How to recharge when you feel drained of energy

[Eldermileniummam]

I'm at home and I feel drained, more social battery drained (despite only having had a few telephone conversations) but I have something on this evening. How do you recharge if you get like this?

Take a power nap and shower.

I felt like this earlier. I set my alarm for 25 mins. Lay on my bed (not in) and had a power nap. Felt 100 times better when I woke up even though I was only very lightly asleep / dozing.

Get comfortable on the sofa or in bed and play a game on your computer/tablet or watch something. Rest your legs, eat, hydrate and avoid intense debates with family members.

A doze, a shower and then get ready with good, energising music on.

Put white noise/rainforest sounds kind of thing on phone. Set alarm for 22 mins. Put phone down and try to rest or sleep for 20 mins. Meditating/doing a mindfulness thing is also meant to be good but I prefer the white noise. It's like a signal to my brain that it can crash out.

Napping for up to 20 mins shouldn't affect night time sleep.

DH and I sometimes debate things. He's a James O'Brien fan and can get very political! I disagree with many of his views.

Step 1 - dump children with someone. Their dad, in laws, my mum, whoever’s nearest.

Step 2 - light candle in bedroom.

Step 3 - shower, scrub off the bad vibes. This sounds silly but I literally pretend I’m scrubbing them off and watching them go down the drain.

Step 4 - once dry and moisturised, put on fresh jammies.

Step 5 - select meditation from Australian man on YouTube. Normally the lower your blood pressure one.

Step 6 - get under weighted blanket and relax. If it’s really bad I put all three weighted blankets we own on top of me in a mega blanket.

In awe of people who can just nap.

I'm in awe of people who can tolerate a weighted blanket. I'd be fighting with it and throwing it off me.

Really good hot shower (or preferred temp, I like to come out minus 1-3 layers of skin) then sit quietly with some music on, eyes closed and chill. Then some music on your way to where you're going either headphones or in car

I regularly get sick of people low social battery but this helps a lot

I would probably sit through all 6 episodes of BBC pride and prejudice with a big bag of posh crisps

This thing this evening - is it something vital that you absolutely have to go to (like your own birthday party, or you're the lead in a play and there's no understudy)?

If not, then it is okay to give yourself permission to say "Sod it, I'm not going out", and stay at home instead. No point in recharging batteries just so you can drain them again tomight and be back to square one.