Time-out or burn-out

The importance, the skill and the necessity of taking time-out if you want to prevent burn-out as a working mum.

In sports like basketball, baseball, and ice hockey they understand the importance of a time-out. Can you picture it: the heated match situation and suddenly the whistle of the coach, hands up, time-out! The game stops, all players immediately hover over to their coach for…… for what?  What happens in a time-out? A time-out is a situation where everybody steps back; physically and mentally. It is a time for physical recharging, where players can catch their breath, give their muscles a little rest, fuel the body with a drink. It is also a moment for reflection and looking back at the recent events in the match: what worked, what did not, how about different positions for the players, how about different tactics and strategies.

The time-out is a restful period, that shapes the game and ideally leads to a better performance and better results.
How often do you, busy women with lots of balls in the air, take a time-out? Because of the juggling and the pressures from different sides it is very important to allow regular breaks.

As a busy mum myself I discovered the value of time-out in the form of meditation years ago. The busier I was, the more time I spent meditating. That sounds daft and illogical, but the meditation practice refuelled my body and mind, made me focussed, alert, and I felt in control and relaxed. In that state of mind, I could do much more, than when I allowed my energy to be zapped away by nervous energy and worries.

As my life evolved, I started to teach meditation and came across this myth that meditation takes too much time. Meditation is a word for any technique that calms the mind and can take many forms . It doesn’t need to be complicated. Focus and concentration, for even just one minute, will https://premier-pharmacy.com/product-category/womans-health/ help to create a restful state of the mind.

To dismantle the myth that meditation takes up a lot of time and to prove that great changes can be achieved I designed a research programme which I called The Meditation Wave, referring to the change in frequency in our brains when we meditate. This research asked participants to try 28 days 5 times a day a 1 minute meditation. In my opinion, I took away the excuse of not enough time as there is no excuse when it comes this one minute. We all will have those moments, as we wait for a traffic light, the kettle to boil, for the train to arrive, and these spare minutes can be used for a highly effective brief meditation.

The effects of a regular one minute meditation were very positive. People who started with sleeping problems all reported a significant improvement in their sleeping patterns. Others noticed a much calmer demeanour and one participant gave the feedback: ‘The knot in my stomach is gone and I don’t feel nervous anymore’.

The research project has ended¸ but as a result The Meditation Wave is now available as an online meditation course with guided meditations and a daily supportive email.

Time-outs are key in a busy life, to recharge with regular intervals. The challenge is to find the type of ‘activity´that works for you and suits your lifestyle.

Author: Mariette Jansen Coaching from stress free coaching. Email: mariette@stressfreecoaching.co.uk Blogsite:
Facebook page for the Meditation Wave. Meditation Wave is the easiest way to incorporate meditation into a hectic lifestyle.

• All materials are delivered via email.
• There is no time commitment. The maximum time involved is 10 minutes a day, broken down into 5 chunks of approximately 2 minutes each.
• Can be done anywhere and everywhere.
• Cost for all materials and 1 month support: £37.

The course contains downloads, daily support, instruction and off-line support if needed. The down-to-earth approach fits into our Western culture and has been very positively received.