Take time for reflection

Let’s face it, for most of us, our modern lives are a mad rush, seemingly endlessly multitasking from one thing to another. Day after day, week after week, month after month we go on doing one thing or another and trying to fit everything we feel we have to do in what seems to be an ever shrinking period of time. How often do we hear the words, there just aren’t enough hours in the day?

But why are we rushing? Why do we have all these things we need to do? Do we need to do them right now? Do we really need to do them at all?  Are they as important as we think they are?  That brings us to the main question of what is really important in life, and is that what you spend the most time on?  Do we ever even stop to consider these things? If you don’t, I suggest that you do for the sake of your health and sanity.

Stress is a dirty word, but one many of us are all too familiar with. We have heard how stress contributes to poor health and we know how unhappy we feel when we are stressed, but still we go on, from one day to the next, contributing to our own stress by the way we live our life.

Try stopping for a moment. Bring yourself into the present and drop the idea that there are things you need to do. Just the act of stopping will break the stress cycle. Stop and look at the sky or take a deep breath or listen to the sounds around you, take a longer break and go for a walk, or have a cup of tea.  Take an even longer break and take a step back and look at your life a different way; spend a weekend reflecting on the questions above, or go on a meditation retreat like I just did and you may completely rearrange your priorities.

At the very least, you learn that you can stop, that life doesn’t disintegrate if you do. If you can stop for long enough, you may discover how wonderful it is to just be, in the moment, without following your thoughts into the past or the future. Taking time to reflect is an important part of life. It helps us to stay on track and not be blown by the fickle winds of our crazy world. Whether it’s as short as a breath or as long as a holiday, take time out to really see the world around you, as it is, now, in this moment. I guarantee it will refresh you.

 

When did you last take a break?