Starting Anew: Feel Renewed and Refreshed

Work has restarted, so have schools, and what not. People are now going back to their busy routines, and what seems to have been a little break or holiday in our lives is now long-forgotten. We seem to be going from one place to the other, endlessly busy with completing tasks, picking up the kids and all. During this time, we need to feel renewed and refreshed or we’re going to end up using all our energy. But there are a few ways we can feel better.

Ever had a day where you skipped breakfast and ran out the door, trying to be on time and get to where you need to be? Those are the worst kind of days. We use all our energy and feel emotionally and physically drained. What works best is to plan a day ahead. If something can’t happen the next day and it can be rescheduled or cancelled, do that. You’ll be grateful that you did, and you won’t be so overly stressed trying to accomplish what you clearly cannot that day. And, better yet, you’ll be able to have a lovely breakfast and won’t be so grumpy afterwards.

What if you can’t cancel something? Well then, you must really reconsider looking at all the plans that you have on that day. Like, if you know you’re going to be totally tired after a lengthy work meeting and you can’t go to the gym later that day, cancel it the day before. Don’t push yourself when you know you’re going to regret it. It’s always better to do things that you know are achievable that day. Once you get to finish all your plans that day, you’re going to feel a sense of accomplishment and refreshed the next day. You don’t want to be overworked as well since that can be a major source of stress.

Of course, there are days when we absolutely cannot change anything in our hectic schedules. But, if you look closer at your schedule, you will find that one or two things can be moved to another day or completely cancelled. If you happen to be traveling out of town early in the morning on a certain day, and you know you must either choose meeting your friends the night before or going to the mall to finish some last-minute errands, don’t do either if possible. Surely your friends will understand even if you cancel on them that day itself. Plus, you can always go to the mall another day once you’re back. Who wants to be sleep-deprived when traveling the next day? Whether you’re going by bus, car, or plane, you should get some well-deserved sleep so you can get up the next day and feel your best.

Shefali is the author of Own It! Love What You Already Have of which all book proceeds go toward good causes. She is an executive at her family’s business, and board director for two other companies. She’s an alumna of Columbia Business School in New York City and Drexel University. She lives in Dubai with her husband and continues to travel for work. To learn more, visit shefalikarani.com