What does "recharging" look like for you?

I’m of the opinion that there’s a difference between resting and recharging, and both these concepts look different depending on who you ask.

For me, resting mainly includes sleep and couch-potato-ing (binge-watching Netflix, paired with knitting, interspersed with snacking). Although resting is vitally important to refuel our body and mind (sleep especially; snacking arguably less so!), recharging refuels our soul. For me, recharging includes “unplugging” from our fast-paced digital world: Reading, walking, gardening, and above all else, camping.

There is something very special about the simplicity of it… The humble act of cooking food over an open fire; hearing nature come to life around you (ironically, paired with a deafening silence that can only come from the absence of civilisation); breathing in fresh air; staring up at an uninterrupted inky sky, scattered with endless stars… And of course, the lack of technology and devices.

Alex and I have camped together for almost 15 years. Over this time, we’ve noticed various fascinating evolutions (which I won’t blab on about right now). The most pertinent: More and more campsites now boast “free WiFi”. In my opinion - and at the risk of sounding like a complete out-of-touch old Tannie - nothing can be more detrimental to the magic of camping than bloody internet access…

Don’t get me wrong -- taking time off from my entrepreneurial life is already scary enough, without removing cell reception from the mix… My loyal customers will know that I respond to inquiries after hours and over weekends. I like keeping a finger on the pulse of my business at all times.

But at what cost? Working from home means there’s no real line in the sand… Every ping on my phone pulls me straight back into work mode, and the shift from work-mind to rest-head isn’t always easy. It means remaining ever plugged-in, and thus never truly recharging (how’s that for a delightfully contradictory concept?!).

Now, when we go camping, internet access follows us there like some unwelcome pest, buzzing around just enough to be impossible to ignore. “I have access, so why not just quickly check how things are going?” we justify to ourselves… “Just quickly” is never just quickly, and the lapse in rest-head is damaging!

This past long weekend, we camped at the super rustic, utterly charming Simonskloof down-to-earth Mountain Retreat. Composting toilets, open-air showers, no electricity and not a hint of cell reception! All my anxiety surrounding the business falling apart without me being “on it” every second of every day completely vanished on arrival. What’s the point of worrying, if it is impossible to just quickly check up on things? Another bit of unexpected magic -- since we weren’t wearing watches (and usually time-keep with our phones), we had no idea what time of day it was. We ate when we were hungry; we slept when we were tired.

Our four-night stay felt like two weeks. I feel renewed and revitalised. I feel calm and grounded. Recharged! And of course, when I finally switched my phone back on, I discovered the “ship” happily floating along. No alarm bells; no crisis; no sinking.

It makes me beg the questions: Why do we feel like we need to be constantly plugged in?

Whether we believe modern technology to be good or evil, we cannot wish it away. But, we have a responsibility to ourselves to protect the sanctity of our sanity. Recharging - however that looks for you - is a non-negotiable necessity. It shouldn’t be set aside for “when I have time” and postponed until you are so burnt out that you can no longer see the path back to yourself through the smoke.

The only smoke you should be staring into is that of a camp fire -- this Tannie’s favourite screen!

Here's to PROACTIVE RECHARGING -- you deserve it!