Okay, so I’m sitting in a cabin in the woods of North Georgia right now. My kids are watching television, hopefully something educationally enriching and mindful. (But more likely? Teen Titans Go.)
And I just finished up my morning meditation session, out on the porch, cuddled up in a blanket with only my head poking out, surrounded by the tranquil sounds of the forest: birds waking up, squirrels rustling around, and then, right there…a rooster, telling me it’s time to wake up.
Time to get going.
Time to get started.
Time to write this blog.
Does this happen to you, too? Even during your vacation, even while you’re supposed to be relaxing, you’re thinking of your to-do list? There’s that time pressure!
I’m in the middle of a beautiful meditation on the infinite mind, and poof, here it comes: “Erin, time to write your blog. Better do it now before everyone else wakes up. And what about that new program you’re starting? When are you going to find time to get that done? The kids are out of school tomorrow. You have plans tonight…”
My mind, where are you?
But then I reeled it back in. Using two of my favorite tools. Which I will happily share with all of you, dear readers.
Because I know that sometimes, even if we love to meditate, stuff creeps in. Time pressures intrude. And really, when things are really crazy, we don’t even have time for meditation. You want something quick. Something easy.
Use the Time is Infinite mantras: I am infinite. I am time.
All you need to do is repeat them until you feel lightened around that time pressure. (“I am time” came from the book, The Big Leap. One of my faves.)
Sounds a little too out there? So maybe think of time in this way, instead. If you’re somewhere near my age range, you probably have a good fifty to sixty or even seventy years left of life, if you’re planning to live past 100 (which I totally am!).
That’s a long damn time to get this blog done.
Here’s another way to think of it: if you believe in any sort of afterlife/reincarnation/transfer of energy into higher consciousness, etc., then we truly are infinite beings.
So this blog? I’ve got lifetimes to finish it.
And somehow, just saying those two mantras resets me. They create time. Really. Time expands to allow me to do all that I need to get done. (And you know we always find time for stuff we really need to get done.)
The Release Technique
I’ve talked about this one before, but it’s become a real fave of mine and totally bears repeating. The key here is to really listen in to what’s beneath that time pressure. Because there’s usually a great big fear lurking there.
For instance, when you’re thinking about something that needs to get done, even if it’s only the laundry, there’s usually something like this going on beneath that time pressure, “If you don’t get this done, people will think you’re a failure. People will think that you aren’t good at your job.”
Yuck.
Okay, so then it’s time for the release technique:
Close your eyes and tilt your head slightly down. Then feel the fear in your body, usually in your chest or your heart. Notice it, feel the constricted feeling, and then allow it to release. And then a little more. And then a little more.
Keep releasing until you no longer feel the constriction anywhere in your body.
You can use this on any fear or frustration you might be feeling. (From the wonderful book: Love Yourself, and Let The Other Person Have it Your Way.)
Once I’d worked on my own fears, I came inside to write this blog, with infinite time and full enjoyment of exactly what I was doing.
And the rooster stopped crowing.
Where do you get stuck during your day? What trips you up and puts you in a time crunch? Share with us in the comments or on Facebook.
