Reclaim Your Day
The creation of health is closely linked to abilities to cope with stress, make time to relax, and clear the mind. Unfortunately, time is what many of us in our modern culture seem to lack. Priorities shift, and our goals of creating health sometimes take a back seat.
To simplify your schedule involves shifting priorities, and finding a connection in life with a natural rhythm. Many stress related illnesses are rooted in the body’s inability to adjust to stress due to disruptions in basic metabolic needs and hormonal rhythms. Stress occurs when the rate of inflammation exceeds the rate of repair, in basic terms. And repair really only happens in a relaxed, non stressed metabolic state.
So, how can you regain control of your 24 hours?
First, reduce multitasking. Rather than spreading attention too thin, aim to do one thing at a time, directing your concentration to the moment.
Keep to do lists short. Make goals realistic, and consider to keep the items down to five per day. Start with the most time sensitive tasks, and put the rest on another piece of paper for another time. Depending on how detailed your lists are, the point is to keep your goals achievable, and then call it a day once you achieved your goal. It feels much better to every day achieve your goals (for example, five items), than to have a list of 25 items each day, and never really achieve completion, or be spread too thin trying to do all of it, that you don’t really finish much of it.
Delegate. Ask for help or make a trade for tasks you don’t like or don’t feel you like to do. The tendency to trying to do it all yourself is not one that can easily be relearned, I can attest to personally. But the process of releasing expectations on yourself, and allowing help from colleagues, friends, and/or family is rewarding in more ways than just task completion.
Limit Interruptions. Create specific times each week or each day for the different categories of tasks you do in your life or work. Create specific times to return calls and emails so that they don’t break you focus throughout the day. Encourage colleagues or clients to call you during specific hours, rather than being accessible 24/7. If not possible to change work habits in this way, create pockets of uninterrupted relaxation before or after work shifts. Also, let voicemail get personal calls if you’re not ready to devote meaningful time to the caller. With these boundaries in place, you will then later create time for those discussions and personal connections without interruption as well.
Don’t lose sleep over it. Don’t fall into the trap that working longer into the night gets your tasks more accomplished. Sacrificing sleep can wreak havoc on your brain’s peak performance. If surges in energy are imbalanced, and your energy doesn’t peak until night, that is a reflection of an imbalanced nervous system. Address that imbalance and find how much more productive and focused you are during normal peak energy hours.
Be positive. The more fearful or anxious you feel, the less capable you may be at doing your best work, and the longer you may take. Set aside time in your schedule simply for doing the things that you love, that bring you joy. These investments in yourself create rewards in many ways. A clarity of mind comes with these clear time boundaries and focused task lists. Sometimes, you may find, that the root cause of your anxiety or fears is the lack of time spent on joyful, relaxing and fulfilling activities.
So, sometimes, I jokingly add, that in addition to focused, clear boundaries, and a positive minded "to do" list; one needs to be sure to create a "to be" list. This way, time spent in your day or over the course of a week doing joyful, positive things for yourself, or time spent in prayer, meditation, in nature or relaxing or playing with children or animals is on the list. Thus, you give yourself a true gift by restoring your natural rhythms and rejuvenating your soul.
You take back your time.
About Dr. Kim
Dr. Kim Furtado, N.D. is hosting a “Vibrant Woman in You” on May 15-17, 2015 and invites you treat yourself and take a break! Kim D. Furtado, N.D. received her Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (N.D.) degree from Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington. (www.bastyr.edu ) She also holds a Bachelor of Science Cum Laude in Biology from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has been in private practice in Lewes Delaware since 2001.
For more information about the retreat, please visit:http://www.drkimfurtado.com/workshopdescriptions/vibrantwomaninyou.html
Registration for The Vibrant Woman in You on May 15-17,2015 is welcome.
The Barn at Two Rivers is a beautifully renovated historic property tucked up against the mountains of Harper’s Ferry, just 80 miles from Washington, DC. Original to the Civil War era, the Barn has been newly renovated to provide a serene setting for health retreats and small conferences.
Registration Fee: $395
Lodging is not included, but is available on first come first serve on site.
Click here for typical workshop schedule and logistics information
Dr. Kim Furtado, N.D.
At Quakertown Wellness Center
For more information call 302-945-2107
