Quality Quiet Time

In a busy rush, rush world, you may think you do not have a second for yourself. And to take a few minutes would be selfish. Not so. You cannot give out of an empty basket. Taking a few minutes for quality quiet time pays huge dividends.

Enjoy the learning curve. The things I suggest may seem hard, but I suggest they are more unfamiliar than hard. We recently redid the grandkids playroom and I installed ceiling tiles. I read the instructions and understood how to do it. I became frustrated. It wasn't as easy as it sounded. You see, I had the head knowledge but had not developed the skill level. Not wanting to leave the room unfinished, I persisted. By the time the project was done I was proficient enough to be willing to tackle another room. Every new skill has a learning curve.

Hear yourself think. Busy-ness lends itself to chaos. It keeps neutrality at bay. Sit for a minute and push the mind chatter aside. Listen objectively to your thoughts and consciously decide which ones are keepers, which ones need to be jettisoned and which ones need to be modified. Since thought precedes accomplishment, thinking things through leads to beneficial output.

Release your oomph. Rushing hampers vim and vigor. “The faster I go the behinder I get.” Do you identify? Thoughtful solitude turns potential energy into actual force.

Bio-rhythm benefit. Eight hours of restful sleep resets one’s internal clock. The hurry-hurry of a disorganized life easily disrupts it. Deliberate pauses allow the body and mind to catch up with each other and work in tandem. It also strengthens your immune system. Not getting restful sleep? Frequent mini-relax episodes are a precursor to sustained nightly sleep. Meditation before bedtime sets up the cadence-tempo-pulse-regularity sequence for the night.

Release your creativity. Quiet reflection loosens the thinking bottleneck. Thoughts that dart here and there comes together to produce and construct.

Solve problems. Similar to defragging on the computer, reflection allows the files of your mind to realign and settle into the right spot.

Balcony perspective. Step back and really see from a detached viewpoint. This stance allows the conversation to be different. You are stimulated to self-discovery that gives power to respond rather than react.

Build self-esteem. Get in touch with your true self. Get to know the wonderful you that you are.

Meditation is not another thing to add to your already jam-packed to-do-list. It is not a time waster. Actually, it is a time maker and peace generator. Try it. You’ll like it.

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