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Time is something we wish we had more of in many ways. We try to cram so much into our days it feels like a never ending battle to "get things done". THEN we need to take care of ourselves at the same time!?!? Ugh... It's a never ending battle it seems eh?
I'm sure we can all agree that we are our own worst enemy. We jam-pack our days, weeks and months with so much (both good and bad) that we never feel recharged or recovered, and we continue to spiral into the "I don't have enough time" mindset. We plan, schedule events, pack a few different things back to back in an afternoon or evening, we say yes to too many things... WE create our own stress and "lack of time" in this way.
I recently had two occasions where I was reminded how powerful SLOWING DOWN and GIVING OURSELVES TIME can be. The feeling of doing something you WANT to do, but NOT surrounding that good thing with a bunch of other events (good or bad) or things to-do gives you an incredible feeling of positive vibes and soul-food. Let me explain:
Last Friday, I went to a friend / client's house to play some guitar after lunch. He's a big supporter of my Dad and I at our local gigs, and between us and our other mutual musician friends whom he supports as well, he had the desire to try to learn guitar himself (not without frustration).
I went to his house to visit with him and his wife and to try to help him focus on the fun, flow and music rather than the stress of learning an instrument. It was such a fun afternoon of conversation, laughs, music, drinks and friends. Our mutual musician friend joined us part way through the afternoon as well and we all had a blast.
The point to sharing this (aside from the fact that everyone that day enjoyed the afternoon) was that it was a soul-soothing kind of afternoon because...
- THERE WERE NO PLANS
- THERE WERE NO TO-DO LISTS
- THERE WERE NO EXPECTATIONS
- THERE WAS NO TIME CONSTRAINTS
- THERE WERE GOOD PEOPLE
Another client / friend popped over in the afternoon, so we stopped to chat with her for a bit. We would dive back into the music, then take conversation breaks and just sit back and relax, before strumming some more chords again. I had no need to rush out to go anywhere at any time.
When I left, I felt this feeling of fulfilment. Not just because I had fun with friends, but because I felt recharged and relaxed at the same time. There was ZERO stress attached to that afternoon visit. There were no plans or expectations other than to be present. When my friend text me later that night to thank me and elude to the fact that he also really enjoyed the day I reminded him that we all need MORE times/days like that!
Yesterday was a similar feel...
After my morning and lunch time client sessions, I met my friend over at our local golf course for 18-holes. We enjoyed the round and time to hang out (as we always do). After the round, we sat in the much needed shade under the umbrella at the clubhouse for a beer and more conversation.
Like my Friday afternoon, there were no plans attached to my golf game with my friend, no time constraints, no to-do's afterwards... Just go and enjoy. It once again provided that same soul energizing feeling where you feel like taking a nice deep breath and saying "AHH!" because it JUST FEELS GOOD.
Think about your typical days/weeks
When was the last time you had something planned like I described above where there was no time constraints or stress surrounding it?
If you can't remember, it may be something to consider beginning to implement here and there.
If you can remember, now ask yourself how many times per week (or month) do I have things scheduled like this? And how can I make it happen MORE to feel those positive vibes on a regular basis??
Imagine that "breath of fresh air" feeling and having it be a part of your regular days/weeks. Then think about how putting your attention on THAT alone would impact your stress management and your deep health!! I guarantee it would be a MAJOR impact.