10 Ways to Give Yourself 10 Minutes Today

10 Easy Ways to Recharge During Your Day, Without Your Phone In-Hand
Filed Under > Health & Wellness

I read a piece the other day that took a look at how busyness is crushing our souls.  A pretty heavy statement, no?  But the author Claire de Boer calls out that busyness has become a “trendy epidemic” which I can’t help but agree with.  We’re all running around a mile a minute, and most of the time we can’t coordinate a simple coffee date or take time to go on a stroll outside. We’re “too busy” to connect with loved ones, and soon after: we’re “too busy” for much-needed time for ourselves.

After I finished reading, I went back again to the line that struck a chord with me: “The opportunity to do more is a wonderful thing, but if we’re too “busy” rushing from one thing to the next to be able to slow down and enjoy the moment, it loses its value entirely.” 

Are you too busy to give yourself ten minutes off the grid today? I mean truly give yourself those minutes… no status updates, no text messages, no emails, simply ten minutes to sit and think and decompress.  Don’t worry, until recently (as in this week, if we’re being honest here) I would have been just as guilty as the rest.  As you’ll recall, I have a slew of intentional resolutions to keep this year, so I’m now adding at least one 10-minute break per day to the list.  Check out the slideshow above to find 10 ways to give yourself 10 minutes, from adult coloring books to playing some tunes to even a simple stretch.  But spoiler alert: none of them involve your phone. Flip through, then tell me how you’ll enjoy your “me time” today!  Cheers, Kat

SHOP THE STORY / CLICK LEFT & RIGHT ARROWS TO EXPLORE

 

 

TURN TO COLORING

TURN TO COLORING

ADULT COLORING BOOKS HAVE QUICKLY BECOME ALL THE RAGE LATELY, SERVING AS SOOTHING, RELAXING DISTRACTIONS TO QUIET THE MIND. AND WITH SO MANY PRETTY DESIGNS AND COLORFUL MARKERS, WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE?

SHOP THE LOOK:




VIA RUSTIC WHITE FOR WAITING ON MARTHA
PUT SOME TUNES ON

PUT SOME TUNES ON

LISTENING TO YOUR FAVORITE RECORD OR SONG CAN BE JUST WHAT YOU NEED TO RECHARGE. LISTEN TO SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T HEARD IN AWHILE, AND TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO ENJOY MEMORIES TIED TO THE SONGS.

SHOP THE LOOK:




VIA DAN MARTENSEN
SPEND TIME WITH A PUZZLE

SPEND TIME WITH A PUZZLE

JIGSAW PUZZLES ARE NOTHING NEW, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY AREN'T INCREDIBLY HELPFUL AT CALMING YOU DOWN AND REFOCUSING THE MIND.

SHOP THE LOOK:




VIA THE NEW YORK TIMES
TAKE A WALK

TAKE A WALK

IT'S EASY TO TALK YOURSELF OUT OF A TAKING A WALK WHEN YOU'RE BUSY, BUT THE SIMPLE ACT OF TAKING A QUICK STROLL IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL (AND IMPORTANT FOR YOUR HEALTH IF YOU'RE SITTING AT A DESK ALL DAY). THE MIXTURE OF FRESH AIR, VITAMIN D AND GETTING YOUR BLOOD FLOWING WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. AND OF COURSE, A FURRY FRIEND MAKES IT EVEN BETTER.

SHOP THE LOOK:




VIA KATHRYN MCCRARY FOR WAITING ON MARTHA
STRETCH

STRETCH

STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND DO A GREAT BIG STRETCH. I'M TALKING HANDS-OVER-YOUR-HEAD STRETCH. SURE, SOME OF YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO IT WITH YOUR TENNIES ON, A GOOD MORNING STRETCH IS A GREAT THING TO DO AS YOU GET READY FOR WORK. IT'S AMAZING HOW MUCH MORE IN-TUNED WITH YOUR BODY YOU'LL FEEL AS YOU FACE YOUR DAY.

SHOP THE LOOK:




VIA COULD I HAVE THAT
TEACH YOURSELF SOMETHING NEW

TEACH YOURSELF SOMETHING NEW

WHETHER THAT MEANS READING THE MORNING PAPER, PRINTING OUT AN INTERESTING ARTICLE YOU FOUND OR LISTENING TO THE BLINKIST APP, GIVE YOURSELF THE PLEASURE OF LEARNING SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY.

SHOP THE LOOK:




VIA SAVVY HOME, SOURCE UNKNOWN
JUST BREATHE

JUST BREATHE

THE SIMPLE ACT OF BREATHING CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE, LEADING YOU TO EXPERIENCE MORE. AND LUCKILY, IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN EASILY FOCUS ON, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. TAKE A FEW DEEP BREATHS DURING YOUR 10-MINUTE BREAK IN YOUR DAY, PAUSING TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN REALIGN YOUR FOCUS TO THE TASKS AND ACTIVITIES, AT HAND AND LATER.

SHOP THE LOOK:




VIA WAITING ON MARTHA, BY KATHRYN MCCRARY
TAKE A SOLO COFFEE BREAK

TAKE A SOLO COFFEE BREAK

CLOSE YOUR LAPTOP AND CONSIDER TAKING A SOLO COFFEE BREAK AROUND THE CORNER. DURING THAT 10-MINUTES, YOU WON'T NEED YOUR PHONE NOR BRIEFCASE, SO LEAVE THEM BEHIND AND ENJOY YOUR QUICK BREAK TO RECHARGE.

SHOP THE LOOK:




VIA PINTEREST
WRITE YOUR THOUGHTS DOWN

WRITE YOUR THOUGHTS DOWN

JOURNALING IN SOME FORM OR ANOTHER CAN BE EXTREMELY CALMING. IT ALSO CAN MEAN SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TO EVERYONE; IT COULD BE ANYTHING FROM LONG-WINDED PROSE TO SIMPLE WORDS OR LYRICS THAT RESONATED WITH YOUR DAY.

NEED A LITTLE HELP GETTING STARTED? THIS WEEKLY JOURNAL INSPIRATION IS AN EASY WAY TO BEGIN TO PUT A FEW THOUGHTS ON PAPER.

SHOP THE LOOK:




VIA ME AND ORLA
PRACTICE BEING STILL

PRACTICE BEING STILL

LASTLY, PRACTICE THE ART OF BEING STILL. IT'S EASIER SAID THAN DONE, AND ODDS ARE THAT IF YOU'RE READING THIS, BEING STILL DOESN'T COME NATURALLY TO YOU (YET). THE GOOD NEWS? THEY CALL IT A PRACTICE FOR A REASON; IT'S A CONTINUOUS INTENTION TO LEARN TO BE COMFORTABLE IN YOUR SKIN, TO RELAX, TO SLOW DOWN, TO BE PRESENT.

SHOP THE LOOK:




VIA COULD I HAVE THAT
ADDITIONAL CREDITS:

Featured image, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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  • Love this, always important for me to keep this in mind! I was gifted an adult coloring book for Christmas and have found that throwing on a record and coloring is an excellent way to unwind. And a glass of wind doesn’t hurt either! 😉

  • Oops! wine* not wind. 🙂

  • Mary Grace / 01.23.2016

    Which coloring book is pictured in the featured image?

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