Time Flies, but We Don't Have To

We’ve all heard the saying “Time flies when you’re having fun,” but lately it seems that time flies regardless of whether you’re having fun, under stress, laying on the couch, working overtime, or shuffling the kids to all their activities.

So, where does the time go? We can make a to do list in the morning or review our day at night, but what does it matter? The time is gone and we can’t get it back.

I’ve been somewhat stressed over the past several days. Some might say that because I was excited and focused on doing something I enjoy that my stress was “good stress.” Well, then why did my body feel tense? Why was it hard for me to fall asleep at night? Why did my mind start spiraling out of control saying, “you’ve got so much to do and you have to finish it all today, tonight, before you go to bed?” Why did I wake up at 4 a.m. with a mental to do list for the following day?

My guess is that I wasn’t living in the NOW. I was worrying about all the things I needed to do and putting judgments on not only the to do list, but also judgments on myself. “You’ve bitten off more than you can chew. Who do you think you are, Superwoman?”

As a recovering Type A personality, I constantly have to remind myself to stop, breathe, and remember that nothing is more important than my life. There is nothing I can do about what happened in the past. There is nothing I can do about tomorrow. The only thing I can do is live to the fullest in this moment. When I live in the NOW, I keep my focus on what I do and keep my mind in check. Oddly enough, when I live in the moment, I get more accomplished in my day.

So, if you are having one of those days where you’re about to pull your hair out, try this:
1. Stop what you are doing.
2. Close your eye to block out all the chaos going on around you.
3. Concentrate on your breath. Inhale slowly and follow your breath as it moves up your nostrils, warms, then moves out your nose or mouth.
4. Repeat the following, silently or aloud. “I’m aware of this moment. I’m aware of my breath. I am calm. I am peaceful.”
5. Continue breathing and repeating the above or another positive statement until you have calmed down.

You may be surprised that within five to ten minutes, you can come back from a stressful situation and go about the rest of your day. Isn’t that a better way to live than to carry around stress for hours on end?

“Each today, well-lived, makes yesterday a dream of happiness and each tomorrow a vision of hope. Look, therefore, to this one day, for it and it alone is life.”
Sanskrit Poem