Syndicated columnist Dale Dauten recently wrote, "One of life's great joys that we've lost is that of the empty day, a day given over to quiet, to reading and contemplation. Our planners and PDAs give the illusion of importance and of being in control." A beautiful statement but what Dale doesn't acknowledge is that we've become such slaves to busyness and mental stimulation that spending "a day given over to quite" would drive most of us mad! It would be nothing short of a drug detox.
Any book on brain research will tell you that the brain will eventually create a tolerance to an increase in stimuli. Looking at the stimuli in our lives we find work, relationships, TV/media, music, kids, the list is almost endless. These are all good things and very important to our daily lives but the high level of stimuli has become status quo and the thought of quiet contemplation has been drowned in the mire of pure busyness.
Recently, I called my wife on my cell phone while driving in rush hour traffic with the radio blaring in the background. What was I thinking? I recently had high-speed DSL installed in my house because the three second wait between web pages was killing me! Here's another fine example, last weekend I had some free time around the house and thought I was going to loose it! I had plenty of things I could do but had no interest in doing them and the necessities of the day were all taken care of. The nothingness nearly drove me to scrub the bathroom tiles! Like an addict hitting bottom, I took the first step of recognizing and admitting that I had a problem. Then I thought back to my grad school training and began using some stress management techniques to ease my anxiety and slow down my mind.
Sitting comfortably I closed my eyes and began taking a few deep breaths. I progressively relaxed my body starting with my feet and working my way to the top of my head. This took all of five minutes and when I opened my eyes I felt a world of difference. This was the starting point of realizing the sacredness of silence, the importance of a calm spirit and they joy of a quite mind. Many great thinkers have had their most profound moments in times of silence and solitude. Ever hear of the bathroom break epiphany? Unlike many of the great minds of years past, we live in an information age that moves at a different pace but we do have a choice as to the pace that we will live our lives. By creating time to give over to quiet, to contemplation and to a calm mind we can not only begin reaping the numerous benefits touted by all the health and medical journals about reducing stress, but we will also be creating time to truly be in control of our lives so that the rest of our time we can give ourselves to our day rather than be swept away in the current of busyness.
Here's a few links for additional information on stress management techniques:
http://www.wholeperson.com/wpa/tr/gig/imagery.htm
http://www.wholeperson.com/wpa/tr/gig/imagery.htm
About The Author
Dr. Robert A. Eubanks is a life coach who works with people around the country via telephone with organization, time management, goal setting and creating the best darn life possible!
http://www.wholeperson.com/wpa/tr/gig/imagery.htm
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..26 ways to minimize and manage the unhealthy effects of... Read More
Take a moment to think about the week that just... Read More
Punch a pillowScream into a pillowTurn on your favorite music... Read More
Stress, America's #1 health problem, is a leading cause of... Read More
In order to free ourselves from the pain of anger... Read More
Do you get out of your car with a queasy... Read More
What do you do when you wake up in the... Read More
Have you ever noticed what occurs when you are suddenly... Read More
What part of no don't you understand? - Bumper stickerThe... Read More
Feeling stressed? Who isn't!! In today's society, feeling "stressed out,"... Read More
The Rule of BalanceThere is more to life than work.... Read More
Looking for some quick stress relief?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker,... Read More
The moment I read the story I'm about to share... Read More
When was the last time that you truly took a... Read More
Are you feeling stressed out? Too many things to do,... Read More
Is your stress level higher than it should be? Are... Read More
Quote of the week"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo da... Read More
Insomnia is usually the result of the modern way of... Read More
Here's a fun little experiment:Take a few seconds and look... Read More
Do you have the desire for a stress free life?... Read More
Living in our world today can be very stressful. While... Read More
Q. So many times in my life, I seem to... Read More
Everyone knows that stress isn't good - that it can... Read More
Whether we are at work, traveling, or at home, we've... Read More
"When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe,... Read More
tidy up service Arlington Heights ..File this one under the category of "watch your language."The... Read More
If you have never tried combining your breathing exercises with... Read More
Do you feel stress at work? Do you carry your... Read More
Breathing is the vital force of life. It is considered... Read More
There are times in every person's life when things do... Read More
Are you a person who has a keen imagination, a... Read More
For those who are suffering from stress, just about the... Read More
One of the best ways to relieve yourself from the... Read More
Have you ever noticed what occurs when you are suddenly... Read More
Insomnia is usually the result of the modern way of... Read More
When was the last time that you truly took a... Read More
Looking for all of the answers in how to manage... Read More
I once worked with a woman whose zest,joy and enthusiasm... Read More
When we think about stress in the workplace, we usually... Read More
No need to go spend money at a spa! There... Read More
Here's an amazing quote from Time magazine:"At birth a baby's... Read More
Everywhere I go, I hear the same unpleasant sentence repeated... Read More
More than two-thirds of visits to doctors' surgeries are for... Read More
I am worried. I have been biting my nails for... Read More
Meditation seems to have arrived in the mainstream of late,... Read More
Let's face it! The majority of our time is either... Read More
Do you have the desire for a stress free life?... Read More
Make stress less of an issue for you in your... Read More
Did you ever feel like your "get-up-and-go" got up and... Read More
Get at least 15 minutes of sunshine daily.Daily Exercise -... Read More
Stress Management |