Friday Favorites: Quiet Time
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!
Why Quiet Time is Important
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.
How to Achieve Quiet Time
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
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