Weekly Wellness News

April 21, 2008

Feature: Take a Little Time for You

We live in a fast world, and it's getting faster every year. At work, we are expected to do more, faster, with less... fewer people are there to do the same job, and the pressure is on for it to be done immediately. We take this same sense of rush in demand for immediacy with us everywhere, into our personal lives, into our relationships, into the kitchen and the den and the bedroom. We want it done now, and we want it 'just so'.

How often do you step back and take a breath? How often do you make yourself slow down and enjoy a few minutes of free time? How often do you put your projects, hobbies, to-do lists, and everything else on hold and just rest?

I don't mean going to bed. I mean taking a break from everything. You know, stop to smell the roses. Living life in the moment instead of worrying about what needs to be done or might have been missed.

If you want to unlock the true creative potential of the mind, resting is crucial. Taking a few minutes each hour to clear the mind will pay for itself again and again in increased productivity and more creative thought.

How do you make the most of the few minutes? Meditation is a very effective use of the time, but so is going for a quick walk around the building, or doodling, or anything that allows your mind to be free to roam for a bit. As long as it doesn't encourage concentration, it's probably on the right track.

Have you been busy lately? Take a few minutes for yourself... rest, relax, and clear your mind. You'll be glad you did!

Other news

• Why staying ahead is important with your body: Belly fat 'makes more fat cells' [news.bbc.co.uk]
• Why it should matter to you: Pot belly linked to heart disease [news.bbc.co.uk]
• Why you need to stop making excuses and just fix it: Why the beer belly may be a myth [news.bbc.co.uk]

Quote for the week

Put duties aside at least an hour before bed and perform soothing, quiet activities that will help you relax. - Dianne Hales

From the editor

It's official, the newsletter has moved. For those of you receiving this by email, you won't get any more newsletters this way until you take the next step to subscribe to the new mailing list:

1. Fill out this form
2. After a few minutes, you will receive a confirmation email (look in your junk folder, it will very likely go there)
3. Click the link in that email, and you're set!

If you prefer to receive this using a feed reader, you can use this feed directly or follow the links on that page to add to your MyYahoo page or iGoogle page or whatever other reading software you use.

The new website is up, still at http://www.weeklywellnessnews.com, and as I figure out all the available publishing tools it should clean up a little over time. If you have any problems with the switch-over, please use the feedback form on the main website to let me know about it.

Thanks for taking these few necessary steps, and let me know what you think of the changes!

Healthy thoughts,
Jeff

Copyright 2008, Jeffrey Eliasen.
Do not reprint without express permission from the author.
Forwarding is permitted if (and only if) the newsletter is
forwarded in its entirety (including this notice).