I did this video one day this past week. It was a beautiful Texas Spring day.
I took a nice and easy ride with my boy, Nick. I’d been home for a couple of days after quite a stint away.
Like everyone, when I expend a lot of emotional and physical energy, I need to step back and restore a bit.
The concept of being self-aware of how much expending energy affects us and then recovering energy is a favorite idea I learned and practice in my performance training.
Research shows the habit of retrieving spent energy is a powerful game changer. It is a strategy that transformed my horse training as I strategically practiced it and one that continues to help me in life challenges.
It applies to literally all expenditures of energy, whether it’s in a sequence of moments when you’re riding (during pauses when you give yourself and your horse whatever time is needed to take a deep breath, lower your heart rate, and release excess muscle tension)—or in the bigger picture of restful and adequate sleep—or in the context of traveling – after putting extra energy out and then coming home and allowing the mind, body, and emotions time to recharge.
That’s what this video is all about.
I have a little challenge with that because I tend to go, go, go.
This morning, I was thinking about the topic of this video. I realized I needed to get grounded and rested, so I decided to ride through the canopy of trees on our driveway.
We’ve been working on our beautiful trees, cleaning and trimming them a bit. I’ve wanted to be under the trees, walking with Nick, or taking a little walk on the ground. It feels energizing. So I wanted you to have a little ride with me this morning.
We have to train recovery—our ability to re-energize. By that, I mean we have to make a conscious effort to do so. Restoring our energy is the number one thing that allows us to sustain energy.
We expend energy and then get it back. The latter must be done deliberately, or else we deplete our energy reserves.
I’m doing that this morning, and I’m sharing it with you. I hope you have a wonderful week.
Thank you for sharing this today Barbara. I really needed to hear this as I have been recovering from arthritis flareups in my neck and knee since the beginning of the year, and now have had two surgeries on a toe..,,hobbling around, but mostly resting with foot elevated and chomping at the bit to be better and back to my usual active self. Have our Cowgirl Reunion in Merritt B.C. coming up in a couple of weeks and not sure if I’ll make it this year. Also was hoping to join you in Utah this fall but not comfortable crossing… Read more »