Too much to do, too many places to be, too little time to do it all!
On the job, in school and at home, we are increasingly imprisoned by the perception that time is a scarce and limited resource. We rush from one commitment or activity to another and believe that we haven’t a minute to spare. We yearn for more time, yet we often feel anxious and guilty when idle or when we do something for ourselves.
Is this how life is supposed to be???
Until we change our relationship to time, our lives will continue to speed away from us—at enormous cost to our health and wellbeing and all those around us.
“There is no issue, no aspect of human life, that exceeds this in importance.” says Jacob Needleman, author of Time and the Soul. “The destruction of time is literally the destruction of life.”
When we learn to shift time, our relationships become more rewarding, our time spent alone is richer, our work is more fruitful, and our stress and anxiety are less crippling, or even nonexistent.
To allow time to “breathe” more in your life, try some of the following suggestions:
Pause. Taking a deep breath before answering the phone, taking a moment of silence before each meal, sitting in the car a few minutes before entering the house after work, and so on...help us to “come home” to ourselves before doing the next thing.
Make time alone. We all need our space every now and again. “Nature requires us not only to be able to work well but also to idle well.” Just because you’re not doing anything, doesn’t mean that nothing’s getting done!
Live as fully as possible in the present moment.
Toss your schedule whenever you can. Even better, schedule spontaneous time and then surprise yourself.
Play. Whether you sing, dance, paint, write, rebound on your trampoline, run—whatever—play helps us to be at one with the child within us.
Holidays or short breaks. Once a year or so, choose to do something for a few days or a week or more that allows you to completely change your routine…something where you can just “be” without the need to do anything.
Spend time in nature. We can’t help but slow down in nature’s unhurried pace. I watched a bumblebee hover around a plant in the garden the other evening for about 20 minutes. It was intriguing to watch it work. I often just look at the beautiful petals on some of the flowers; they are so delicate, yet amazingly vibrant and unique.
We can learn to experience time more purposefully and meaningfully—so that it’s not an enemy robbing us of the joy of life. We needn’t be at time’s mercy. When we change our awareness, we can actually experience the gifts of time and our well earned ‘ME TIME’.
