The importance of recovery

 

If pressure and stress are your enemies, recovery and energy are your allies. – if you want to perform well in the storm, you need to recover well!

Performing in the storm looks somewhat like this

Select the challenge(s) to face up to

Prepare to face up to the challenge(s)

Face up to the challenge(s)

Recover from facing up to the challenge(s)

Start all over again

Some years ago, I was coached by a zen monk and during one of our sessions he said to me, “the fireman’s job is not to die”. I was known as someone always ready to give a hand and “step into the breach”; organise the complex conference, facilitate the really difficult teambuilding, coach the person nobody else was willing to coach, etc.

Without “Recover from facing up to the challenge(s)”, you will just slowly burnout and be of no use to anyone.

Recovery doesn’t necessarily mean a couple of weeks in the Maldives or the Himalayas, although sometimes it is better to retreat in order to move forward later.

Recovering is about reenergising your batteries; your physical battery, your emotional battery, your intellectual battery and your spiritual battery.

Even if you have a lifestyle that keeps you energised (exercising regularly, living your values, being mindful ……) there will still be occasions when you will need to take “timeout” and top up one or more of your batteries.

You may need to top up your physical energy to enhance your stamina, vitality, alertness and recovery time.

You may need to top up your emotional energy to help you build and maintain constructive, healthy relationships.

You may need to top up your mental energy to help you to focus on what matters most.

You may need to top up your spiritual energy to help your decision-making and priority-setting by identifying and clarifying your values, purpose and mission.

And, sometimes, you may even need to top up all four – and that may well be the time to retreat!

To be able to perform in your daily storms, you need to build the capacity to sustain high performance when needed; this means:

• Developing your ability to expend and recover your energy
• Creating routines for managing your energy levels
• Eliminating negative habits that waste, deplete or contaminate your stored energy
• Selecting when to engage and when to disengage

If you do the above you will feel invigorated, confident challenged, joyful and connected as opposed to angry, defensive, resentful, exhausted and defeated.

If you would like to discuss how you can stay physically energised, emotionally connected, mentally focussed and spiritually aligned do not hesitate to contact me at boblarcher@boblarcher.com