Imagine for a moment, I said “The next five minutes are yours to do with whatever you want.” What would you do?
You might say:
Read a magazine
Make a brew
Eat a Jaffa cake. (Totally with you on that one).
I’ve talked before about time, and what a rare and precious commodity it is. It’s the one thing we spend, that can never be returned or exchanged. We worry about wasting time, and yet come Friday we wonder where it went. It’s one of the reasons why if you do sit down for five minutes to yourself, you might think about all the things you could be doing, instead of sitting down.
I often say in my classes, that our 21st century “industrialised” approach to time means we’ve tried to neatly tidy our 24 hours into three x eight of work, sleep and play. But I’m going to bet you one of those Jaffa Cakes, there’s not 16 hours of sleep and play happening in the world right now.
So, what do we do?
According to Dr Rangan Chatterjee just five minutes of mindful play can set you on your way to wellness.
This week, maybe set the intention to Make Space for Play. Dr Chatterjee says there are ways to to get absorbed in movement without feeling like it’s exercise or a chore; it starts with throwing off some of the self-consciousness we might have, that we would never have felt as a child. The aim is, as he describes it, to have some “silly, energetic fun”. One way to do this is to pick one of your favourite feel-good songs and dance. Another is to kick a football round for five minutes, invest in a hula hoop, or play “tag” with a friend or family member. For something less high-energy, you could try decorating some stones or engaging in other arts and crafts; you might find you instinctively do all of these mindfully. Whatever healthy way you choose to move this week, see if you can schedule some “play time” in your diary.
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Copyright Delphi Ellis
Helping You Sparkle™ 