I have a hard time being still and quiet. I always have to fill my time with something. I crave time to just be still but even when I have the opportunity, I don’t take it. I know I am not alone in this…or at least I hope I am not alone in this. I worked in the food industry for several years and the biggest saying I heard and even said to co-workers was this; “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean”. If this doesn’t describe our society right now, I don’t know what else would. We crave quite time, yet we don’t make time for it.
Time to Clean
It is so easy to fill our time with tasks. We are told that taking a break or even resting for a moment is not meeting expectations. You always have something you can be doing. I raise my hand…I am guilty of this. I cannot tell you the amount of times I know I need to just sit down and be still, but I find other things I “need” to do. Sure, some things absolutely need to get done, but other times it is more of a necessity to be still and quiet. There is a time to clean and there IS a time to lean.
Time to Lean
Have you ever gotten to a point where you feel so over worked, exhausted, and you feel like you are going to collapse? How many of us fail to rest in those moments? How many of us still intentionally look for the next project? Here is the thing. There is a time to stop, breathe, be still, be quiet. And it is so important to do so.
I have come to realize that if I take even 10 minutes to have my quiet time, I tend to be a better wife and mother. Setting aside that time to gather my thoughts, breathe and pray, helps to reset myself. I have more patience and I am less irritable. Not only am I a better mother and wife, but I am also better for myself. We crave quiet time, yet we don’t make time for it.
Making Time
It is so easy for me to tell myself that I don’t have time to sit still and do nothing. I feel like I am always running around doing things. A part of that is true, but there is always a way to make time for something you care about. For example, if a friend that you haven’t seen in a while asks to have coffee with you and you really want to see them- you make time for them. Well…you need to make time for you, too.
I am not good about this by any means, but I have noticed that if I get up earlier in the morning to have my quiet time, it helps me have a good mindset the rest of the day. There is something about being still and calming yourself before the crazy of the world sets in.
What Does Quiet Time Even Mean?
Quiet time looks different to everyone. I spend a lot of my quiet time praying. Some people may spend time meditating, reading or taking a bath. Quiet time means being still and enjoying time to just be quiet. It means to take time to yourself to recharge, even if that is for 5 minutes. This is so important to our mental health.
We crave quiet time, yet we do not make time for it. It is time to make time for it. I speak for myself here, especially. We need to make time for it to recharge and take care of ourselves. Once we do, we will see a difference on how we handle hard situations, how we parent, how we respond to our spouse or friends. It is time to make time for quiet time.
Here is another great article on The We Spot Blog about creating quiet and listening to your soul.
