Vacations. Who doesn't love them? I bet you wish you could go on one right now. I'll wager at this moment, you are trying to block images of sandy beaches just so you can finish reading this article. I appreciate that. Vacation fantasies are potent. It takes a strong mind to overcome those pesky, serene thoughts. Perhaps it's time you learned how to channel your mentations in ways that won't frustrate you. If you are constantly wishing for escape from the daily grind, your freedom is but a moment away. You don't have to schedule time off from work. You don't have to book a flight or a hotel. You don't have to spend any money. You can enjoy that calming break without leaving your desk. The vacation you so desperately desire is right there, in your head.
Life is difficult. Even people on vacation have problems. No matter where we go or who we're with, there's always something trying to invade our peace. At work, the boss keeps peaking over our shoulder. At home, our housemates want our undivided attention. At our favorite restaurant, the goon at the next table won't stop yapping on his cell. We suffer these endless invasions in the hope that we can make it through another day without a complete mental breakdown. We bemoan our lack of solace but we don't do anything about it. We stew in our angry juices when we could be doing something far more constructive. We need to give ourselves a personal time out.
Remember those sandy beach images you had to block in paragraph one? They're still in your head. All you have to do is call them up. The next time you find yourself bombarded by the world around you, take a moment to take a moment. Stop whatever you're doing and make peace with yourself. It isn't hard to do. All it takes is a willingness to remove yourself from stress.
Humans in developed countries are rather sedentary. When we're not sitting on our butts in our cubicles, we're either behind the wheel or parked some other way, be it at the dining table, on the couch or in front of our computer monitor.
This lack of exercise is detrimental to both our physical and mental well-being. Walking is easy. Short of severe weather or physical disability, there is nothing preventing you from getting up off your posterior and onto your feet. A walk around the block enables you to breathe fresh air, change your environment and collect your thoughts.
If you need an excuse to take a walk, use the time alloted for your lunch break. If you're at home, take a walk to buy a newspaper or to drop a letter at the post office. You don't have to power walk. You don't have to shoot for some sort of distance goal. All you have to do is put on foot in front of the other and your head will follow.
Our sense of hearing is both a blessing and a curse. For many of us, noise pollution is the main thing preventing our ability to center our thoughts. How can you clear your mind when there are 20 different sounds buzzing in your ears? Find a noise-proof room. Retreat to the bathroom or a remote location in your home. Turn off the television, toaster, computer and get the sound out of your space. Buy a pair of earplugs or noise-canceling headphones. If you want to give yourself that time out, then blocking extraneous sound is a must.
The pretty pictures in your head look better when you've got your eyes closed. Light and movement can prevent you from getting a break. How can you visualize a garden setting when all around you are cubicles, co-workers and fluorescent lights? If imagining a chess board in your head is what relaxes you and helps you to focus then find a darkened room and/or shut your eyelids. Tell your brain to project the images that you want to see, instead of the sights, forced upon you by your existence. If some nosy sort asks you what you're doing, tell them the truth. You are taking a personal time out.
Did you know there are studies making the claim that humans think better and smarter after playing Tetris? Apparently the theory is that this computer puzzle game helps the player organize his/her thoughts. Tetris is also mindless, escapist fun.
Sometimes, the best personal time involves not thinking at all, at least not deliberately. Game play tricks you into believing that you are doing nothing. You're still using your brain, only you're not using it for all those heavy worries that are bugging you. Play Tetris. Or play any game for that matter.
The whole concept of the Personal Time Out hinges on the fact that we all need to be alone at least once in a while. Even the most gregarious person arrives at a point where they feel they will go mad if they see one more face. Sometimes it is impossible to arrange your life so that you are completely alone. That's why we resort to the methods mentioned above. We walk in order to be alone with strangers. We shut out sound and light to create the illusion of aloneness. We play a game so that we may escape a world of other people.
If you have the means to be truly alone, take advantage of those means. You can rejoin society when you are ready. Take a long bath in a locked bathroom. If the company break room is unoccupied, go for it. If you have to bribe the janitor for five minutes by yourself in the supply closet, do what you must.
The fact is, we live in highly stressful, over stimulated times. The fact is that stress kills. Our coping skills need serious refinement. When you let life control you, life always kicks you in the ass. Taking a Personal Time Out is your way to control life. Don't let the sounds, sights, worries and influences of reality get the best of you. Take control. Take a Personal Time Out.
By J.A. Romig | VEESH Writer | MAR.03.08