How much time do you have on your hands at the moment?
It might sound like a strange question when we’re in the middle of another lockdown in the U.K. We could assume that some people have more time, whilst others might say that have less time than ever. Ashley Whillans refers to the latter as “Time Poverty”; the idea that no matter what we have in our bank account, we can still feel “poor” if every day feels like it runs away from us.
A couple of weeks ago I asked how patient you were feeling. When things aren’t moving quick enough, or tensions are rising (say, over lockdown or Brexit), I suggested it might be time to Speak Your Peace (spelled ‘peace’ intentionally). But impatience might not be the only thing you’re feeling right now, especially if you’re grieving for what you’ve lost or might have been. Time plays such a big part in how we navigate our world, sometimes there’s nothing worse than feeling like you’ve “wasted” days, weeks or even months of it.
At the beginning of the year, not many people could have predicted that we would have to spend so much time at home. Holidays have been cancelled. Parties and weddings rescheduled. Now that December’s nearly here, in some ways, time feels like it’s stood still, and in others it’s flown. If you’re feeling like you missed an opportunity in all of this, it matters, just as if you’re hurting because things didn’t work out.
Here’s something that might help.
This week, set the intention to Give Yourself Time. Pause to honour what you’re feeling, especially if it feels like the last eight months have stolen something from you. If there were plans you’d made, or something you wanted or needed to happen, give yourself permission to allow those feelings to exist even if only for a moment; it’s all valid. If you’re keeping yourself busy as a way of coping, build time into each day that allows you to pause, reflect and reset. (Mindfulness practice might be a nice treat).
In this article, Whillans also talks about “Time Traps”, how we can find ourselves down a rabbit hole of using up minutes and hours on activities that don’t replenish (like scrolling YouTube or Facebook). Take a look at how you’re spending it, and whether there are ways to give yourself some time back for some well-deserved self-care.
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Copyright Delphi Ellis
Helping You Sparkle™ 