, overwhelmed, indifferent?
DO
Make sure you allow time to action anything that surfaced from the reflection exercises above. Once you have done that, it’s time to recharge your batteries. At the end of the year it is common to feel depleted - physically tired, mentally fatigued, emotionally spent and spiritually holding on.
Take a moment to identify one small thing you can do for yourself every day over the next 7-10 days that will help you do everything else better.
What can you do in each of these four areas to renew and recharge:
Physically: to nurture and strengthen your body?
Emotionally: to cultivate more positive emotions – gratitude, compassion, playfulness, connection, intimacy, belonging, and optimism?
Mentally: to be more mindful and reprioritise your commitments and refocus on the most important?
Spiritually: to reconnect to a deeper sense of purpose and meaning?
Despite the rush of the holidays and the madness of tying up loose ends before year-end, you can still ring in the new year with a sense of calm and preparedness.
Go to the next level these holidays and set your intention to make your days be about rest and renewal.
