Recharge Recap

When Meta employees reach 5 years of service at the company, they are offered a a 30-day paid leave to "recharge." In October, I took advantage of this incredible benefit -- spending a few weeks at home to enjoy time with my kiddos and tackle various personal projects (like cleaning my makeup brushes for the first time in I-can't-tell-you-how-long) and concluding with a solo trip to Peru for a spiritual yoga retreat. The experience was incredibly profound, empowering and gratifying. Here are my takeaways:

1. Limit Distractions - On my first day off, I found myself doom scrolling. I remember saying out loud, "WHAT AM I DOING?" and chucked my phone across the room. I had been given this rare gift, how can I maximize this time to truly focus on myself? So I removed all social media apps from my phone as well as work apps like Outlook and Workplace. Eliminating the distraction of notifs & pings became liberating. Instead of picking up my phone, I picked up more fulfilling practices like journaling and reading. (I'm especially glad I opted for a complete withdraw during such a difficult time in Israel. I wish for safety and peace to all.) While my app library is back to its pre-recharge index, I am considerably more mindful of distractions and their impact on my time well spent.
2. Find Peace in Nature - I walked my kids to and from school every day and made an effort to pause, smell flowers and bask in sunlight. I also prioritized outdoor activities like hiking, eating lunch outside & volunteering at my kids' school during recess. Humans have spent the vast majority of our existence outdoors. Only in the last 200 years as a result of the industrial revolution have homosapiens shifted to more indoor (and often sedentary) activities. Countless studies (e.g., Harvard ) and books (e.g., The Nature Fix ) highlight the benefits of spending time in nature. In the words of Anne Frank, "I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles."
3. Nourish the Body - As I prepared for my Peruvian adventure, I wanted to ensure my body was in the best shape possible. I spent four weeks on an extensive cleanse and eliminated highly processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, sugars, dairy, red meat and pork from my diet and maintained it through my 10-day trip thru the Andes. Within a week, I felt lighter, more energized and more connected to my body. This was easy to manage during recharge because I had significantly more time to plan my meals (and avoid temptations in Meta cafes and microkitchens). That being said, I knew this lifestyle wouldn't be sustainable considering I'm a total gourmand (e.g., I plan my vacations around restaurants, believe the kitchen is the heart of the home and answer "my next meal" when someone asks what's always on my mind). Upon my return, I've moderately reintroduced all the restrictions back into my diet, but am much more mindful about which foods will truly nourish me.
4. Do Hard Things - My trip to Peru was NOT easy. I travelled alone for the first time for more than a few days, faced "Montazuma's Revenge," met indigenous healers who guided me through deep self-reflection and hiked 6,500 to 8,800 feet in elevation up the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu with a 25-lb packback. Despite the difficulty of it all, I came away with a profound sense of self-love and compassion. I pushed myself to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and reminded myself that I can do hard things. When I surrendered to trust in the most challenging circumstances, I found so much beauty and love on the other side.
5. Relish in Gratitude - During the depths of the COVID lockdown, I began a gratitude practice to help me process the immense sense of loss I felt. And when things got hard during my trip, gratitude again wrapped me in a warm, safety blanket. I start by expressing gratitude for the most generic aspect of my life -- to the earth, to the sun, to my family -- before moving on to specifics -- to the supportive community I met on the retreat, to Meta for the incredible opportunity to reset, to all of my colleagues who covered for me while I was away. However, after a restorative yoga session in the beautiful maloca at the retreat center, I realized that despite all the love I was shipping out into the world, I was lacking gratitude to the most important person -- myself! I am so grateful for the discipline I demonstrated in pausing, being mindful and trusting in myself. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all!