September 11, 2012 – YA Chit Chat

We all waste time, whether by daydreaming, playing a casual game of Solitaire or Angry Birds while at work, or watching television when there’s a bathroom to clean or dishes to wash. But is wasting time good or bad for us? Actually, it’s both.

Taking breaks, a.k.a. wasting time, is our body’s natural defense to stress, to excessive overload. We all know stress is a nasty beast. It’s sneaky and if not kept in check, it will play havoc with our health and disrupt our well-being. It will even kill if not confronted and fought on a daily basis. That’s why it is important in our busy lives to take time out for ourselves each day to relax. Some ways to de-stress are:

Reading
Meditation
Deep breathing
Exercise (even just a walk around the block can do wonders for the psyche)
Writing/Journaling
Hot bubble baths
Yoga
Game-playing
Gardening
Eating correctly, and last but not least
Sex

But be careful. Too much of a good thing can also be counter-productive.

In our stressful lives, it is easy to become distracted, to not focus on the tasks at hand and get through them. Sometimes we tend to look for ways to put off that dreaded doctor’s exam or finish the colossal report due at the end of the week. We procrastinate, make excuses, and lie to ourselves that we have it under control. In the end, this only serves to harm us by placing even more undue stress upon our bodies and mind.

Too much wasting time has another harmful effect: we lose sight of our goals, of what’s important. Of our dreams. Deadlines loom closer and we panic because we allowed time to get away. Dreams fade because we frittered away the time necessary to make them come true. Then we wake up, old, worn out and spiritually unfulfilled, and wonder where the time went.

As with anything in life, the key to success is balance. We all must learn to unwind, relax, take a bubble bath at the end of the day and not feel guilty. At the same time, we must also confront life head on if we are ever to reach our goals and fulfill our dreams. Life is tough, but the human psyche is tougher. All we have to do is wake up with a positive attitude and make each day count. We never know what tomorrow brings. Don’t stress it. Don’t waste it. Live it.