The alarm goes off, and there’s just time to get the kids together and get them to school. If you’re lucky you may have time for a coffee before heading to work where the paperwork is piling up and deadlines have to be met. There’s no time for lunch and after work there’s that game of squash you’d promised you would play some time ago. Does this sound like you? If so, then you are one of the many millions around the world for whom there simply aren’t enough hours in the day.
We all know that this is not a very healthy way to live for any period of time. Initially there is some adrenaline and excitement to this kind of life, but too much of it is likely to turn into stress and along with it, many of the stress related illnesses such as heart disease.
Sometimes, we need to take a look at our lives and turn the speed down at least a little. This however is not always easy, especially if we have commitments such as children. There are though, always ways, if you look, in which you can find that extra bit of time for yourself.
Morning
Mornings can be difficult. Most of us like our beds but setting the alarm clock 15 minutes early can make a big difference to our day. Try using this 15 minutes for yourself though rather than wake the kids. Have a coffee and read the paper before taking a deep breath before waking the kids.
Work
Work can be a tricky one, there are expectations of us and some which we have probably put upon ourselves. It may even be that the time has come to take a look at whether this is the right job for us and consider a down shift. Even if we love our job though, we still need to breath. Toilet breaks are a good one although not the nicest of surroundings. Perhaps you have a store room or an archive area where you can escape and just close your eyes and breathe. Even doing this for a minute or two several times a day will help to take you out of that spin and allow you to relax a little.
Evening
A lot of us now do sports or go to the gym aware that we have been sitting around all day and need the exercise. However, simply by cycling or walking to work, for general fitness purposes you may not need to go to the gym and that would free up an hour or more to relax in the evening.
Even professionals though are recognising the demand on our time and new technology is helping here. For example, some dentists already have equipment which can manufacture a crown or dental veneer there and then which means that there is no need for that time consuming second appointment which takes too much out of your day.
Ian Fenman works in time management researching changes to the way that businesses are coping with the extra stress on employees. One employer he visited for example, recommended that their employees visit dentists who use CEREC to speed up the length of a procedure.
Tags: guest post, How to manage stress, stress relief, Time management
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