WEBVTT - How to help yourself relax

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is about one way to help yourself feel

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<v Speaker 1>a little more relaxed. Set a timer for when it's

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<v Speaker 1>time to move on so you can stop worrying about

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<v Speaker 1>what's next. For Mother's Day this year, I asked for

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<v Speaker 1>and received a hammock. It is quite lovely, But of

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<v Speaker 1>course owning a hammock doesn't magically create the time to

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<v Speaker 1>use that hammock. Between work, kids, and various chores. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't exactly have huge quantities of leisure time to relax

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<v Speaker 1>out there. I do have some time, for sure, but

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<v Speaker 1>and I am sure you can relate to this as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Whenever I go out to lie in the hammock, I

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<v Speaker 1>start thinking of what I still need to do in

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<v Speaker 1>the near future and what time that needs to happen.

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<v Speaker 1>If I have ten minutes before I need to start

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<v Speaker 1>rallying the troops to get in the minivan, I will

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<v Speaker 1>look at my phone to see what time it is

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<v Speaker 1>several times so I am not late. It is hard

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<v Speaker 1>to feel relaxed while doing that, so I decided to

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<v Speaker 1>try a different tactic. If I know I have ten

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<v Speaker 1>minutes to relax in the hammock, I will set a

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<v Speaker 1>timer on my phone for ten minutes. When it beeps,

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<v Speaker 1>I know it is time to move on to the

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<v Speaker 1>next thing. But until it beeps, I don't have to

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<v Speaker 1>think about it. I don't have to keep looking at

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<v Speaker 1>the time. I can look up at the trees and

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<v Speaker 1>the clouds and let my thoughts wander. This makes the

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<v Speaker 1>experience far more rejuvenating. If you two are all He's

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<v Speaker 1>keeping track of the time because you need to make

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<v Speaker 1>the trains run on time in your life, then perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>you will find this approach helpful as well. If you

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<v Speaker 1>have carved out a few minutes to relax, think about

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<v Speaker 1>how long you have and set a timer for that amount,

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<v Speaker 1>then truly revel in this downtime, even if it's only

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<v Speaker 1>a few minutes. If you've got ten minutes to have

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<v Speaker 1>that quiet cup of coffee on the porch, set the

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<v Speaker 1>timer and listen to the birds. If you've got fifteen

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<v Speaker 1>minutes to read before you need to go pick up

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<v Speaker 1>a kid somewhere, set the timer so you won't miss

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<v Speaker 1>pick up, but you won't have to pull yourself out

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<v Speaker 1>of the book to check the time until you absolutely

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<v Speaker 1>need to now. Perhaps on some level this sounds counterintuitive.

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<v Speaker 1>Setting a timer sounds like the opposite of relaxation. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>you're on the clock. And if your life doesn't involve

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of time constraints and responsibilities, well, great, spend

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<v Speaker 1>all afternoon on the hammock. Enjoy it for all it

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<v Speaker 1>is worth. But I know many people listening to this

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<v Speaker 1>podcast are managing folks at work and managing folks at home.

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<v Speaker 1>You need to meet with your direct reports and check

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<v Speaker 1>in on their progress, and you need to dial into

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<v Speaker 1>that virtual meeting with the team in Asia at nine pm.

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<v Speaker 1>You need to pick up the kids at camp for

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<v Speaker 1>school and see that they get to piano lessons or

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<v Speaker 1>home from soccer practice. All of these are meaningful things,

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<v Speaker 1>but they require that you know what time it is

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<v Speaker 1>and what you need to do next. As responsible people,

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<v Speaker 1>we don't want to drop the ball on these things,

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<v Speaker 1>so our brains will keep us on high alert until

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<v Speaker 1>we do them. The only way to dial down this

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<v Speaker 1>high alert is to assure our brains that you will

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<v Speaker 1>move on at the right time. When an alarm is set,

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<v Speaker 1>this piece of the puzz is taken care of. Our

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<v Speaker 1>brains can calm down and relax for a while. No

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<v Speaker 1>need to think about the schedule. It is all under control,

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<v Speaker 1>at least for the next ten minutes, so it is

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<v Speaker 1>okay to just stare at the sky in the meantime.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the

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<v Speaker 1>number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also

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<v Speaker 1>shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart

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<v Speaker 1>media dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out with

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<v Speaker 1>all the letters. Thanks so much, Flora to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For

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