My Simple Energy Source...

Recharging for me has always involved simplicity, just like every other part of my life. Trendy recharging activities often lead to clutter and stress, which I don’t appreciate. I respect people’s choices for restoring lost energy, whether physically or mentally, but anything that brings even a pinch of stress in the name of recharging doesn’t work for me.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m introverted, but I’ve always preferred at-home relaxation whenever I need to recharge. It happens almost every weekend because I’ve learned that piling up exhaustion isn’t healthy. Once it’s the weekend, I look forward to refreshing with some activities—most happen indoors, with very few outdoor.

I’ve tried several outdoor activities for recharging, which are definitely fun, but some end up putting me in a stressed state.

Last weekend, I decided to explore outside my environment since its been a while. My sibling, who is into videography, had a job with his team and suggested I go with him since it was an open event. It was really nice, but on our way back, we were stuck in traffic for hours and ended up trekking very late at night. I got home around 11pm and dealt with aches the next morning.

As much as I’d love recharging with outdoor activities, they often drain me, so embracing indoor activities more than outdoor ones isn’t a bad idea.

I’ve said a few times that spending time in the kitchen is one of my favorite moments. I get a clearer mind when preparing meals, so it definitely counts as recharging for me. When people complain about how exhausting cooking can be, I wonder why it feels different for me.

Going through the process of cooking and eating healthy meals helps me recharge. To boost the recharge while cooking, I love having my family around. We can gist, reminisce about memories, and it’s always awesome—recharging while creating memories we can reflect on again in the future.

Away from the kitchen, spending personal time with my family helps me recharge. We engage in activities like playing ludo, one of my favorite board games.

My mom taught us, and we’ve been challenging each other since childhood. We never tire of competing, and it’s not about winning anymore; we just enjoy each other’s company on the board. My wife, who didn’t like the game, eventually fell in love with it because she was missing out on the fun. Even when my siblings aren’t around, I enjoy playing with her.

The last time we played ludo with everyone present, it was males against females. My mom and wife teamed up, while we (the boys) formed a team. It was all fun, and nothing refuels me better than the happiness from those small moments.

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Watching a movie together is always fun. Despite differences in movie genres or choices, we love seeing each other’s recommendations. We’ve learned to tolerate engaging in one another’s interests, and we love it. I enjoy it because it helps me recharge; I feel refreshed after watching a lovely movie.

Football on weekends helps me recharge, and I think only the males can relate because many females see the bantering and chanting as stress. I have been a Liverpool fan for decades, and I will admit all the years haven’t been great, especially with Real Madrid and Manchester City depriving us of some big moments, but every time I watch them play, I feel great seeing growth and improvement, which has led to us winning the Premier League again this season.

Football doesn’t stress me, but sometimes I spend excess cash on data subscriptions after promising myself not to.

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_{My small garden at the new place, can’t wait to see the vegetables germinate, even though it’s still a work in progress.}

My morning exercise routine, gardening, and a short stroll in nature do so much to help me recharge, and they’re part of why I don’t look down on outdoor activities for recharging. The outdoor world is beautiful, and it’s something I always want to bond with. I feel energized, especially in nature, because of its ability to absorb stress from me, replacing it with energy.

A lot of times, I have left my home for my morning walk or just a stroll with a heavy heart and return feeling better than when I left the house. I really don’t know how, but it has happened countless times, and I just appreciate nature for all of that.

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From my observation, recharging in the simplest ways I mentioned helps me stay recharged longer than usual, and it’s easy to top up whenever I feel low on energy suddenly.