People often talk about how "stress-full" the holidays are. How can that be? Holidays are days off from the serious business of making a living and getting things done, supposedly giving us time to think about the things that really matter. We are all caught in the grind of trying to get more and more done in less and less time, and there are never enough days in any week to get done all the things on your "To Do" list for that week.
The
best time management technique I know is also the best stress buster.
Set aside ten minutes every day where you will not be disturbed or
easily distracted. Find a quiet place, and sit and meditate. Think first
about your breathing: breathe deeply, and for a few minutes, count your
breaths. You may want to spend a few minutes deliberately relaxing each
part of your body, beginning with your toes, and progressing to the top
of your head. You may want to focus on a plant that you can see, or a
blank wall. You may find a mantra helpful, something as simple as:
"There is nothing I have to do right now, there is no place I have to be
right now." Whatever trials and tribulations your life has brought you,
right now is a moment of tranquillity, when you are neither concerned
about the past or the future. Devote ten minutes a day for a week to
this simple practice, and you may find you want to make it a permanent
part of your day, and you may find you want another ten minutes in the
evening, or some other time when you can get away from it all, and focus
simply on the joy of being alive.
As
Gail Sheehy wrote many years ago, "there are predictable crises in
adult life." There are also unpredictable crises, and concerns that may
become more serious as you age. Every time you have a doctor's
appointment, you may hear something you would prefer not to hear, maybe
something you thought only happened to other people. We have our lives
parceled out to us one day at a time, and each day is something of a
little life, an entity complete to itself. It may be helpful to reflect
that as long as we exist we are in motion towards something, but that we
should also "delight" in what we have, what we have accomplished, and
what we hope to do.
One
of my meditating friends of fifty years passed away last week. His
dying words were: "I am ready to go, but I am not eager to go." There
have been giants of the spiritual life who have looked upon life and
death with equanimity, and written words like these: "Let nothing
disturb thee, nothing terrify thee: all things are passing, God never
changes." While atheists might ask what God has to do with it, and
theologians might debate the unchangingness of God, there is a point to
having an anchor somewhere where nothing will disorient or overcome you,
and the daily practice of meditation may help you reach that point.
Even
in these busy weeks, set aside ten minutes where you will not be
disturbed. Take stock of your life: do you do some things that aren't
really necessary? Are there things you know you should do that you have
not taken time for? Do you set aside some time each day for yourself,
for your own mental and emotional health? Meditation may do more than
any other practice to put you on the path to taking control of your time
and your life. Don't wait. Your life, and the meaningfulness of your
life, depends on it...
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