Five Minutes to Thrive: Recharge Your Battery

  • Published
  • By Dr. Ashley Kilgore
  • 5th OMRS Mental Health Clinic


At what point do you look at your battery on your cell phone & think, “I need to plug my phone into the charger?” Is it 60%, 50%, or do you allow it to drain completely before recharging?


Admittedly, often times I look at my phone & when I see it is at 49% my immediate thought is “I have got to charge my phone!” Why is that? What is going to happen if my phone goes below 49%? What is going to happen if my phone dies? Nothing really – except that I might miss the latest BookFace stories, or Tok Tik trends.


When you think about keeping your phone charged, consider keeping
yourself as charged as you keep your smartphone.


We are not as good at practicing self-care as we should be. Life gets in the way; work gets in the way, and sometimes when it comes to taking care of ourselves, we just fall short. Consider these tips when thinking about new ways to implement taking care of yourself.

 

  • Make sleep part of your self-care routine. Sleep is one of the most valued activities that we participate in, yet 30% of people suffer from insomnia. Think about your nightly routine – do you have a cup of coffee before bed? You may think it doesn’t affect you, but it affects your body more than you realize. If your sleep is not helping you recharge- seek consultation with a trusted resource.

 

  • Take care of your gut! When we eat not so great food, we feel not so great. The types of food we eat crucially impact the bacteria that live in our guts – this could result in either positive or negative outcomes. Small changes have large returns; one small change in your diet could have a massive impact to your gut health.

 

  • Exercise daily. We all know that we need to exercise daily, but do we actually realize how important it is? Daily exercise is not only good for us physically, but cognitively and spiritually as well. Doing new activities (versus challenging) is what keeps our brains recharged and in good health. If we are intentional about doing some type of exercise daily, we can improve our mood. 

We all have various expectations levied on us; whether it is for work, family, pets, children, fantasy leagues or ourselves. We have all heard the saying “you can’t fill from an empty cup”, so what are you going to do to keep your cup full? It is an active decision to make time to recharge your energy. So this week, remember to take care of yourself in some way.


Questions? Contact Dr. Ashley Kilgore at ashley.c.kilgore.mil@mail.mil or the Minot Mental Health Clinic 701-723-5527