We hear this a lot! A lot…..
And we certainly understand how the momentum and hustle-bustle of a busy life can leave you feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with the ability to find even a bit of time for some self care strategies.
Especially if we were not raised with the habit of taking some time to pause, rest or prioritize the care of our mental or emotional well-being.
REALITY: Finding some time is possible and certainly worth the effort.
Let’s break it down…..
Each and every week, you are gifted with 10,080 minutes.
And it has been proven that even 10 minutes of mindfulness or the ability to meditate for 20 minutes once or twice a day can make a significant improvement in your quality of energy, mental focus, clarity, peace of mind and sleep.
10 minutes, twice a day is only 140 minutes out of the 10,080 minutes you have each week. Or only 1.4% of your time!
Tips for Finding 10 Minutes of Time for Mindfulness
- Wake up 10 minutes earlier.
- Practice a few deep breaths when you are waiting or when you are bored.
- Show you mean business by blocking 10 minutes in your calendar each afternoon.
- Exchange 10 minutes of screen time for a meditation.
- Journal with awareness before bed.
- Practice alternate nostril breathing when you can’t sleep. (yup, this counts as a meditation practice).
Making Time, Creates Time
Self-care practices such as mindfulness and meditation rest on a foundation of conscious awareness.
And what you will find is that even a bit of time spent in such pursuits has a tendency to cultivate extra time!
Because when we are more clear, more focused and more happy…..
- we tend to make less mistakes (which take time to fix).
- we spend less time complaining, gossiping, arguing which depress our energy.
- we feel more rested, therefore needing less sleep.
- we are less weary, making us more efficient in our actions
- and we get sick less often, making us more effective in all that we do.
We have experienced that making the effort to prioritize a bit of mindfulness time in our schedule, generates an abundance of free-time in our lives!
Try This Self Care Strategy
Set a 10 minute self-care appointment for yourself in your schedule.
Ideally, sometime between 2:00-6:00pm. Or after dinner.
Go ahead and put it in your schedule right now!
Self Care Strategies in 10 Minutes or Less!
STEP 1:
Pick one word to describe how you feel just before you start.
STEP 2:
Then take 10 minutes to sit quietly and breathe, or to observe nature, journal how you feel or do some yoga asana or meditate.
STEP 3:
And then pick one word to describe how you feel once the time is up. You’ll be amazed at how easy it can be to quiet your mind……
STEP 4:
Repeat again tomorrow, or anytime you’re feel down, overwhelmed, angry, anxious or unsure.
Practice Makes Perfect
Also, observe how the rest of your day unfolds differently than normal….
The positive effects of a bit of meditation flow into the rest of your day, and with practice, patience and persistence, strengthen all aspects of your mental and emotional resilience.
The Benefits of Meditation Coaching
It can take some time to truly experience for yourself how to make time to experience the benefits of mindfulness practices in your life.
It can take a while for the mind to relax and learn how to let go. It can take some time to understand that thoughts don’t need to be a struggle in meditation.
Learning about Meditation and the Mind.
Having a coach and some community support is a great way to help get the knowledge of meditation while practicing new uplifting habits.
Attending meditation classes over a period of weeks is an ideal approach to establishing a new routine and strengthening your motivation to prioritizing time to practice a bit each and every day. You can join a meditation class in London Ontario or join live online each week.
Check out this short chat sharing from our 20 years of meditation experience how we explained to our teenager why it is so beneficial to take a bit of time each day to rest from sensory stimulation. #putthephonedown.
