When our emotional fuel is low, we can't do an Indy pit stop and refuel quickly. Our emotional reserves can be compared to a car battery. If we sit in a parking lot and run all our car's accessories - radio, headlights, and so on - we can probably sap that battery in about ten minutes. After that massive drain, suppose we then take the battery to a service station and say, I'd like this battery charged in ten minutes. What would the attendant tell us? No, we're going to put the battery on our overnight charger. It's going to take seven or eight hours to bring it all the way back up. It has to be recharged slowly or else the battery will be damaged. Likewise, to recover properly from an emotionally draining activity takes time.