Hi all! I hope you had a great week and are wearing green today for St. Patty’s Day! It is spring break for the university I work for and we got today off (can I get an AMEN?!). Having the day off coincides with my topic today: quiet time.
Do you ever feel like you are rushing around, there isn’t enough time in the day, or the to-do list is getting longer by the minute? I can relate and recently this feeling has made me rundown and overwhelmed. Once I realized it was my busy schedule causing these feelings I decided to give myself a little quiet time every day. A 2008 study done by M-Lab found “the average person only gets 63 minutes of peace and quiet a day” (Source). That was almost 10 years ago! Imagine how little quiet time we get now. Multitasking can be the devil!
Florence Nightingale developed the Environmental Theory which includes environmental effects, with a quiet, noise-free environment being one of the provisions of care. Many studies and articles can be found on the healing effects of quiet which is why it is often used in critical care environments. Quiet lets your body heal emotional and physically.
Have you ever been in a time crunch or stressed? Taking a few deep breaths and re-centering yourself can decrease this anxious/stressed feeling and provide more clarity in thought. Quiet time is a way to refocus and reflect. Otherwise you’re just go go go.
I mentioned at the beginning of this post I recently decided to give myself quiet time each day. To me, quiet time doesn’t have to be so silent you could hear a pin drop, but it is time where I focus on one task that brings me enjoyment.
1. The first step is determining what brings you enjoyment. Is it reading a few pages of a book? Sitting outside in the sun? I would determine what makes you calm or find a hobby you enjoy. My sister-in-law finds crafting to be relaxing.
2. Plan to do this activity or rotate activities each day. It doesn’t have to be a long time, maybe 15-20 minutes is achievable for your schedule. I vary my quiet times; yoga, take Lexi for an extended walk, some nights I get in bed a few minutes early to read or flip through a magazine.
3. Live in the present. Present doesn’t have to feel overwhelming or out of control. Take the time to just breathe and gather your thoughts rather than running through to-do lists of what you need to do or replaying past events in your head.
I hope these three steps give you a start. Wellness is important so don’t forget to take care of yourself.
Until next post…xoxo Becca
It’s Monday again (mixed feelings lol). Last week was consumed with hosting an annual conference which is all hands on deck for the department I work in. Hence the lack of a Friday post. Some weeks I do good on time management and well, others I’m not so good at. I thought I would write a quick weekend recap for you.
The hubs and I saw Alan Jackson at Rodeo Houston on Saturday. The day was rainy, but seeing Alan Jackson perform is well worth the rain. Before the show we wandered around the exhibit hall and shared some candied pecans (hello sugar!) and an umbrella while we waited to get into the stadium. In the past we have seen performances from the action seats and regular seats, but this year the hubs learned about the Chairman’s Club so we decided to check it out. It is on the 7th floor of the stadium and ticket prices include a full meal and open bar. Tickets are $100 a person, but if you think about it, after you have eaten and ordered a couple of drinks downstairs or at the carnival, you come out about even.
I think the Chairman’s Club tickets were well worth the price and we had a great view from high up. Some people like to be closer to the stage, but not only were we surrounded by TVs and speakers, but we had comfortable seats and lots of leg and elbow room. Sometimes it feels cramped in regular seats. Both of us said we would do it again. Plus the cookies they served for dessert…A++ SO delicious!
Saturday night we celebrated my mother-in-law’s long overdue birthday with dinner at Guadalajara. Sunday we made our way home to do boring adult chores like laundry and grocery shopping. While out I picked up a few new drug store makeup items to try. Mostly because I ran out of everything at the same time. Lets be honest, replacing foundation, concealer, and setting powder at Sephora or a makeup counter is really expensive. If I like any of the drug store items I will write a review.
Hope everyone had a great weekend! Anyone going to Rodeo Houston this year? Who are you seeing?
Until next post…xoxo Becca
Becca
born and raised Texan
Hi all and welcome to my cozy little place in the blogosphere. My name is Becca and I'm a born and raised Texan. After college I got married. Got a puppy. Got a house. And then I decided I wanted to share daily life, struggles, ambitions, and everything in between.
