Recharge Like a Game

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.

POST

Giving with Practice

Most religions include service, charity, or acts of giving as part of their core traditions. In Judaism, there’s tzedakah. In Christianity, tithing. In Islam, zakat. Across different belief systems...

Connection with Practice

Religious communities usually come with built-in connection. Weekly gatherings. Holiday meals. People celebrate and grieve together. That was my experience growing up Jewish. I’ve been to Seders...

Notice with Practice

Prayer is a daily ritual for many religions. In Muslim tradition, they pause to pray five times a day. Christians and Jews traditionally say a short prayer before meals. While the words and reasons...

Repeat with Practice

Across many religious traditions, chanting, singing, or repeating phrases has been part of prayer, meditation, or ritual for centuries. But you don’t need to follow a specific belief system to feel...

Rest with Practice

Many major religions set aside time each week for rest: In Judaism, the Sabbath is from Friday evening to Saturday evening. For Christians, Sunday is the traditional day. In Islam, Friday is a day of...

Choose Your battles with Support

I used to think every battle was worth fighting. If something didn’t feel right, I reacted. I spoke up, pushed back, made it known. I thought that was strength. I didn’t want to feel like a...