In this week’s Well-Being Tip, we explore how to use reflection to stay grounded with the passage of time.
How is the passage of time feeling to you these days? During the first stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people expressed that time had lost a bit of meaning, as our work and home lives merged into one long-term home/work/kids/cleaning/working/sleeping hybrid. But now that 18 months have passed, the perception of time has evolved somewhat to our current, still undefinable state.
Whether because we feel disconnected to time passing, “Wow, I can’t believe it’s September already – did we even have a summer?” or because the repetitive nature of our current lives has led to brain fog and languishing – our current perception of time can disrupt our ability to be in and recognize the major and minor events of the present. It can disrupt moments of celebration, moments of connection, and moments of reflection.
In this week’s Tuesday Tip – how to use reflection to reinforce the present moment and stay grounded with the passage of time. Basically – how to bring meaning to our day, when things feel somewhat meaningless.
End Your Day with Meaning
When you finish your evening routine and slip into bed tonight, and maybe every night for the next week or so, take a moment to look back over your day. Bring some awareness to the significance of what you did, to the deeper meaning behind your interactions and how you carried yourself.
The point here isn’t to worry about moments when you weren’t at your best. Instead, focus on the things that felt nourishing and meaningful.
Review your day step-by-step. Look back on everything you did, and with each situation, see if you can identify one small thing that felt important in some way. Focus on the small things that you normally wouldn’t notice. Maybe you were intentional about being mindful and aware as you took a shower…maybe you caught yourself in a moment of reactivity and were able to give yourself a little space before responding in a challenging moment. It could be anything.
By bringing your attention to the small moments of your day, you can bring more focus on your present state and have a better chance of breaking through some of the monotony of our current concept of time.
Just use the last few moments of each day to bring all these meaningful moments into focus. Before you go to bed, reconnect to a greater sense of meaning and you can start to break apart your days, weeks, and months.
When you train your mind in this manner, time can seem less like a bunch of moments stuck together, and more like an energizing, inspiring, and educational journey that you happen to be on at the moment.
So give it a try – this week can you tap into reflection and re-energize at the same time? Give it a try!
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