Lately, I’ve been feeling the need for some intentional recharging. In the midst of lots of to-dos and action items, I’m trying to listen to myself and rest when I need to.

If I’m feeling low-energy, overwhelmed, or when I want to give myself a bit of a break, here are some of my go-to techniques:

  1. Wash and change my bed sheets. There is nothing better than going to bed in fresh sheets that have that clean detergent smell.
  2. Embrace Mondays. Mondays are the perfect fresh start, but I often look to them with a kind of dread. When I embrace Monday, I re-frame it as the beginning of a new week. A clean slate.
  3. Clean or declutter. I completely believe that tidying your physical environment can offer mental clarity and relief.
  4. Eat citrus. Don’t ask me why, but eating an orange or squeezing some lemon or lime into my water always perks me up.
  5. Go for a walk. Fresh air and a little movement can work wonders.
  6. Get a haircut. Is there anything better than a fresh chop to feel like you’ve had a re-set?
  7. Drink a glass of water. When I’m feeling especially tired or sluggish, sometimes the culprit is dehydration. Drinking a glass of water is the cure.
  8. Take a nap. This is my favorite weekend activity for starting fresh, especially if I wake up for the day on the wrong side of the bed.
  9. Take a bath or shower. Although this isn’t always possible to do, it works especially well at the end of the day when I want to transition out of work-mode into more personal time.
  10. Play hooky. Taking a mental health day is one of the best ways to start fresh. Schedule a massage, a Netflix binge, or a power day to cross a bunch of items off your list.
  11. Meditate. Need a quick refresh? Meditation can happen in as little as 1–5 minutes with immediate results. Amazing.
  12. Move. Admittedly, this one is a little more dramatic than the previous options, but moving to a new location, city, or state is a definite way to start fresh.
  13. Apologize. Sometimes we want to start fresh with another person after a conflict. I know no better way to kick-off this process than a genuine apology.
  14. Update your online presence. Adding a new head shot, new bio information, and tidying up out-of-date spaces can help you feel digitally fresh.
  15. Run errands. Similar to the de-cluttering idea above, completing errands like returning books to the library, mailing packages, dropping off clothes for donation and other to-do tasks outside of the house can feel like a weight lifted off my shoulders.

If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed or in need of a break, I hope some of these ideas might be useful for you.

To think on:

  • What are your favorite ways to start fresh?
  • Which of these ideas might you do this week?