How to Recharge Yourself

Guest blogger: Amy Gelles, Executive Director of The Guidance Center of Westchester

A question often posed to mental health professional is, “How do you take care of yourself?”  The assumption is that since we are always taking care of others, we must have to do something super amazing to refuel ourselves.  In so many ways, watching our clients achieve their goals is an incredible rush.  A client’s success can be quite inspiring.  But there is still the need to prevent burn out, recharge and take care of ourselves so that we stay motivated to address the challenges that our clients and their circumstances present.  We all have our different ways, but mine is escaping into the world of audiobooks.

I discovered audiobooks a few years ago.   I had always been a reader -- the old way -- nestled up with a good book, a biography, mystery, historical fiction, a great novel.  But it was becoming harder to find the time to get absorbed in a book, and I was getting cranky.   I was not getting that needed recharge.  Through audiobooks, I get to that sense of escape and magnificent distraction. The stories come alive, the voices surround me and, a few minutes into my next audiobook, I am taken to a new place.  Refueling has begun.  Walking, running, doing the laundry, standing in line or driving, I can replenish with a great book.  I feel transported to a place where the characters are alive, and I look forward to spending a nice long time with them.  As they take me away from whatever might be on my mind, I am captivated into a new world. 

Some of the books that have helped me to escape and recharge have been:

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer narrated by Jen Tullok.  For 15 hours and 41 minutes, I “lived with” a group of friends growing from self -seeking teenagers to a supportive group of adults facing multiple issues.  The main character is a social worker – yes – easy for this social worker to relate to.  But  the story has something for everyone with the life lesson of managing your expectations.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, narrated by Sunil Malhotra. For 8 hours and 15 minutes, the issues and inequality confronting families in a Mumbai slum might be thought a poor choice for an escape.  But the courage and the problem solving of the characters, coupled with the author’s lack of despair in presenting them,  provides a great perspective on overcoming life’s obstacles. 

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, narrated by Julia Whelan, Kirby Heyborne.  For 19 hours and 11 minutes, the twists and turns of a “psychological” thriller brings you in to a world where revenge and self-justification are taken to the extreme and serve as fuel for a great escape for the listener.

So if it is a cozy novel, a work of narrative nonfiction or a great thriller, the world of audiobooks does it every time.  It takes me out of the world that I am in and I can escape and refuel.  Replenished and ready to come back to work to help others.

June is national Audio Book Month.  Check out your local library for offerings.