Enjoy Your Time!
Don’t try to do too much in too little time.
See time as an ally, not an enemy.
Live in the present more often–don’t worry about the past or future.
Don’t wear a watch when you can do without it.
Do only one thing at a time.
Savor your time–slow down, talk and walk more slowly.
Take time to smile and to acknowledge people.
Drive at the speed limit–don’t weave in and out of lanes.
Wait patiently wherever you are–enjoy the change of pace.
Give yourself permission to do nothing at times.
Wake up slowly and ease into your day.
When done properly, time management helps you use your time well and provides opportunities for you to reflect on the pleasures and joys of life.
To practise being mindful from one moment to the next puts you in touch with life in the only time you have to live it, namely, right now.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
Stress Reduction Clinic, University of Massachusetts Medical Center
Mindfulness
Mindfulness means focusing your awareness in the moment, not allowing your thoughts to drift into the past or future. This practice keeps you alert to your present thoughts and experiences. Mindfulness is useful for eliciting the relaxation response.
Use mindfulness to reduce your stress:
Instead of rushing into your usual routine, slow down and notice something special about the morning. Listen to the birds singing, look at the flowers in your garden, listen to the morning sounds, and take a deep breath to smell the air. Walk with quiet awareness to your car or the bus. Look for and appreciate something that you haven’t noticed before.
Take mindful breaths:
Use diaphragmatic breathing and notice the rhythm of your breathing.
Mindfulness is the miracle by which we can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
Miracle of Mindfulness
Minaker KL, Burley D, Penny R, Haber D, Quinlan J, Coley C, Rosenthal D.
Stress Management Guidebook: Program for Lifelong Health Maintenance.
President and Fellows of Harvard College and Harvard University Health Services, Cambridge, MA. 1996.
FOR MORE INFO. CHECK PROGRAM #55 IN THE SPIRITUAL PRACTICES CATEGORY.
