When I Need to Recharge, I Listen to the "Voice of Life"

In this series of posts, professionals reveal their best antidotes to work stress. Read the posts here, and then write your own (use #OutsideWork in the piece).

There's a part of nature that helps me unwind, reboot, and refocus: water.

Being in or near a body of water — whether it's the ocean, a bay, or a river — is restorative. And even when I'm stuck in my downtown Washington, D.C., office, simply thinking of the water brings me peace and helps clear my head.

To paraphrase writer Herman Hesse, I listen silently to the water, which is "not just water, but the voice of life."

Outside Work: I Go to the Water (Peacefully)

To be clear, I'm not an especially avid sportswoman or sailor type — you won't find me casting a fly rod on the weekends or taking a yacht for a spin. Yet when I do have time off, I try to seek out peaceful water moments.

Such a moment was one of the best parts about traveling to see the sandhill crane migration on Nebraska's Platte river (a trip that checked off one item on my "bucket list"). While certainly not a quiet experience — imagine thousands of relatively loud (but lovely) birds gathered in one place — the beauty of the flock in that river setting inspires awe and contemplation.

Beachcombing is one of my favorite ways to be near the water peacefully. Whenever I'm at a beach, in addition to trying to catch at least one sunrise, I always look for shells and shark teeth. (On the Chesapeake Bay, I have found teeth as large as my fist!) While I won't pass up a perfect shell specimen, I'm also drawn to those that reveal their ornate insides — or that are encrusted with the barnacles that represent, to me, their journey under the sea.

Another water activity that I enjoy: paddle boarding, although I wouldn't describe it as all that peaceful in the learning stages. Let's just say I inhaled a fair amount of H2O before I mastered getting up on the board to float along and appreciate the tranquility.

At Work: I Bring the Water to Me

I'm a big believer in meditation. Each day, either at home or at the office, I try to carve out time to gather my thoughts and center myself. Doing so helps me to "empty the bag," so to speak — to sort through the thoughts, hopes, and concerns that I've been carrying around.

How long does this process take? For me, it's as short as three minutes or as long as half an hour, schedule permitting. If 30 minutes seems like a long time, I've heard of longer. In fact, one executive I know, the former CEO of a Fortune 100 company, used to reserve an entire afternoon each week to just think. With his feet up on the desk, that's all he would do.

When I meditate, I like to bring the water to me. Perhaps I'll pick up a shark tooth or shell, and I imagine a water scene. I'll listen in my mind to the surf as I beachcomb — or to the water lapping up against the paddleboard.

Before long, the "voice of life" usually helps me find tranquility. Then I'm recharged and ready to tackle whatever might be in that bag.

How do you reboot and refocus? Any fellow beachcombers out there? Share your thoughts in the comments.

A securities lawyer, Cindy Fornelli has served as the Executive Director of the Center for Audit Quality since its establishment in 2007.