Coffee Stories
My social battery had too many apps open
The weekend was overcast, no sun out. It was the perfect weekend to recharge my social battery.
The mental health charity “Mind” describes the social battery as the energy we have for being with people. We all start out with different-sized batteries. Some people drain quickly and need to recharge often. Others can go a long time before they feel tired, and some even get energy from being around people.
I’ve always thought of myself as a big-battery person. I love concerts, big parties, big cities, trade shows and business expos, and I enjoy networking. But since moving to Florida, I’ve noticed my battery runs out sooner. Every meeting and every meeting place is new to me, and it’s all a bit of an adventure. I’m starting to think that adventure takes more out of me than I realized.
A few years ago I was on the phone catching up with my daughter, and she asked if I was busy. I said, “No, just sitting here exhausted from an amazing day.” She told me my social battery had run down. It was a great explanation and I knew exactly what she meant. I’ve used the term here and there ever since, but I never gave it much thought.
Until last week.
It was a great week. I was out and about with people I enjoy, and I wasn’t “on” for any of it. No meetings, no presentations, just good conversations and a few errands. Days like that remind me why I’m here.
But boy oh boy, when I got home and changed into my cozy clothes, I could hardly keep focused at my computer. One day I actually made coffee in the afternoon. Me! Then I got something to eat, sat down in my cozy spot and fell asleep. And I mean sound asleep, for two hours.
I don’t usually nap like that, so I started wondering why. It was a good day. It shouldn’t have wiped me out.
You know how sometimes your phone battery drops way faster than it should, and you go look and there are a bunch of apps running in the background you forgot were even open? I think that’s what was going on with me.
I had some things running before that day ever started. There was an errand coming up the next day that I wasn’t looking forward to. I had three newspapers to get out over three days. I even had some really good stories coming my way that I was excited about, and that takes energy, too. None of it was right in front of me that day, but all of it was quietly using up my battery.
So when I headed out that morning, I probably wasn’t at 100%. I was more like 80% and didn’t know it. A good day just finished the job.
That’s what I want to pay more attention to. It isn’t only the busy day that wears me out. It’s everything I’m carrying into it, the worrying and the planning and even the looking forward.
I don’t have this all figured out. But I’m going to try closing a few of those apps before a big day instead of only recharging after. Sometimes that means writing a list so it’s out of my head. Sometimes it means handing it over in prayer and leaving it there.
My early mornings with coffee, a blank page and nobody needing anything from me are how I plug back in.
Thankfully, I got a couple of good nights’ sleep and some serious Netflix bingeing while the chilly breeze drifted through the windows I had opened. Oh, it smelled so crisp and fresh.
It’s Monday morning and the sun is back out. I woke up recharged. Literally, lol!
How about you? What’s running in the background on your battery right now?
My story stack for today:
SOCIAL
[soh-shuhl] adjective
Origin: Latin, meaning “companion”
The joy of good company and the stories you share with it, around a table, a porch or a coffee pot.
BATTERY
[bat-uh-ree] noun
Origin: Old French, meaning “to strike”
The steady source of power inside you, keeping things running until it’s time to charge up again.
RECHARGE
[ree-chahrj] verb
Origin: Old French, meaning “to load”
Slow sips, soft light and nowhere to be just yet, filling back up before the day asks anything of you.
These mugs are part of our Coffee Stories collection – word stacks inspired by my personal journey shared in these posts. Each memoir piece becomes a stackable memory you can hold in your hands. Start your own collection and create combinations that speak to your journey.
