We all need a little space out in our life's..... Everyday. There is no question about that. I strongly believe that we all need to give ourselves space every single day, whether we are at work or at home.
What do I mean by space? Just pause from what ever it is you are doing in the moment. Maybe away from everyone or right where you are, at the desk, in the car or at the check out counter. We need to schedule the space to ourselves. I feel like if you need to put it on the calendar then do what it takes to make sure that you have created a "space out time" for you.
For me it is a time out for myself. I know some parents give their kids a time out when they behave out of line or don't listen. The time out for space is not a self punishment rather a time to just be.
The space time is not for getting your errands done, or folding the laundry, cooking, working or anything else. The space is for you to just sit, take a break from whatever it is that you are doing. Maybe listen to music, stare at the trees, watch the cars passing, or my favorite just following your breathe for a couple of minutes. You need to make the space to have a chance to "blank out" if you can, and force yourself if you have to.
Of course, I struggle with this myself so as you may know, anything that I am struggling with, I want to work on it. So how do I take the time out for space. When I am at work, it is a little hard but I just sometimes stare at the black wall in front of me for a couple of minutes or just stare at my computer screen and try not to think what I need to do. I also have been trying to just focus on my belly button and my breathe, or just watch my tummy go up and down as I breathe.
At home, its a lot easier since I can just sit outside or look outside the window. Just staring outside and dreaming or trying to have a blank mind, allowing myself to just tune out. I find it does not need to be long or timed, but when ever possible. It may be for a few seconds, a couple of minutes or up to 10 mins. It really does not matter as long as we are trying our best to be in that space.
I for sure need that pause on a daily basis. To pause and appreciate the beauty of my body, outside or my breathe. To just take a second and watch at everything that is around me, a way of coming back to myself daily and more regularly.
It is a pause to hit my "refresh" button. I can go on and on between work and coming home and having to just do all the chores. But giving myself the space, for a minute or 2 just causes everything to come to a standstill and a chance for me to say "hello breathe"..you are still there...and thank you.
I look at it as coming back to the real me regularly, grounding myself and feeling solid throughout the day. The solid feeling makes me feel that I can better handle the task at hand or for the rest of the day. It keeps me in check and helps not to overreact or react to things. As a mom, I really try to not to let the days work or emotions carry home with me in the car so if I regularly take the space I need throughout me day, when I greet my kids after school I am a much happier and relaxed mom. They come home after a long day at school and want to just relax so having me in a already relaxed mood, makes them even happier and the whole evening goes smoothly for all of us.
Sometimes staring at a blank wall can also help. At work, I am a little further from the window so I just can't stare outside, but I do have a blank wall that I look at and even just imagining the ocean and feeling the ocean's breeze on my body will do the trick. I try to just stare at the wall and feel my breathe. That is by far the best thing.
I see it as something that I need to build in my life like a hundred times a day. Its too important not too have the space for yourself. When the kids are home from school, I take the time when they are watching t.v. or taking a bath. I stop doing what I am doing and just go outside. Gaze at the sky and see the birds, hear the fire hydrants, see the person walking their dogs, watch kids play outside, or smell and hear the rain. What ever I feel I need at that time, comes to me.
I try not to think about it too hard and if I sit outside and happen to fall asleep than I do. Allowing myself to blank or tune out kind of resets and re centers me. My kids get bored sometimes and instead of allowing them more screen time, I tell them to just stare outside. Granted they don't do it for long but its getting them to learn giving space to themselves and allowing their minds to blank out.
That is always the hard part since the mind never wants to just be quiet. Even if you do just space out for a minute or two the mind will still be chatting. It will still go about doing what it does but still just try to take a few minutes or just do 10 deep breathes. A few seconds can make the difference and it has for me. I feel really calm on the inside and my shoulders are not hunched up and my neck is less stiff.
Forcing yourself to stare at the sky, or feeling the wind by standing outside, develops a space inside of you and allows for a more better day and a less stressed one. You may even come up with creative ideas or a solution to a problem. It helps me be more alert through the day. Giving the space essentially allows for more to enter.
Sometimes, giving yourself space may mean to you to just sit and enjoy that ice cream or the piece of chocolate. If that is the case, pay attention to how much you are having and enjoy every bit of it. My idea of giving myself space is to just space out. Its not to focus on anything and try to just focus be and notice where I am tensed or whats going on with my body.
A lot of times I look at beautiful pictures on the internet and get lost in them as if I am there.. I let the picture take me. Since I love beaches, sunrises and sunset, I look at pictures on the internet and when I find one that totally takes my breathe away, I just stop and stare at it and I am taken there. There is an instant relieve in my body and my muscles get relaxed my shoulders are not up and tensed. After a few moments of being in the picture, I take a few deep breathes and then come back to whatever I am doing.
Friends, we need to build in the time throughout the day and really make a conscious effort to come back to ourselves. Give permission to yourself to go ahead and take a space out time.
Peace,Monita
No comments:
Post a Comment