Everyone needs a little time out! Some people need it daily, some weekly, and some people manage to function most of the year just on the time out from one holiday, living the rest of their lives at a frantic pace! Personally, I need a little time out each day. I start the day with a walk to the beach with Laura and our spaniel, Benson, and I finish the day with a good book on the lounge.
It constantly amazes me how many clients I see that simply don’t allow them selves either time out or down time on a regular basis. It seems people with both high pressure jobs (often in their own businesses) and Mothers of young children have trouble finding the time and for some reason don’t see the value in down time. So I thought I’d describe how my down time works and how it makes me feel.
Each morning when I walk down the beach I gain a sense of freedom, a kind of inner peace where my soul get’s to breathe in the fresh air and bask in the sunlight. I think about how lucky we are to live near the ocean and I take time to play with Laura and Benson, simply enjoying their company. Each time I take a walk I feel like I’m becoming a better person, a bigger version of me for the things I see and appreciate and the way that being with them in nature makes me feel. My energy lifts, my head clears, my body becomes open to all that life has on offer. It’s a simple walk, but it’s also a ritual of taking the time, every single day, to enjoy the best of what life has on offer.
In the evenings when Laura is in bed and the kitchen has been tidied after dinner I relax with a good book. It transports me into another world and another time, sometimes Africa, sometimes Russia but always inspiring, always interesting and thankfully, there are no adds in books!
I guess most of all it’s a matter of knowing that you’ve consciously choosen what you want to do with your time. Time is a very prescious commodity, most people simply default to TV. Really relaxing is thinking about what’s going to help you relax, and then choosing to do that. If you get that sense of becoming a better person while your doing it, then your certainly on to a winner!
Try a walk along the beach or sitting by a lake. Anything to extract you from your everyday life. You may be suprised at how uplifting it is!
