As I walked through the wooded path on one of my favorite hiking trails, I heard a sound that I haven’t heard in a very long time—the sound of rushing water creating a waterfall cascade of playful splashing and bubbling. It had been a drought here for months and months, with the water levels so low that edges of the pond showed themselves in ways I had never seen before, and the waterfall long ago had stopped flowing. And, now, with all the rain we’ve had, the water levels finally have been replenished with a vibrant flow of water that is truly music to my ears.

This idea of the natural balance of things being disrupted and restored made me reflect on the ways that we, too, can get out of balance—and how we can find our way back. Our brain and autonomic nervous system are an intricately designed system whereby there is constant scanning for and detecting of either cues of threat or cues of safety and our body resources are allocated according to what is “needed.” If there are more cues of threat, our survival circuitry gets activated to allocate body resources to try and protect us (think fight-or-flight stress response), and if there are more cues of safety than threat, our social engagement system activates to allocate body resources toward growth, restoration, recovery, and connection.

The problem comes when our real or perceived threats (for example, worries about things that might or might not happen) keep our stress response turned on without the opportunity for our bodies to come back into balance and for our nervous system to find its way back to regulation. Like that waterfall in the drought, our energy can become drained and depleted, and sometimes stop flowing altogether (when we hit burnout and “shutdown” mode).

But, fortunately, unlike waiting for the next rainstorm, there are things we can do proactively to help keep ourselves in balance:

1. First, we can begin to pay attention to signals of dysregulation and imbalance. When you notice your fuel light comes on in your car, you fill your car up with gas. Likewise, when you begin to pay attention to your own signals, you can take skillful actions more quickly to prevent yourself from becoming depleted.
2. Second, we can do things on a regular basis to help ourselves recharge. Your car will run much more efficiently if you get it tuned up regularly for maintenance than if you ignore it until it breaks down.

Here are some ideas to try:

Signals of Dysregulation

Below are some signals of dysregulation that I find helpful (but come up with your own list as each person’s list may be different). When you notice any of these, pause and ask yourself, What is one small thing you might do to invite in more ease? This may sound obvious and simple, but often we miss both the noticing and the asking. Also, just in the act of pausing, you are attending to yourself, and this small act of self-care can help to dial down your stress response.

Body:

• Fatigue
• Feeling run down
• Digestion off
• Running on adrenaline for long periods of time
• Feeling of pressure in one’s chest and chronic muscle tension

Emotions:

• Overwhelm
• High stress, worry, anxiety
• Pressured feeling, feeling driven, or frenetic

Thoughts:

• Scattered
• Hyperfocused, narrow, tunnel vision—unable to see the big picture

Behaviors:

• Overindulgence in food, electronics, or social media
• More irritable and snappy toward others
• Can’t slow down or difficult to mobilize

Daily Maintenance

• Be mindful of what are real threats in your day versus what are more minor nuisances or glitches that may not require as much energy. You might ask: Is this a real threat, or something that can be approached with more ease? For example, when I am not mindful, I can approach going through emails from a place of pressure and stress, when in fact this level of tension is not needed. If I am stuck in traffic and late for a meeting, I might remind myself that my body mobilizing into a heightened state of stress is not the best way to allocate my body resources to address the actual challenge at hand. When we can titrate our energy expenditure to better match what the situation calls for, this helps to preserve inner resources.
• Be intentional about allocating time to reset. It is easy to get sucked into the vortex of the day. See if you might commit to a daily reset. Find what is most helpful for you (a short walk, a meditation, a quick phone call to a friend, etc.). Chances are that five or ten minutes placed intentionally in your day won’t greatly affect what you are able to accomplish in the grand scheme, but may make a big difference in terms of your well-being. If you can commit to two minutes, try the mini-meditation below.
• Be intentional about finding little sources of nourishment in day-to-day tasks. I find that it gives me a big boost of well-being when I put on an inspirational podcast while doing the dishes or folding laundry, or when I play fun music while I am cooking or driving. Sometimes choosing to be mindful and fully focusing on one thing at one time can also feel restorative. Play with how you might approach day-to-day tasks in a way that infuses you with replenishing energy.

How to “ReCharge” in Two Minutes (a Mini-Meditation)

• Rest (minute one): Rest your eyes, rest and soften your muscles, rest your mind—like a mini-nap, turning off the lights for just a minute, rest your body—think surrender, floating, ease, giving into the support underneath you while at the same time remaining alert and aware.
• Connect (minute two): Connect with something you care about, something meaningful, something you value. For me, connecting with the sound of the waterfall was deeply recharging. What is something that matters to you—something that is important, meaningful, or replenishing? It could be a person, a place, or a small moment of gratitude. Call that thing to mind and notice how it feels in your body to do so. Let any renewing emotions (e.g., ease, comfort, calm, peace) fill you up, as if you could breathe those emotions in through your heart.

Being intentional about creating small ways to recharge on a daily and weekly basis. It need not take huge amounts of time in your day, but it may go a long way to keeping your energy flowing in a more balanced way.

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This article was originally published on Psychology Today.