Time-Out

time-out:

1.) a brief suspension of activity; intermission or break.
2.) a short interruption in a regular period of play during which a referee or other official stops the clock so that the players may rest, deliberate, make substitutions, etc.


Busy days, long hours, noisy offices, unbearable traffic, screaming children, ringing phones... sound familiar? These words describe the day of an average person in America. Stress pervades even the lives of some of the most positive and respected people. Even if your not a well known corporate executive or CEO of a leading sports equipment company...try a time-out to help take the edge off of stress and feel more grounded and centered during your hectic stressful days.

Nature is a wonderful place to take some time out. Cultivate a garden... ...find a place in the countryside or a time of day in a local park when few people are around...  use visualization to create a peaceful, beautiful place in your mind to visit, maybe a garden or a beach or woodland. With practice, it is possible to experience that place... the sounds of the birds... the rustling of the leaves... the feel of breeze on your skin... the various smells. As your skill is developed... that place can be revisited whenever you need a time-out.

Try to keep a regular meditation schedule, at least once a day or maybe even twice a day (once in the morning and once in the evening.) The more regular  your meditation is, the more of an oasis of calm and grounding you can create in a busy life and a hectic world. Regular "me time" provides an opportunity to stop and center yourself, to calm the restless noise and busy thoughts in your head and then to come back and rejoin life afterwards, with a sense of stillness and inner peace.