Is time just flying by?

This morning I had 5 minutes to spare and decided to go outside and stand in the sun. This is something I often do when I have a bit of extra time in the morning. I love the feel of the warm sunrays on my face and the cool earth under my feet. I love having a few minutes to breath in the fresh air and admire the beauty of the garden. This is a small practice I started a few months ago and have felt the grounding and centring benefits every time. It is the loveliest way to start the day.

This morning after 2 minutes with my eyes closed just feeling the rays of sun on my skin I decided to check Facebook as I had brought my phone with me to keep track of the time. I scrolled through Facebook for about 1 minute and then checked the time to realise it had actually been 3 minutes. These 3 minutes had just disappeared whereas the 2 minutes I spent just standing felt like a much longer time. This realisation brought to the forefront of my mind our societal issue of not having enough time. Everyone I speak to says the same thing that time is juts going too fast. It made me think about the amount of time we spend on electronic devices whether it is our phones, computers, watching TV or checking social media. If my 3 minutes can just vanish like that then no wonder our days are disappearing when we spend so much of them connected to our appliances. Maybe if we spent a bit more time just being, time might slow down for us just that little bit. I think this is the basis of mindfulness and actually being present in the moment. When we are present our minds can relax and you will notice that the speed we experience normally stops and time just slows down. Imagine if we all just spent 5 minutes each day just being present. These moments bring clarity; reduce stress and anxiety, as our minds are not over stimulated. I hear so many people saying I just don’t have time for this type of thing, to dedicate 5-10 minutes a day to relaxation. Well first of all these practices actually help you have more time by slowing down our minds so we can be more productive but second of all you do have the time. We all do, it is just about priorities and allocating time accordingly. If you have time to check social media you have time for this, if you watch TV you have time for this, if you snack throughout the day you have time. Even if it is simply 30 seconds of being present 5 times a day that is a great place to start. Instead of having a 30 second break to chew a cookie allocate that time to being present. You can even do this while eating just shift your focus.

Our fast pace society is doing nothing for our health. It is causing massively high stress levels, which is a huge contributing factor to many diseases. It is our responsibility to take care of ourselves, no one else’s. If you feel out of control, with time just flying by try this simple technique. Put away your device and just spend a few minutes truly being present with yourself. It is amazing how something so simple can be absolutely so powerful.