How to help yourself relax

Set a timer so you can settle in

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is about one way to help yourself feel
a little more relaxed. Set a timer for when it's

(00:24):
time to move on so you can stop worrying about
what's next. For Mother's Day this year, I asked for
and received a hammock. It is quite lovely, But of
course owning a hammock doesn't magically create the time to
use that hammock. Between work, kids, and various chores. I

(00:47):
don't exactly have huge quantities of leisure time to relax
out there. I do have some time, for sure, but
and I am sure you can relate to this as well.
Whenever I go out to lie in the hammock, I
start thinking of what I still need to do in
the near future and what time that needs to happen.
If I have ten minutes before I need to start

(01:10):
rallying the troops to get in the minivan, I will
look at my phone to see what time it is
several times so I am not late. It is hard
to feel relaxed while doing that, so I decided to
try a different tactic. If I know I have ten
minutes to relax in the hammock, I will set a

(01:32):
timer on my phone for ten minutes. When it beeps,
I know it is time to move on to the
next thing. But until it beeps, I don't have to
think about it. I don't have to keep looking at
the time. I can look up at the trees and
the clouds and let my thoughts wander. This makes the

(01:54):
experience far more rejuvenating. If you two are all He's
keeping track of the time because you need to make
the trains run on time in your life, then perhaps
you will find this approach helpful as well. If you
have carved out a few minutes to relax, think about
how long you have and set a timer for that amount,

(02:18):
then truly revel in this downtime, even if it's only
a few minutes. If you've got ten minutes to have
that quiet cup of coffee on the porch, set the
timer and listen to the birds. If you've got fifteen
minutes to read before you need to go pick up
a kid somewhere, set the timer so you won't miss

(02:39):
pick up, but you won't have to pull yourself out
of the book to check the time until you absolutely
need to now. Perhaps on some level this sounds counterintuitive.
Setting a timer sounds like the opposite of relaxation. I mean,
you're on the clock. And if your life doesn't involve

(02:59):
a lot of time constraints and responsibilities, well, great, spend
all afternoon on the hammock. Enjoy it for all it
is worth. But I know many people listening to this
podcast are managing folks at work and managing folks at home.
You need to meet with your direct reports and check
in on their progress, and you need to dial into

(03:21):
that virtual meeting with the team in Asia at nine pm.
You need to pick up the kids at camp for
school and see that they get to piano lessons or
home from soccer practice. All of these are meaningful things,
but they require that you know what time it is
and what you need to do next. As responsible people,
we don't want to drop the ball on these things,

(03:43):
so our brains will keep us on high alert until
we do them. The only way to dial down this
high alert is to assure our brains that you will
move on at the right time. When an alarm is set,
this piece of the puzz is taken care of. Our
brains can calm down and relax for a while. No

(04:06):
need to think about the schedule. It is all under control,
at least for the next ten minutes, so it is
okay to just stare at the sky in the meantime.
This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

(04:35):
hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the
number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also
shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart
media dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out with

(04:57):
all the letters. Thanks so much, Flora to staying in touch.
Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For
more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows. Yea