One minute for your health
Brother, can you spare a minute? Okay, do NOT tell me no! If you really feel you don’t have one extra minute, you need this more than anyone.
This one minute will lower your stress while providing you energy and clarity to fuel the rest of your day. It’ll allow the light to shine on what matters …. and what doesn’t. You’ll smile easier, get frustrated less easily. You’ll have that Mona-Lisa-smile approach to the hours to come.
Here’s what to do: Remember, again, a minute will do. Baby promises, remember? They work! Just sit comfortably and close your eyes. Breathe deeply however you want. It doesn’t matter how. Whatever appeals to you as long as it’s not the shallow breathing we often engage in. Turn off the noise. Be quiet. Embrace stillness. Silence your brain. Ask the little pain-in-the-butt on your shoulder to stop chattering at you for a moment, telling you this is crazy stuff and/or you are too busy to bother with this nonsense! Just do absolutely nothing. Simply be. Notice the quiet if you have it. Draw it in throughout your body and mind. Finish with a nice, long, deep breath. Let it out, open your eyes, feel. Nice, huh?
I’m always amazed at how this simple, short effort can re-ground and re-center me. I feel more at peace. I gain energy. I am calmer. Things don’t fluster me as easily. I am more focused. My humor gets a booster shot!
I know it sounds too simplistic. But simple works. Better yet, simple is easy. Simple can fit into your busy schedule. You need simple!
So, give it a try. Right now, before you forget.
My wish for you
“This is my wish for you:
peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies,
health for you and yours, fun around every corner,
energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!”
~ D.M. Dellinger
True joy
“Joy is not in things; it is in us.”
~ Benjamin Franklin
Napping … not just for babies anymore
Naps …. ahhh. Sounds indulgent, doesn’t it? Sinful. Maybe unproductive and lazy.
I can agree … or not. I tend not to have strong opinions on things that don’t harm anyone. Plus I haven’t been a napper since I had kids. For some reason, I could nap like a pro when I was pregnant. But, other than that, napping wasn’t for me. I guess it did seem like a waste, being the Type A person I was at times. Plus, even if I tried to nap, I couldn’t wake easily in a short time, and, when I got up, I was more tired, groggy, out of it. Definitely not something I would turn to in order to get through the day better.
But you can teach an old dog (aka as a 55-year-old woman) new tricks! I am training myself to nap. And I am getting pretty good at it. Go figure! (And, no, I am most definitely not pregnant, thank you very much.)
Why am I teaching myself to nap? Because of the research I’ve been reading about how we never were meant to sleep in one long cycle. More than 85 percent of mammals are polyphasic sleepers, which means they sleep for short periods throughout the day. Humans are distinctly in the minority when we sleep for only one long period per day. And that difference might not be good for us.
Naps can restore your alertness, enhance performance and help reduce mistakes and accidents. A NASA study on sleepy military pilots and astronauts found that a nap improved performance by 34 percent and improved alertness a whopping 100 percent.
Companies such as British Airways, Nike, Inc., Pizza Hut International and Google allow their workers nap breaks and have found that productivity increased as a result. Time Warner, Newsweek and Hearst outsource their napping benefits to a napping “spa” that offers comfy cocoons with adjustable lighting, aromatherapy and more. Ahhhhhh!
There’s been a long list of very busy, intelligent people who valued an afternoon nap. Among them were Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Napoleon, Eleanor Roosevelt, Salvador Dali, Leonardo DaVinci, Margaret Thatcher, John D. Rockefeller, Johannes Brahms, Beethoven, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Louis Stevenson and Thomas Edison.
In short, nap benefits include: increased alertness and productivity (some say creativity is enhanced as well), less stress, improved memory and learning, and better health in general, including a third less heart disease than non-nappers.
All of this information seemed compelling so, like many things, I figured I’d give it a try. How do I know if I don’t try? And guess what? Napping works for me. With it, I am much better at getting up earlier. Before, my inner night owl kept me up too late, then I didn’t want to get up. Now, I wake up naturally at a good time for me. I need less sleep. I have more energy and feel more alert.
I generally am able to nap for 15-20 minutes and wake up refreshed. Very cool! Very helpful. My brain is rested, renewed and ready to move on with the rest of my day. I don’t hit that mid-afternoon slump nor do I need to try to power through it with something that won’t help my health and/or will only work for a short time.
Of course, it’s easier for me. I work at home. I make my own hours. I don’t have a boss breathing down my neck. Well, unless you count my dog who wants me to finish up whatever worthless endeavor (in her mind) I currently think needs my attention and go out for a hike or a walk or ANYTHING more interesting than what she sees me doing!
Thankfully, though, naps are becoming more and more acceptable in the workplace. Places are putting in rooms for naps, comfy couches, etc. Maybe your place can be made to see the light? (after your nap!) Quote any of the above to your boss as very valid reasons to encourage a nap for you and your co-workers. The whole company wins when it has a rested, renewed, more productive work force.
If not, perhaps you can use part of your lunch hour. Sneak away somewhere, even in your car if that’s possible.
If you work for yourself, a more agreeable boss or are otherwise at home, give it a try. Don’t stress out about it, either. Just lay down with the aim of resting for a short time. If you don’t fall asleep, fine. If you do, fine. If you, like me, find yourself waking up naturally in under a half hour, do resist the urge to stay all comfy and cozy and go back to sleep. This is where the groggy ick kicks in. If you find you don’t naturally wake up in a short time, set an alarm for around 20 minutes, which seems to be a good amount of time.
I hope enjoying a nap will help you like it has me. Let me know; I’m eternally curious!
Listen to your heart
“There are many things in life that will catch your eye.
But only a few will catch your heart.”
~ Ben Crenshaw
