In Search of Time...

The rumors of my disappearance have been greatly exaggerated. Yes, I’ve been AWOL from this blog for over a year, but it’s time for a comeback! And now time is what is on my mind...

Are you beyond busy, overwhelmed by your schedule or your life?

Do you feel like Wellness is just one more thing you can't fit in?

Read on to see how five minutes can change your life!

FACT: In 1999, the American Institute of Stress indicated that Americans were spending more time at work, in fact workers in the United States were putting in more hours on the job than any other industrialized nation. On the average, Americans worked a month more than the Japanese and three months more than the Germans. The average workweek was 47 hours per week. I’m still searching for the updated report because we all know a lot has changed since 1999...

IMPACT: According to a 2009 report from the American Psychological Association, 75% of adults said they had experience high levels of stress in the past month and 42% indicated they had higher stress levels than the previous year. Stress is linked to headaches, back pain and chronic illness including cancer and heart disease. In fact, stress has been linked to all of the leading causes of death...

TIME TO ACT! “All work and no play is no good at all.” I agree whole-heartedly with this quote printed on the stem of my Gary Fischer mountain bike. But, with longer work weeks and higher stress levels we often perceive there is no time for Wellness. Most people have a long list of things that they “should” do, including exercising and eating right – but who’s got the time? The inherent stress of more work and less play is now compounded by guilt. Guilt is NOT a dimensions of Wellness!

BABY STEPS: Give yourself a break and start with something simple. Wellness is a process, not a product. You can improve your personal Wellness in as little as 5 minutes per day. Pick just one of the seven activities listed below and try it today, then try a different one tomorrow or next week.

Social – Call or visit a friend, neighbor or colleague whose company you enjoy, and take a few moments to catch up with each other’s lives.

Environmental – Go outside and watch the sunset (or sunrise). Just watch, don’t do anything else. No cell phone, no blackberry. Take the whole 5 minutes and relax. Enjoy the beauty of the sky and live in the moment.

Occupational – Close your door and forward your phone for 5 minutes. If you can’t close your door, find a place where you can sit undisturbed for this exercise. Take a deep breath and attempt to clear your mind of all of those nagging “to do’s”. On a blank sheet of paper brainstorm and write down things you like about your job. Once you get a list then prioritize it and number the top 5. On a new sheet of paper write down your top 5 and keep it somewhere handy to help motivate you at stressful moments.

Intellectual – Discover something new and share it with someone. For example, check out the Real Age web site where you can discover your true biological age (based on your lifestyle not the calendar). Read the “Real Age” tip of the day, or request to have it e-mailed to you daily.

Physical – Move. Somehow, some way just move your body. Stand up and stretch, or take a short walk. You don’t have to get on a treadmill and sweat for 20 minutes to improve your activity level. The addition of any movement above and beyond what you did yesterday will improve your physical well being today. Five minutes counts!

Emotional – Laugh. Talk to a friend who makes you laugh. If you are alone, think of the last thing that made you laugh really hard. Don’t be afraid to laugh out loud, or share with someone who will laugh with you. Learn more about humor and health from the HelpGuide.org website.

Spiritual – Do something today that soothes your soul, brings you peace and creates joy in your life. If you can’t think of anything, think harder. It can be as simple as feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, seeing the smiling face of a child or doing a favor for a friend. You could also spend the 5 minutes today by making a list of simple things that make you happy, and make a promise to yourself that you will do one in the next seven days.

Congratulations. If you read this far you have already taken a step towards enhancing your Wellness. We can’t get more hours out of our day, but we can improve the quality of those hours if we invest a little time to BE WELL.