Life has lots of pressures and demands. Whether you have a high stress job, are worried about health or money, or are fatigued from the rigors of everyday life, these life stressors can be wearing both mentally and physically. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed, unhappy, and restless. While most people can handle some stress with grace, in large doses, stress can create long-term consequences and negatively affect behavior, our emotions, and our bodies. It’s important to seek out ways to destress, including taking a daily 10-minute pause to refresh the mind, heart, and soul.
WebMD, a leading source of valuable medical information, describes stress as the body’s reaction to harmful situations, both real and perceived. They explain that when a person feels threatened, a chemical reaction occurs in the body, and the person will act to prevent injury. This is called “fight-or-flight.” During the response time, a person’s heart rate will increase, breathing will grow faster, muscles tighten, and blood pressure will go up. This enables a person to protect themselves. However, repeated and long-term stress, also called chronic stress, can make people feel overwhelmed, result in loss of control, and increase physical or mental problems. Thus, it’s important to take a pause every day where you tune out all the things that are stressful and welcome peace into your life.
The practice of tuning out noise for 10-minutes a day allows people to relax the mind and body. It is different than inward focused meditation that centers on oneself. The whole concept of this quiet time is to totally unplug for 10 consecutive minutes and disengage from the world. It is not a time to reflect on self-worth, self-improvement and so forth. Rather, these ten minutes simply encourage a quiet mind and a chance to give the mind a complete rest.
Practicing daily quiet time is relatively easy. Find a safe, comfy, and quiet place where you will be undisturbed, away from people, barking dogs, screaming kids, the television, your cellphone, etc. It can be any time of the day or night that is most convenient for you. Sit in whatever position is most comfortable for you. Once you are relaxed gently close your eyes and be still. Breathe calmly. Do not think of anything. If your mind wanders at first, it is okay. You goal is to get your mind to be free. Try to focus on your breathing instead as calm breathing can relax your heart rate and soothe the body Build up to the 10-minutes if needed to gain the benefits of this daily pause.
Per Healthline, an informational site that covers all facets of physical and mental health, there are a great many benefits to habitual forms of meditation. This includes controlling anxiety and reducing symptoms in people with stress-triggered medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and fibromyalgia. People who practice the 10-minute pause often report feeling less tense and more at ease over time. Not only can this special quiet time reduce negative emotions, but this peaceful practice can also increase creativity, imagination, and spirituality, and possibly open a channel to living life more fully and with a joyful perspective.
