Some days, midday hits and my energy crashes. It feels like I’ve been drained of everything I need to keep going. Like I just ran out of steam, all at once. But when I really look back, there were always signs—hunger, thirst, tension, or just a general sense of overwhelm.
I decided to try thinking about my energy like a health bar in a video game.
In games, a character’s health bar shows how much energy they have left before they need to recharge. When it gets low, it’s a signal to find healing items, take cover, or rest. If they ignore it, they run out of energy completely and fail their mission. But when they pay attention and replenish, they can keep going.
We tend to not think about our own energy that way. We push through exhaustion, ignore hunger, and keep running on empty—then wonder why we’re irritable, unfocused, or completely drained by the end of the day. That’s where a health bar mindset can help. It’s not about keeping the bar full all the time—it’s about noticing when it’s low and doing something about it before it’s too late.
Thinking about my energy like a health bar (or a battery) helps me combat the feeling that I’m giving up on my tasks by taking care of myself. Instead of seeing rest as laziness or something I shouldn’t need, I’ve started viewing it as a requirement to function well. A low battery isn’t a failure—it just needs to be charged.
Once I started using this idea, I began checking in with myself: Am I hungry? Thirsty? Tired? Overwhelmed? If the answer was yes, I’d take a small action to recharge. Maybe that meant having a snack, drinking water, stepping outside for fresh air, or just taking a minute to reset.
The health bar concept isn’t about fixing everything at once—it’s about small, regular check-ins that keep us in the game. Instead of waiting until we’re completely drained, we can pause, notice what we need, and take one step to refill our bar.
Because just like in a game, if your energy is running low, the best move is to take action and recharge.
ACTION: Pause and do a quick check-in: How’s your energy right now? What’s one small thing you can do to recharge—grab a snack, drink some water, take a stretch break? Choose something simple and take a moment to refill your health bar before pushing forward.
