Your Need To Know

This is the second installment from 25 TIPS FOR A BETTER LIFE in 2009

TIP #2 - Sit (alone) in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

Do you ever take a few minutes to simply relax and do nothing? Do you ever just get away from all the noise, distractions and hectic pace of everyday life?  If not, you may be missing out on one of the simplest methods of pure relaxation and stress reduction.  If there ever was a simple pleasure, this is it.

Although this is one of the simplest tips on the list, don’t dismiss it as being too simplistic because it really isn’t.  Many of the best things we can do to improve our quality of life are very simple.  Like thinking positively, eating healthy, getting enough exercise, etc.  The problem is, we never take the time to actually do them.  These wise and well-known suggestions are very simple, but only a small percentage of us take advantage of them.  Sitting in silence is one of them.

There is much to be said about being alone, in silence, intentionally doing nothing.  It helps to balance out the noise and confusion that fills much of our days.  It is rejuvinating and peaceful and certainly worth the small effort involved.

There are many ways to accomplish this. Whether it be locking the bathroom door and taking a 10 minute bath, a walk alone in nature, or having your private “retreat” area where you are afforded silence and privacy. I’m not talking about the ride into the office on your way to work.  Although, if that is the only time you can muster on a certain day for some reason, by all means use it, but turn off the radio. Any time is better than no time.  I’m talking about taking time to recharge your mental and spiritual batteries.Taking time to listen to that still, small voice within us that many times holds the answer to all our life’s problems.
 
Taking this a step further, you can practice meditation or yoga.  Unlike sitting in silence, meditation is a way to silence the mind.

If you are already a meditator, then you know the power of this vehicle.  If you have thought you would like to start meditating, but haven’t yet, by all means start now.  If you are a “sometimes” meditator, on again, off again, then it’s time to make meditating as important as anything else you do during the day.

If you would like to meditate, but are unsure how to go about it, there are many free resources online to help.  A simple Google search for “how to meditate” returned the following results: www.how-to-meditate.org and www.wikihow.com/meditate and many others.

Quiet Quote: Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.  Robert Louis Stevenson

Everything is a Habit

Let me repeat that and think about it for a minute.  Everything is a habit.  Form the habit of taking quiet time for yourself every day.  Our peace of mind is dependant on the habits we form.  Especially the habits of mind.  As they say: Form good habits and make them your masters.

Gina

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