Posts Tagged ‘decompress’

Wellness Wednesday: Me Time

Wake up, morning routine, breakfast, out the door, traffic, work, work, work, lunch, work some more, work, work, work, grocery store, errands, traffic, home, dinner, phone calls, emails, facebook, myspace, twitter, bedtime.

Breathe….

There is something missing here. The average person is busier than ever, often times jugging a job, a home life, a social life, and everything in between. How do we achieve balance? We step out of bed and we practically hit the ground running, leaving little time to stand still or think of anything other than what’s next to do on our schedules. What happened to the idea of slowing down, appreciating life more, and remembering to LIVE? Have we forgotten those simple things that our spirit longs for?

Did you know that something as small as taking 15 minutes a day to sit in silence, meditate, close your eyes, pray, write down your thoughts, take a walk, talk to a friend, play the guitare, whatever it is for you, can make an unbelievable difference in mood, energy, and quality of life? Furthermore, it will be fuel for managing the constant flow of demands that can wear down your batteries.

Let’s say that you need to rejuvenate or replenish your energy but you might not be able to afford an exotic retreat or an all exclusive getaway. No problem! How about instead you do something much simpler and make a retreat in your home. (Say what??) That’s right, let’s take it to the home front. Turn off your phone, your computer, your television and all other electronic distractions and plan your escape. It’s much more practical.

Set up a mini retreat in your home. This is less expensive than a major vacation, much easier to plan, the follow through will be a breeze, and the benefits are endless. Here are some suggestions to get you thinking:

• Stop by a craft store and pick up a new project kit to try (tie dying, paint by numbers, knitting/crochet, fabric/tshirt decorating, wood painting, stain glass sun catchers, etc)
• Go to your local bookstore and splurge on a couple great books
• Make it a point to rent new movies on a schedule so that you get the opportunity to do something for you
• Buy a relaxing CD (meditation, nature sounds, light instrumental solos), then close your eyes in your favorite chair and let the tunes take you away
• Go to your local bookstore and invest in a journal for writing (pick the journal that speaks to you because of its shape and design)
• If you enjoy pets but can’t have one at this time, volunteer at the local shelter to walk the dogs or spend time with rescued cats that need attention
• Volunteer for a cause that you truly enjoy (like working with children for example)
• Treat yourself to a delicious meal or dessert, set the table and style the plate with love, and then savor the flavor of every bite
• If you want to make a day trip/weekend out of it, do a little research for local getaways (visiting local museums, going to a concert, hiking on a nearby trail, camping in a National Park, visiting a day spa, going biking or other outdoor sports, or just picking a winding road and driving with the wind in your hair)

The company you work for pays you money for your time, but how do you pay yourself? We suggest with something more important than money….time. Making time for yourself, whether it is 15 minutes a day or 1 day out of the week, will allow you to decompress and obtain clarity of mind. These little moments when you take time to be aware of yourself and your needs break up the “gotta do this now” routine that we often fall into.

You deserve better. You deserve you. Take out your planner, or write on a post-it note. Whatever it takes,  schedule in some me time.

Resources:

Get Some Me Time by Will Meek, PH.D. http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2006/09/19/get-some-me-time/
More Important than Money – Paying Myself With My Time by Sid Savara, http://www.sidsavara.com
The Importance of Me Time – Indulging or a Necessity? by Jan Hoadley http://www.associatedcontent.com

Meditation Monday

Introduction:

The practice of meditation is over 2,500 years old, and countless individuals have utilized its power to cultivate compassion and wisdom. Scientific and medical research has shown that meditation can reduce stress, improve health, enhance performance, and measurably make us happier. Meditation is a way to calm the spirit, relax the body, and to become more in tune with oneself. At Raw Food Nation, we are not only dedicated to promoting the health benefits of eating raw foods, but also the lifestyle choices that come with it. For this reason, we are introducing Meditation Monday as a reminder for you to take a moment to center yourself. We hope that these posts will be educational, and beneficial to your well being.

What is mediation?

Simply put, meditation is a form of relaxation. All meditation involves substituting your thoughts for an alternate object of attention. Whether it is your breath, an image, or a sound, when the mind becomes absorbed in something other than thought, it relaxes.  According to the book Quiet Mind by Susan Piver, meditation is “a profound relaxation of your conventional mind which then naturally calls forth the mind of wisdom” and understanding.

How am I supposed to sit?

There are several different practices that offer a variety of ways to meditate, but one of the overlapping foundations of them all is to take good posture, in other words, finding a way to sit that is both upright and relaxed. Generally speaking, you can sit on a pillow on the floor with your feet crossed or you can sit at the edge of a chair with your feet pressed firmly on the ground. Once you have chosen the way to sit that suits you best, make sure your back is straight and relaxed. Susan Piver recommends that you “feel the crown of your head reaching up to the sky while your sitting bones reach down to the center of the earth. This way…you are joining heaven and earth simply by being a human being who is sitting down.” (we bet you didn’t know you had that ability!)

Your hands should rest comfortably at mid-thigh or just above the knee, or you can place one hand within the other. Depending on the particular practice of meditation, you may have your eyes open or closed. If your eyes are open, they should gaze slightly downward to a spot on the floor that is 4-6 feet away. Your gaze is soft, your jaw is relaxed. Your body also begins to relax.

As you sit, pay attention to your breathing, as it comes in and out of your nose. “Your breath is always in the present moment,” says Susan Piver, “so the simplest way to ‘be present’ is to be with your breath. Sitting this way is a basis for meditation.” See if you can do this at the beginning and end of your day, for just five minutes – ten minutes. What a fabulous way to decompress, center yourself and to gain clarity.

References:

We are not experts and nor do we claim to be, so whenever possible we will provide the resources we used so that you can explore further. For this post we used the following:

Quiet Mind: A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation, compiled and edited by Susan Piver