10 Minutes

Stop. Stop right now. Stop reading this blog. Close your laptop. Set a timer for 10 minutes and do nothing. And, I mean nothing. Sit there, like a lump, for the next 10 minutes.

When was the last time you allowed yourself to press the pause button on life? We all know how it goes. We are ruled by our agendas and flit from one task to the next barely catching our breath. We never mean to be so busy; nevertheless, life happens and always has some dilemma that needs our immediate attention (or so it seems). Hopefully, and in most cases for myself, this is not always the case; however, in the last week or so, I have been incredibly busy.  (Hence, the lack of blog postings).

If you are not aware as of yet, I became licensed to teach Zumba classes on 3/12. The training was exhilarating, fun, and exhausting. I arrived at 7:30am and left at 6pm. Everything in between was mostly learning the various steps to the different rhythms and dancing our tooshies off; it was awesome. I am totally amped for Zumba classes to begin. (My Gym of Westfield is holding a FREE introductory class this coming Monday (3/28) from 7-8pm!!! Call to reserve a spot!).

Nevertheless, as with the launch of any new program, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes in preparation, and as I am the sole instructor, I have been working very hard. I do not state this as a complaint, but rather to explain why I have been so busy. It takes a lot of work to listen to and learn new music and to pick the different steps I want to use in each song for each rhythm. I have really enjoyed the whole process and find it difficult to not spend every spare minute continuing to tweak my program. But, as I arrived at today, I realized I haven't allowed myself much breathing room in the last week. So, as soon as I could, I set a timer for 10 minutes and sat like a lump on the couch until it went off.

Not a few times did I want to spring into action, taking care of this or that little thing that "needed" to be done. For the first few minutes, I was mentally bombarded by my list of To-Do's. But I resisted and continued to be a lump. I can't say the 10 minutes dissolved all of my stress and weariness, but it did help. It allowed me to catch my breath, for which I am thankful.

I won't be doing Zumba today; my body needs a break. Instead, I'm going to engage in some reading that I have been neglecting and some good, solid relaxation. My can-do attitude is currently screaming at me as I type this; sometimes, I have more ambition than I know what to do with. But, I also know from experience that if I do not slow myself down here and there, I become very anxious, stressed out, and am not a fun person to live with. It was such over achieving tendencies that led me to my nervous breakdown in high school. Thankfully, my ability to say "no" here in this situation is evidence of personal growth.

So whether you have a Type A personality like me, have been working very hard of late, or are simply a human being doing the best you can in life, I can bet you could really use 10 minutes for yourself. For me, being a lump is what I need to do in times like these. For you, it could be different. We always pass by on opportunities to do something for ourselves because we rationalize that we'll get to it eventually. Except, eventually never comes and the vicious cycle continues. And 10 minutes is nothing! So no more excuses; just do it already. Stop what you're doing and take 10 minutes for yourself. Ready? GO!