Is Tired the New Norm?

Downtime is a necessity in today’s warp-speed world. We are so busy making a living and consumed in day-to-day activities that we often do not have time to enjoy life. We tend to over-commit, never say no and turn into workaholics – always doing something or going somewhere. Are you someone who never takes time for yourself so you can regenerate your body and mind? These workaholics schedule no downtime to truly rest, restore and rejuvenate. Constantly on the go, they work, nurture their children, help friends, do volunteer work, provide care to others, go to the mall, religiously watch their favorite TV show and stay in endless social media contact but never even think about caring for themselves in a meaningful way. Is Tired the Norm? It is impossible take care of yourself and everything you need to do in a day if you do not plan some regular downtime. Even if you work out and feed your body the best nutritional foods and supplements, these are not replacements for downtime. A lack of downtime often results in: • Tiredness • Feeling you are forgetting something important • Catching every “bug” or virus • Feeling as if you have an unending allergic reaction to “something” in the air • Losing patience easily • Procrastination • Spending hours on the computer accomplishing nothing Are two or more of these are part of your daily lifestyle? If yes, the odds are that the solution lies in pre-planned downtime. You do not have to be overworked or in a high-stress job to experience this type of energy depletion. Sometimes even the most mundane activities can cause such depletion: a boring job, demanding children, volunteering too often or caregiving for the sick and elderly. You don’t have to give up all of those things. What you need is to also schedule time for self; time for rest, regeneration and re-energizing you. You simply cannot perform well at your job, tend to friends, nurture your children and do the millions of other things that demand your time if you don’t care for yourself. Your Mini Downtime Plan Decide to change. Once you make that decision, the rest is easy. This can be the simplest yet most difficult decision that stands in the way re-energizing. Use the mantra, “I choose to re-energize myself regularly through the use of positive energy downtime.” Then do it. Don’t just talk about it, think about doing it put it on your calendar. Make your plan and do it. Create downtime space. Select a space or area in your home where you can have privacy, a place where you will not be interrupted while feeling safe and totally alone – the corner of a bedroom, patio or loft works just fine. Then instruct others living with you that you are not to be disturbed while you are in your downtime space. Do absolutely nothing. During your one hour per week (more as needed) in this lovely space you have created, your job is to do absolutely nothing. Yes, that’s right: nothing. The more nothing you can do the better it will be for re-energizing. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to nothing. If you hear noises or music, that’s OK, just keep your mind focused on nothing. Let it day dream or visualize pretty things or remember very peaceful times in your life but nothing in particular. This will be the best part of your week once you get the hang of it. If this proves to be a challenge, an alte ative to nothing would be to meditate or journal while in you are in your downtime space. Downtime is a critical link to being fully energized, feeling upbeat and at peak performance. You may think that when you go on vacation you have downtime but what you really do is “go.” Or, when you go to visit friends or relatives you think you relax but your body is constantly working and thinking. The same holds true when visiting shut-ins or spending time at children’s events. Downtime is just that; no work, no thinking and no interaction with others. It is the absolute and utter absorption in doing nothing but letting your body and mind completely rest, regenerate and re-energize. Start today and watch your energy increase and your performance improve. © Pat Heydlauff, all rights reserved 2013